The Business Master (3rd Edition)

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ The Business Master (3rd Edition) / The Business Master (3rd Edition).iso / files / utilenus / dm25128 / dm.doc < prev

Wrap

Text File | 1988-08-02 | 115.3 KB | 2,678 lines

DM Users Manual Page 1 ________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCING DIRECTORY MASTER Directory Master (DM), is a powerful utility program for MS-DOS compatible computers. DM was created to allow you to copy, move and delete files quickly and easily. But we didn't stop there. Special features allow you to run programs, execute commands, and view files directly from DM, then return to DM exactly where you left off. And DM is streamlined - many tasks can be completed with just one keystroke. DM allows you to maintain order on your disks with a minimum of time and effort. When you use DM, you are able to skim through your directory and mark all the files you want to be moved, copied, or deleted. If you have lots of files to delete, you can delete them all at once. If you want to copy selected files onto a diskette, you can copy them all at once. If you have a hard disk, the tree mode allows you to jump from the root directory to any subdirectory and back again with a minimum of keystrokes. Suppose you want to separate your data base files from your spreadsheet worksheet files. You can mark all those data files and move them there all at once. Perhaps you have a lot of old document files in your word processor program and you want to delete some of the clutter. But you can't remember what's in a certain file. No problem, the programmable function keys allow you to call up the word processor and load the indicated file in one keystroke. After you've looked over the file and exited the word processor, you automatically return to DM, right where you left off. Here are a few of DM's highlights. DM's WORKHORSE FUNCTIONS *Quick backups - copy all or selected files from one diskette to another, or from the hard drive to diskette or vice versa. *Maintain order - categorize your files in subdirectories. DM quickly moves your files from one subdirectory to another or from the root directory to subdirectories. *Easy disk cleanup - move or delete selected files from any drive. DM STREAMLINES MAINTENANCE TASKS *Scan quickly through a hard disk's root directory and subdirectories. *Check any drive to see the size of individual files and the amount of free space on the disk. DM Users Manual Page 2 ________________________________________________________________ *Sort directories for viewing in any order desired: alphabetical by filename, alphabetical by extension, by date, by size, or reverse order. *List only certain files within a directory, such as those with a given extension. *Execute a program or view the contents of a file directly from DM, and return to DM exactly where you left off. DM's POWERFUL UTILITY FEATURES *Rename any file. Change the date on any file. *Change the attributes of a file, including: Hidden, System, Read-Only, and Archive. *Execute a DOS command directly from DM and return to DM in the same place that you left off. *Custom program up to 30 function keys. THE SOFTWARE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND DM DM was originally written in 1985 to provide the same functions for MS-DOS as a program called SWEEP did for CP/M. The main function of this program is to be able to select files from a list of files, then either copy them, move them, or delete them. Thus the design of this program is such to make these functions as easy as possible. In order to help you decide which files to copy, move, or delete, DM allows you to sort the list by name, date, extension or size, and allows you to select in reverse order. This allows you to see the directory several different ways. In addition, DM allows you to use a file mask. This allows you to work with a smaller group of files rather than the whole directory. The files are displayed in a vertical list. The up and down arrows, page up, page down, home and end keys move you through the list. A GOTO key is provided to help you get to a desired place in the list quickly. Files are selected (Marked) using the right arrow key, and unselected (UnMarked) using the left arrow key. All files can be marked using Ctrl-Right-Arrow and unmarked using the Ctrl-Left-Arrow. A wild card mark is provided to mark all files that match a particular mask. Once files are marked they can be copied or moved to another disk drive or subdirectory, or deleted. You can also change file attributes on all marked files or run a program on all marked files. Copy, move, delete, and change file attributes can also be performed on the file the pointer is pointing to. You can also rename the file or change the file's date. You can also run the file or run up to 30 predefined programs on the file. DM Users Manual Page 3 ________________________________________________________________ To help you move through the directory structure, the Tree Mode is provided. Tree Mode shows you only directories. By using the arrow keys, you can move all around the directory tree. When you get to the directory you want, switch back to the File Mode. DM provides a status window that allows you to see the number of files, the total size of all files, the number of marked files, and the total size of all marked files. It shows the free space on the disk and provides additional information about the file that you are pointing to. Current path, drive, and file mask information are also displayed. DM also provides the ability to execute predefined programs on either the file you are pointing to, or all marked files. DM creates DOS command lines for you, including the name of the file you are pointing to, and executes these commands. DM even has the ability to figure out what program to run on the file you are pointing to by its extension. That's what the Autorun feature is. This would be used if, for example, you are in your spreadsheet directory trying to determine what spreadsheets to get rid of. In the process you would like to look at them while you are marking them to refresh your memory as to what they contain. If you program the AutoRun strings, DM will let you run your spreadsheet program on the file you are pointing to. After viewing the spreadsheet you return back to DM exactly where you left off. DM is designed to be as intuitive as possible. If you get confused, press F1 for help. For the basic functions, C is for Copy, D is for Delete, M is for Move, and A is for Attributes. These commands work on the file that you are pointing to. For marked files you use Alt-C, Alt-D, Alt-M, and Alt-A. R is for Rename, T is for Change Date, F is for Freespace, V is for View, E is for Edit, P is for Patch, G is for Goto, S is for Sort, and Q is for Quit. Many of the functions of DM are for the advanced computer user. If you don't understand all the functions of DM, just stick to the simple ones. As your knowledge of MS-DOS and computers grow, you will find more and more uses for DM. DM Users Manual Page 4 ________________________________________________________________ DIRECTORY MASTER SCREEN REFERENCE This is the DM opening screen. Below is a brief description of each feature on the screen, followed by a text reference. File Window (left window): File Name - The column of names under this heading is a list of the files in the current directory. Date - This shows the date that the file was last modified (if the system used to make the modification had a clock-calendar). Size - This tells how many bytes are in the file, in k (1024 bytes). Status Window (Upper Right Window): Size of Files - The total disk space used by all of the selected files and all Marked files. DM Users Manual Page 5 ________________________________________________________________ Number of Files - This tells how many files are on the current disk or subdirectory and the number of Marked files. Free - The amount of free space on the current disk, in k, is shown here. Sort - The sorted order in which the directory is displayed is shown here. If "Name" appears here, the directory is displayed sorted by filename in alphabetical order. (See "Sorting the Directory," page 19.) Subs - This is the number of subdirectories off the current subdirectory. If you enter the Tree Mode, the number of files in the current subdirectory is displayed. Path - This shows the drive and pathname of the current directory. "\" indicates the root directory [Example: Path:C\:], and a name after the backslash indicates a named subdirectory [Example: Path: C:\WS]. (See "About Directories and Subdirectories," pages 12-15.) Size - This is the actual number of bytes in the file next to the pointer. Attributes - If the file indicated by the pointer has any special attributes, those attributes will be shown here. (See "Changing Attributes," page 33.) Help Screen #1: DM Users Manual Page 6 ________________________________________________________________ Mask - This tells which portion (selected filenames or extensions) in the directory will be listed. If *.* appears as the mask, the entire directory will be shown. (See "Changing the Mask," page 22.) F1 Help - displays the next help screen each time F1 is pressed. Tab - displays the Programmable Function Keys Settings. Marking and Unmarking Files Use the following right and left cursor keypad arrows to mark and unmark files: -> Marks File CTRL -> Marks All Files <- Unmarks File CTRL <- Unmarks All Files The following is a list of DM Commands. (See "Copying and Deleting," pages 17-19.) C - Copy File - copies only the file at the pointer. (See "Copying a File," pages 17-18.) D - Delete File - deletes only the file at the pointer (See "Delete a File," page 18.) M - Move File - moves only the file at the pointer. (See "Moving Files," page 19.) V - View File - displays the contents of the file at the pointer, in ASCII text. (See "View a Data File," page 20.) E - Edit File - Setup DM to run your favorite editor to modify any text or document file (See "Edit a Data File," page 20.) E - Patch File - Setup DM to run your favorite patch program to modify any file (See "Patch a File," page 20.) G - Goto FileName - user may search directory for specific file by typing the filename. (See "Goto Filename," page 22.) R - Rename File - user may type in new filenames. (See "Renaming Files," page 19.) L - Re-read Directory - rereads the current drive. Useful for quickly rereading a new disk when it is inserted in the floppy drive, or to reread current subdirectory after creation of new files. (See "Inserting a New Disk," page 22.) S - Change Sort Order - changes the order in which the directory is sorted. (See "Sorting the Directory," page 19.) DM Users Manual Page 7 ________________________________________________________________ A - Change Attributes - changes attributes of the file at the pointer. (See "About Attributes," pages 32-33.) T - Change Date - user may type in a new date for files. (See "Changing Dates," page 20.) W - Wildcard Mark - user selects and simultaneously marks several files at once by using wildcards. (See "Wildcard Mark," page 24.) F - FreeSpace - gives statistics for any drive specified. (See "Determining Free Space on a Disk," page 22.) For All Marked Files Alt-C - Copy Files - copies marked (highlighted) files to the specified path. (See "Copy Many Files at Once," page 18.) Alt-D - Delete Files - deletes all marked (highlighted) files. (See "Delete Many Files at Once," page 18.) Alt-M - Move Files - moves all marked (highlighted) files to the specified path (See "Moving Files," page 19.) Alt-A - Change Attributes - changes the attributes of all marked files. (See "Changing Attributes," and "Warning:" page 33.) X - Extra Functions R Reverse all Marks - (See "Reversing Marks," page 24.) C Set Colors - (See "Changing Colors on the Screen," page 24.) T Root Dir Tree Mode - (Quickly display all subdirectories off the root directory.) \ Root Dir - (Move to the root directory of current drive.) S Save Configuration - save changes made to the screen colors or the Function Key commands. (See "Changing Colors on the Screen," page 24 and "Saving Your Programming," page 29.) V Set VIEW Prog - (Set up DM to run your favorite view program.) E Set EDIT Prog - (Set up DM to run your favorite editor program.) P Set PATCH Prog - (Set up DM to run your favorite patch program.) ESC - Escape - used to abort commands or type ESC twice to exit DM. Q - Quit DM - used to exit the DM program. DM Users Manual Page 8 ________________________________________________________________ DM FUNCTION KEYS F1 Help Screen No. 1 - Press F1 once to display a full screen of help. F1 Help Screen No. 2 - Press F1 again for an introduction to DM and help with the Programmable Function Keys and Autorun Key. The Alternate Functions Keys are (Alt F1 through Alt F10), the Control Function Keys are (Ctrl F1 through Ctrl F10) and the Shift Function Keys are (Shft F1 through Shft F10). These are user defined, you must program these keys and write the help text yourself. Press the Tab key to view the Programmable Function Key Settings. The Autorun Key is F2 and is also programmed. (See "The Programmable Function Keys," pages 26-30 and "The Autorun Key," page 30.) F2 AutoRun - this key must also be programmed by the user. Set it up to execute an application program or a DOS command on files with the same extension. (See "The AutoRun Key," page 30.) F3 Execute File - executes the file at the pointer if the file is executable (has extension .EXE, .COM, or .BAT). (See "Executing a File," page 25.) F4 DOS Command - executes a DOS command. (See "Execute a DOS Command," page 25.) F5 Change Disk - move from one drive to another. (See "Changing Disk Drives," page 22.) F6 Change Path - move to another drive or path or select files by using a particular mask with embedded wildcards. (See "Paths and Pathnames," page 13, and "Changing the Mask," page 22.) F7 Tree Mode - allows scanning of subdirectories. F7 Toggle this key to enter and exit Tree Mode R Rename subdirectory -> Jump to SubDir - move to the subdirectory at pointer <- Jump to SubDir toward Root RET Jump to SubDir and Exit Tree Mode - lists files in the subdirectory indicated by the pointer and exit Tree Mode \ Jump to Root Directory - (See "About Directories and Subdirectories," pages 12-15, and "Tree Mode," page 23.) F8 Edit Commands - used to custom program the Alternate Function Keys, Control Function Keys, Shift Function Keys and the AutoRun Key. (See "The Programmable Function Keys," pages 26-30, and "The AutoRun Key," page 30.) F9 Print Order Form - used to print DM purchase order form. DM Users Manual Page 9 ________________________________________________________________ F10 Marked Menu - This is an alternate method of copying, deleting, moving, changing the attributes and executing dos commands on marked (highlighted) files. Use your creativity here. C Copy - Copy marked files D Delete - Delete marked files M Move - Move marked files A Change Attributes - Change marked files' attributes Ctrl, Alt & Shift Function Keys or F4 to Batch Execute Marked Files FOR NEW USERS: BASIC MS-DOS FUNCTIONS USED BY DM This section is for the novice and provides an introduction to MS-DOS functions and commands that relate directly to DM. If you are familiar with DOS you may wish to skip this section and go directly to page 16 "Using DM". Consult your MS-DOS manual for more in-depth explanations of DOS functions, or any commands not covered here. Throughout this manual, you will be asked to press the "Enter" key. On some keyboards, it may be called the "Return" key, and on others it is simply marked with a "<--+." Regardless of how it is labeled, you want to press the key that gives you a carriage return. Booting the System Dual Floppy Systems: Insert your DOS disk in drive A and turn on the system. When the computer is ready to go, the message "A:" will appear. This is called the "prompt" and it means that the computer is ready to accept commands. You have two disk drives. The one on top is Drive A. The bottom one is Drive B. Drive A is the "default drive" which means that when you enter a command or filename, the computer automatically searches the disk in drive A unless you specify another drive. Hard Disk Systems: Turn on the computer. When the "C:" prompt appears, the computer is ready to accept commands. The hard disk is called drive C, and the drive for floppy disks is Drive A. Drive C is the default drive. Rebooting If you get stuck and want to start over, you can "reboot" with- out turning off the machine. Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys simultaneously. Be careful. Never reboot if you haven't saved whatever you're working on, because it will be lost. Changing the Designated Drive When the computer is first turned on, it will search for files on the default drive. If you want it to search for files on another drive, you must change the designated drive. DM Users Manual Page 10 ________________________________________________________________ If Drive A is currently the designated drive, then "A:" will be the prompt. To change the designated drive, type the letter of the desired drive, followed by a colon, then press Enter. A: (Prompt for current designated drive) A: (to change designated drive to drive C, type "C:" and then press Enter) C: (the new prompt appears, showing that C is now the designated drive) Format A Disk Formatting a blank disk prepares it to be used for your computer. The disk is divided into "sectors" which could be compared to drawing lines on a sheet of paper in preparation for writing a letter. Every disk that you use must be formatted. WARNING: Formatting a disk erases everything on the disk. Dual Floppy Systems: Your DOS disk should be in Drive A. Put a blank disk in drive B. The "A:" prompt should appear on the screen. If it doesn't, bring it up. Type: A: FORMAT B: This specifies that the "FORMAT" program should be executed for the disk in drive B. Press Enter, and the disk in Drive B will be formatted. Hard Disk Systems: Read warning below before you do anything. Then put a blank disk in Drive A. Bring up the "C:" prompt and type: FORMAT A: Press Enter, and the disk in Drive A will be formatted. WARNING: You must specify Drive A by typing the "A:" after "FORMAT". If you forget the "A:" or if you make a mistake and type "A;" then the default drive (Drive C) will be formatted. Since this is the hard disk, this means that everything on the hard disk will be erased! Steps for making a Backup You should always make a backup of each of your software disks. The backup, or working copy, is for everyday use. Put the original in a safe place. Then, if something happens to the working copy, you can make another copy from the original. Dual Floppy System: 1) Have your DOS diskette in Drive A, and a blank diskette in Drive B. 2) Bring up the "A:" prompt and type "DISKCOPY A: B:" and then press the Enter key. This tells the computer to copy the disk in drive A to the disk in drive B. 3) Follow the instructions on the screen. The DM diskette is the "source" and the blank diskette is the "target." DM Users Manual Page 11 ________________________________________________________________ Hard Disk System: 1) Have your DM diskette and a blank diskette ready. 2) Bring up the "C:" prompt and type "DISKCOPY A: A:" and then press the Enter key. This tells the computer to copy the disk in drive A to another disk which will later be put in drive A. 3) Follow the instructions on the screen. The DM diskette is the "source" and the blank diskette is the "target." Note: Your blank disk does not need to be formatted in advance. The "DISKCOPY" command formats the disk at the same time that the files are being copied. Files, Filenames, and Extensions All programs, text, or data on your disk are contained in files. A letter created by your word processor is in a file, as is a list of names and addresses in a database. A file on a disk can be compared to a file folder in a drawer. Every file has a filename, which allows the computer to keep track of files. Filenames may have two parts: the "name" and the "extension." These are separated by a period. For example, DM.COM is DM's filename. A name may be up to eight characters, but the extension is limited to three characters. The extension is optional. All of the following are valid filenames: LETTER.DOC, D.DB, MOMLET, Q, O.K, 123.123. Wildcards Sometime you may want to give the computer a command that will affect more than one file. For example, you may want to delete all the files with the extension .BAK. Wildcards allow you to do this all at once, rather than going through and deleting them one-by-one. Two characters, the question mark (?) and the asterisk (*) may be used as "wildcards" in filenames and extensions. The computer interprets a question mark (?) as "any character" (a wildcard for a single character). If you had a set of files, for example, with the names BOB1.LET, BOB2.LET, BOB3.LET, etc., you could denote the whole set with the name BOB?.LET. ????????.??? means "any file." The computer interprets the asterisk (*) as "any set of characters" (a wildcard replaces a whole filename or any part of a filename). Therefore, "*.COM" would mean "any file with the ".COM" extension. "FUN.*" would mean any file with the first name "FUN." *.* means "all files." DM Users Manual Page 12 ________________________________________________________________ Wildcards (? and *) may not be used to name files. Rather, they are only used in commands to select a group of files for moving, deleting, copying, etc. Some examples of uses for wildcards are shown below. DEL MAIL.* (all files beginning with MAIL would be deleted) DIR TEST?.DOC (a directory will be displayed for all files starting with TEST with the .DOC extension.) COPY *.COM A: B: (all files with the .COM extension would be copied from drive A to drive B.) ABOUT DIRECTORIES AND SUBDIRECTORIES A directory keeps track of your files on a disk. Every disk has a directory, which may contain any number of files. The direc- tory has information about the name, size, location, and date of creation (or last updating) of all the files on a disk. Displaying a Directory using DOS "DIR" is the DOS command to display the directory of the current designated drive. Other commands to show a directory are: DIR B: (Shows directory of Drive B: or whatever drive is specified) DIR/P ("Page mode" pauses when the screen is filled. Press any key to resume the directory display.) DIR/W ("Wide Display" shows directory of the current drive in several columns across the screen. Only filenames are displayed.) DM's main purpose is to help you keep track of your directories better than is possible with DOS alone. You probably won't need to use the DOS directory display commands too much after you learn DM. Subdirectories If you have several different projects, each with its own files, or if many people are using the same computer, the directory may become long and unwieldy. You may want to categorize your files or keep them separate from another person's. "Subdirectories" allow you to group files separately, much as you would group files in separate drawers of a filing cabinet. DM Users Manual Page 13 ________________________________________________________________ Subdirectories are most commonly used on a hard disk, but disk- ettes may also have subdirectories. For the purpose of this discussion, we will assume that your subdirectories are on Drive C:, the hard drive. Any directory may have subdirectories, and this creates a "tree" structure. The "root" is the first level directory, and the subdirectories of the root directory may be thought of as branches on the tree. To carry this idea further, files within a subdirectory are like the leaves on a branch. An example of a typical directory structure or "tree" is shown below: --ROOT---+-PROGRAMS----+-PROCOMM | |-TWIN | |-BASIC | |-WORDSTAR | +-USERS-------+-TOM | |-DICK | |-HARRY--+-GAMES | |-ACCOUNTS +-MUSIC +-GOODIES +-UTIL Paths and Pathnames You can access any file in any subdirectory on your disk. To do this, you must tell the computer where in the "tree" that the file is located. Starting with the root directory, you must give the "path" to the desired file. The "pathname" is a list of directory names separated by backslashes (\). In the tree above, the pathname for the subdirectory named TWIN would be written as: C:\PROGRAMS\TWIN The symbol for the root directory is "\", so the root directory on Drive C is written as "C:\". A subdirectory's name is written as "C:\NAME" (NAME is whatever name you gave to the subdirec- tory). Accessing a Subdirectory If you want the computer to search for files in another subdirectory, you must change directories. The command for "change directory" is CHDIR or CD, followed by the pathname. DM Users Manual Page 14 ________________________________________________________________ Suppose that Harry, who uses the computer with the "tree" shown above, wants to play games. He must type the change directory command, plus the pathname, to get to his GAMES subdirectory. From the C: prompt, he will type: C:CD USERS\HARRY\GAMES (change directory command) C:\USERS\HARRY\GAMES: (prompt in new directory) The symbol for the root directory is "\". So, to return to the root directory, he will type: C:\USER\HARRY\GAMES: CD\ (command to return to root) Creating a Subdirectory To create a subdirectory, type the command "MD" (make directory) and the name that you choose for the directory. Suppose you wanted to name your directory "TEST." From the C: prompt, type: C: MD TEST Perhaps you want to make a subdirectory within the directory TEST that you just created. You want to call it NEXTTEST. From the C: prompt, type: C:> MD TEST\NEXTTEST Directory names are limited to eight characters. The entire pathname is limited to 64 characters. Removing a Subdirectory RD is the "remove directory" command. The command must be followed by the pathname, using the same syntax as for making a directory or changing directories. You cannot be in a subdirectory you are trying to remove and you can only remove a directory if it is empty. About the Command Line DOS commands are typed next to the prompt. This is called the command line. Commands are executed when you press the Enter key. DOS commands are normally typed in one of the two following formats: DM Users Manual Page 15 ________________________________________________________________ Format 1: Executing a DOS command COMMAND [C:][\PATHNAME][\FILENAME] COMMAND is the actual DOS command, such as DEL, DIR, CD, etc. [ ] indicates that this part of the command is optional C: is the name of the required drive, either A:, B: or C: \PATHNAME is the pathname where the command should execute \FILENAME is the name of the file on which the command should be executed. If you typed the command: DEL C:\GAMES\PACKMAN then you would delete the PACKMAN file in the GAMES subdirectory on drive C:. If you were already in the GAMES subdirectory, your prompt would be C:\GAMES and it would not be necessary to specify the drive and pathname. You would only have to type "DEL PACKMAN". Format 2: Executing an executable file. [C:][\PATHNAME\]FILENAME1 [FILENAME2] [ ] indicates that this part of the command is optional C: is the name of the required drive, either A:, B:, or C: \PATHNAME is the pathname where the command should execute FILENAME1 is the name of the file (program) that should be executed. It must be an "executable" file (have the extension .COM, .EXE, or .BAT.) FILENAME2 is the name of a data file that may be loaded using the program in (FILENAME1). Using our sample "tree" shown earlier, suppose the WORDSTAR subdirectory contained the following files: WS.COM (the WordStar word processing program) LETTER (data file for WordStar) If you typed this command: C:\PROGRAMS\WORDSTAR\WS LETTER then the WS file would be executed with the LETTER file loaded. If you were already in the WORDSTAR subdirectory, you would only have given the command: "WS LETTER". And, if you didn't want to load the LETTER file, your command would simply be "WS". DM Users Manual Page 16 ________________________________________________________________ USING "DM" DIRECTORY MASTER GETTING STARTED DM may be used on any PC/XT/AT compatible system with at least 128k resident memory. This manual uses a great deal of cross-references, for the con- venience of readers who choose to skip around. Those who read the manual straight through can probably ignore the references. Back Up Your DM Disk Before you begin, make a working copy of your DM program disk for everyday use. Then put your original in a safe place. That way, if something happens to the working copy, you'll be able to make another copy from the original. (See "Steps for Making a Backup," pages 10-11.) Installing DM On Your Hard Drive Turn on the system. When "C:" appears, insert the DM disk in Drive A. Always install DM in the root directory. Make sure you are at the C:\ prompt and type copy a:*.*. Press the Enter key. DM should now be in the root directory. The Path Command It is to your advantage to be able to execute DM from any subdirectory you may be in. To do this, you may have to designate a path in your autoexec.bat file using the dos "Path" command. When using a hard drive, you may frequently be in a directory other than the root, where DM is located. The "Path" command allows you to execute a program when it is not in the subdirectory you are currently in. If you want to execute DM from any directory, put DM in a directory that your PATH is set up to access. If you have not set up a path command, refer to your MS- DOS manual or your friendly neighborhood computer wizard as to how to do this. Calling up the Program Dual Floppy Systems: Put your MS-DOS diskette in Drive A, and turn on the system. When "A:" appears, insert the DM disk in Drive A. Type "DM" and press the Enter key. This calls up the DM program. Hard Disk Systems: Just type "DM". (See above section entitled "The Path Command" for important information.) DM Users Manual Page 17 ________________________________________________________________ When the DM program comes up, three windows will appear. The left-hand window is the File Display Window. The names of the files in the current directory will be displayed here in alphabetical order. The upper right window is the Status Window. It shows which directory is being read, the size of the files, and other statistical information. The lower right window is the Popup Help Window for DM commands. Finding the Help Screens Dm uses two types of Help. One is full screen help (F1), and the other is a popup help screen (lower right screen) which pops up each time you use a DM command. Press the F1 key once to display the first help screen, then press it again to get the second help screen, and so on. Getting Out of the Program Press the Q key (Quit DM) to escape the program and return to MS- DOS. You may also press the Escape key (Esc) twice to exit the program. Scanning the Directory You may scan the list of filenames in the File Window using the page up (Pg Up) and page down (Pg Dn) keys, and the Home and End keys. Ctrl Home takes you to the top of the list and Ctrl End takes you to the bottom. The up arrow and down arrow keys move the pointer one line at a time. Marking Files If you want to delete, copy or move several files at once, you have to "mark" the files first. This tells the computer which files you want to copy, move or delete. To mark a file, position the pointer next to that file. Press the right arrow -> key. The name of the file will be highlighted to indicate that it has been "marked." Press the left arrow <- key to un-mark a file. You may mark as many files as you wish. Ctrl -> marks all files in the current directory, and Ctrl <- un- marks all files. COPYING, DELETING AND MOVING FILES Copy a File If you want to copy a file, use the up arrow and down arrow keys to position the pointer next to the file to be copied. Then press the C key. The message "Press down arrow to copy filename to another filename. To Path:" will appear. Pressing down arrow allows you to copy a file to the same or another filename within the same subdirectory. "Path" means the place where you want to put the file. Type the name of the disk drive or drive and DM Users Manual Page 18 ________________________________________________________________ subdirectory that the file is to be copied to, then press the Enter key. The file will be copied. (New Users: See "Paths and Pathnames," page 13.) Dual Floppy Systems: If the file being copied is on the disk in Drive A, and you want to copy it to the disk in drive B, then type "B:" when "To Path" appears. You must have a formatted disk in Drive B. Hard Disk Systems: If you are copying from a disk in Drive A to the hard disk, then type "C:" when "To Path:" appears. If you are copying from the hard disk to a disk in Drive A, then type "A:" when "To Path" appears. You must have a formatted disk in drive A. Delete a File To delete a file, use the up arrow and down arrow keys to position the pointer next to the file you want to delete. Then press the D key. The message "Delete (filename)? (Y/N)" will appear. Press Y for yes and the file will be deleted. Delete Many Files at Once Mark (highlight) all the files that you want to delete, then press the Alt D key. "Ready to Delete Marked Files? (Y/N)" will appear. Type "Y" for yes. All marked files will be deleted. Copy Many Files at Once "Mark" (highlight) all the files that you want to copy, then press the Alt C key. The message "Copy Marked Files. To Path:" will appear. Type the name of the disk drive to which the files should be copied. Press the Enter key. All marked files will be copied to the specified disk drive. The following conventions should be used to type the Path. A: = Drive A (usually floppy drive) B: = Drive B (usually floppy drive) C: = Drive C (hard drive) C:\ = Drive C (root directory of hard drive) C:\NAME = Subdirectories of Drive C (NAME is the name of subdirectory) (New Users: See "About Directories and Subdirectories," pages 12- 15.) Moving Files You may want to move files from the root directory to a sub- directory or vice versa, or from subdirectory to subdirectory. Mark (highlight) the files to be moved, then the press Alt M key. The message "Move Marked Files. To Path:" will appear. Type in DM Users Manual Page 19 ________________________________________________________________ the name of the path (as described above) and press the Enter key. The files will be "moved," which means they will be copied to the directory you specified and deleted from the current directory. Copying More Files to the Same Path Suppose you have just copied a group of files, and you want to immediately copy more files to the same path. DM has a feature that allows you to copy files to the same path without having to retype the pathname each time you copy files. This is helpful if you are making backups from the hard disk onto several floppy disks. If you have already copied a group of files, and want to copy more files to the same path, mark the files and press Alt C. When the message "To Path:" appears, simply hit the Enter key. The files will be copied to the path you specified the last time you copied files. QUICK AND EASY FEATURES Sorting the Directory The order in which the directory is displayed is shown as "Sort:" in the upper right window. If you want the directory listed in some other order, press the S key. Five choices appear. 1) Name - alphabetical order by filename. This is the default sort order, which means it is automa- tically sorted this way unless you change it. 2) Ext - alphabetical order by extension. This is helpful if you want all the files with the same exten- sion to appear together. 3) Date - files are listed in chronological order. 4) Size - files are listed from smallest to largest. R) Reverse (1,2,3,4,R)? - reverse the current order of the files or select a number to reverse sort in another order. "R" is a toggle key, press once to enter and again to exit reverse sort mode. (New Users: see "Files, Filenames and Extensions," page 11.) Renaming Files To rename a file, place the pointer at the desired file and press the R (Rename) key. Then type in the desired new name and press Enter. Use the arrow keys to position the pointer, and the Backspace (<--) or Delete (Del) key to erase unwanted characters. You may move up and down the list, changing the names of as many files as desired. Two files cannot share the same name. If you try, you will get an error message "access denied." Press the F3 key if you want to copy the name (not the extension) of the file directly above the one you're working on. DM Users Manual Page 20 ________________________________________________________________ View a Data File If you want to view a text file you can set up DM to run your favorite VIEW program on a selected file. The program must be installed in the same directory as DM or its path must be specified during the setup routine. To set up your VIEW program, choose X (Extra Functions) and then choose V (Set VIEW Program). The message "Input the Command for your favorite VIEW program" will appear. Type in the name of your program, (and its path, if necessary), same as if were being executed from DOS. [Examples: NW1 or C:\NW\NW1] However, program files (those with .COM, .EXE or .BAT extensions), data base files and spreadsheet data files will probably be unrecognizable. You may not change a file using View. Edit a Data File If you want to modify a text file you can set up DM to run your favorite EDIT program on a selected file. The program must be installed in the same directory as DM or its path must be specified during the setup routine. To set up your EDIT program, choose X (Extra Functions) and then choose E (Set EDIT Program). The message "Input the Command for your favorite EDITOR program" will appear. Type in the name of your program, (and its path, if necessary), same as if were being executed from DOS. [Examples: Edit or C:\NW\Edit] Patch a File If you want to patch a file you can set up DM to run your favorite PATCH program on a selected file. The program must be installed in the same directory as DM or its path must be specified during the setup routine. To set up your PATCH program, choose X (Extra Functions) and then choose P (Set PATCH Program). The message "Input the Command for your favorite FILE PATCH program" will appear. Type in the name of your program, (and its path, if necessary), same as if were being executed from DOS. [Examples: Patch or C:\UTIL\Patch] Changing Dates Position the pointer at the file to be changed and press the T (Change Date) key. Then you can type in the desired date. If you want today's date, press the F2 key. If you want the date of the file directly above the one you're working on, press the F3 key. You may move up and down the list, changing the date on any file. Press Enter when finished. DM Users Manual Page 21 ________________________________________________________________ Disk Statistics - The Status Window Disk statistics for the current drive are in the Status Window. The "Size of Files" and "Free Space" figures are shown in "k." One "k" equals 1024 characters. Therefore, 20k would mean 20,480 characters. Just below "Path", the "Size" of the file currently at the pointer is shown in actual number of characters (bytes). The figure under the "Total" column for "Size of Files", shows the total k used by all files in the current subdirectory. The same figure under the "Marked" column shows the number of k of all marked files. Note: This figure is the actual amount of space required on a floppy if you are copying the marked files to a floppy disk. The "Marked" figure may differ from the "Total" figure, when all files in the subdirectory are marked because a hard disk uses a minimum of 2k clusters for each file, while a floppy drive uses a minimum of only 1k clusters. Number of Files under the "Total" column represents the actual number of files in the subdirectory. The same figure under "Marked" represents the total number of files currently marked. "Size:" shows the actual number of characters in the file currently indicated by the pointer. "Free:" shows the amount of space, in k, still available on the current disk. Determining Free Space on a Disk If you want to know the amount of free space on another disk, press the F (Freespace) key. The message "Disk Statistics for Drive" will appear. Type in the name of the desired drive (A, B, or C), and statistics for the disk in that drive will be displayed. (See "Copy Many Files at Once," page 18.) For example, a disk in drive A might read: Total: 354k Cluster Size: 1024 Free: 120k Tot Clusters: 354 Used: 234k Percent Free: 33.8% The "Total" shows the capacity of the disk. When a file is created, space for it is allocated in chunks, called "clusters." Therefore, the "Cluster Size" is the minimum amount of space that may be taken up by a file. (If the cluster size is 1024 bytes, then a file with only 500 bytes will still be considered to take up 1024 bytes, or one cluster.) The Freespace command (F) is very helpful when you need to make sure there is adequate room on a disk intended to receive copied files. DM Users Manual Page 22 ________________________________________________________________ MOVING AROUND Goto Filename Rather than scrolling through a lengthy directory, you may go directly to a specific file using the Goto Filename feature. Press the G key, then type in the name of the desired file. Press enter, and the pointer will move to that filename. Inserting a New Disk in the Floppy Drive If you change the disk in your floppy drive, you have to let the computer know that there's a different disk in the drive now. Press the L key (Re-read Directory) to display the directory of the new disk. Changing Disk Drives The name of the current designated drive is in the Status Window, shown as "Path:". If you want to scan the files on another disk drive, press the F5 (Change Disk) key. Type in the name of the desired disk drive (such as A, B, or C). The new directory will be displayed in the File Window. Changing the Path If you want to display the files in a subdirectory, then you have to change the path. This is similar to changing the disk drive (see above). Press the F6 (Change Path) key. This message will appear: Change drive, path, or mask. Usage: Drive:\Path\Mask The "mask" will be explained later. Ignore it for now. Type in the desired pathname, such as C:\NW then press the Enter key. (See "About Directories and Subdirectories," pages 12-15, and "Paths and Pathnames," page 13.) Changing the Mask Perhaps you have a big directory and don't want DM to show every file. You may display a partial directory by "changing the mask." The "mask" determines which files in a given directory will ap- pear in the File Window. Normally, all files are shown, so the default mask is "*.*" (meaning "every filename, and every extension"). The mask currently in use is shown in the Status Window. If you want to change the mask so that only certain filenames or extensions are displayed, press the F6 (Change Path) key. This message will appear: DM Users Manual Page 23 ________________________________________________________________ Change drive, path, or mask. Usage: Drive:\Path\Mask Follow the usage example when typing in the drive, path, and the desired "mask". The mask should be a filename with the appro- priate embedded wildcards. Then press the Enter key. (See "Wildcards," pages 11, 12 and 24.) Example: if you only want to display files with the .COM exten- sion, then press F6, and specify "*.COM" as the mask. Tree Mode The Tree Mode feature displays a list of subdirectories for the current drive. It may also be used instead of the "Change Path" command to jump to a subdirectory. Toggle the F7 (Tree Mode) key "on and off" to enter and exit the Tree Mode. A list of all the subdirectories on the current drive will appear in the File Window. If, while you are in the Tree Mode, you want to know if a given subdirectory has any further subdirectories, position the pointer next to the name of the desired subdirectory, and press the right arrow -> key. Any further subdirectories will be displayed. Press the left arrow <- to return to the previous directory. You may want to look at the filenames in one of your subdirector- ies. Position the pointer next to the desired subdirectory, then press the Enter key. You will exit the Tree Mode and jump directly into that subdirectory. This is an alternative to using the "Change Path" (F6) command. Tree Mode Help Screen F7 Enter and Exit Tree Mode R Rename Subdirectory -> Jump to SubDir - move to the next tier of subdirectories <- Jump to SubDir toward Root - move to the next tier of subdirectories toward the root RET Jump to SubDir and Exit Tree Mode - move to the subdirectory indicated by the pointer and return to the regular mode \ Jump to Root Directory - move to the root directory DM Users Manual Page 24 ________________________________________________________________ NEAT TRICKS Wildcard Mark You may mark (highlight) a group of files at one time with the wildcard feature. Wildcards are useful if you want to copy, move, delete or sort a specific group of files whose filenames which have common characteristics. You can substitute the wildcard symbols (* and ?) into a filename, and the computer will choose all files that fit into that category. To use the wildcard feature, press W (Wildcard Mark), then type the filename with the desired wildcards (* or ?) embedded in the proper place. Press Return, and files will be marked. Example: Many word processors create an automatic backup file. Suppose you want to delete all your files that have the ".BAK" extension. You would press the W key, then type "*.BAK." This reads "any file that has the .BAK extension." All .BAK files will be marked (highlighted), and ready for deletion. (New Users: see "Wildcards," pages 11-12.) Reversing Marks The "Reverse all Marks" feature marks (highlights) all files that are not marked, and "un-marks" all files that are marked. You can use this feature if you want to copy, move or delete all except a few files. First, mark (highlight) only the files you don't want to copy, move or delete. Then press the X key (Extra Functions), and choose option R (Reverse all Marks). You can use a combination of the "Wildcard Mark" and the "Reverse all Marks" features. Suppose you wanted to delete all files except those with the .COM extension. First, you would use the wildcard mark to mark .COM files, then reverse the marks. Then all non-.COM files would be marked, ready for deleting. Changing Colors on the Screen If you have a color monitor, you may change DM's colors. Press the X (Extra Functions) key, then choose option C (Set Colors). The Color Menu will appear: 1 Turn Color Off 2 Background Color 3 Border Color 4 HiVideo Color 5 LoVideo Color Esc Exit DM comes up automatically in color on a color monitor. You can change the colors of the background, the border, the bold or highlighted text (HiVideo), or the regular text (LoVideo). You may choose between 15 different colors. When you have the colors the way you want them, press the Esc key to exit to the Extra Functions menu, then type "S" to save your new configuration to disk. Saving the configuration insures that the program will always come up with your new colors on the screen. DM Users Manual Page 25 ________________________________________________________________ EXECUTING DOS COMMANDS AND RUNNING PROGRAMS New Users: (See "About The Command Line," pages 14-15.) Execute a DOS Command You may execute any DOS command directly from the DM program. Press the F4 (DOS Command) key, and then type the desired command, just as you would from DOS. Press Enter, and the command will be executed. When it is finished, press any key to return to DM, exactly where you left off. Note: For this feature to work, you must have the COMMAND.COM file on your hard disk or the disk that was used to boot the system. Executing a File You don't have to type the full DOS command to execute a file. Instead, you may position the pointer next to the file that you want to execute, then press the F3 (Execute File) key. If the file is executable, (if it has an extension of .EXE, .COM, or finished running the program, you will automatically return to DM exactly where you left off. (If the file is not executable, nothing will happen.) This feature executes a file in the same manner as if you were in DOS. When you press F3, the filename appears in the Popup Help Window. At that time, you may press the Enter key to execute the file, or, if you wish, you may type more parameters onto the command line, such as a pathname or the name of a data file to be loaded and run. Use standard DOS syntax if you type any additions to the command. For example, suppose you are marking files on a disk in drive C and you realize you don't have a formatted disk to copy them to. To continue your project you must first format a disk in drive A. (The FORMAT program must be in the current directory on Drive C.) Place the pointer next to the FORMAT file, and press F3. The following message will appear: ___k Memory Available. Type Text Into Command Line. FORMAT _ You will have to type A: at the cursor to indicate that you want the disk in drive A formatted. Then press the Enter key. The line "___k Memory Available" tells you how much resident memory (RAM), in "k," is available to execute the file at the pointer. If the file you've picked is larger than the available memory, you can't execute it. The amount of memory available depends on what kind of computer you have. DM takes up about 100k of memory, so if your computer only has 128k of RAM, don't plan on being able to execute anything except the smallest of files. Computers with 256k may have some difficulty executing large files. Those with 512k or 640k shouldn't have any trouble at all. DM Users Manual Page 26 ________________________________________________________________ THE PROGRAMMABLE FUNCTION KEYS You may custom program up to 30 keys to do special tasks. You can program these keys to execute any software program, DOS command or to execute a batch file which will then execute a string of commands. These keys can be programmed so that you can position the pointer next to a data file, press a Function Key, and run the appropriate software on that file. The 30 keys available for programming are the Alternate Function keys (Alt F1 to Alt F10), the Control Function keys (Ctrl F1 to Ctrl F10) and the Shift Function Keys (Shft F1 to Shft F10). From the DM Opening Screen, press the "Tab" key to view the Programmable Function Key Settings. This screen is only for viewing the Settings. For onscreen "help" on how to program the Function Keys, go to Help Screen No. 2 by pressing F1 twice. When you "program" a key, you will be writing a command to tell the computer what to do when that key is pressed. You will write commands using regular DOS syntax for the command line. (See "About the Command Line," pages 14-15.) At the same time that you write a DOS command for a key, you will also need to write the "help text." This will appear on the help screen so that you will remember what the key does. You may want to program a key to execute a file that takes up a lot of memory. Since DM takes up about 100k of RAM, be sure that your computer has enough memory to execute your commands. (See "Execute a File," page 25.) In the examples below, we will assume that you have a hard disk computer with at least 512k of RAM. Here are a couple of uses for the Programmable Keys. The DOS commands and help text are included. Command Help Text Explanation/Use FORMAT A: Format Formats a disk in drive A. This is helpful if you have files marked to be copied to a floppy disk, and have forgotten to format a disk. DIR A:/P Dir A: Reads the directory of the disk in drive A, pausing when the screen is filled. DM Users Manual Page 27 ________________________________________________________________ For practice, let's program Function Keys for the two above examples. Press the F8 (Edit Commands) key. You will be asked to pick an option: 1 Change Alt Function Keys 2 Change Ctrl Function Keys 3 Change Shft Function Keys 4 Change AutoRun Commands Don't choose option 4 now. Instructions for the Autorun Key come later. For this practice session, let's program the Alt F1 and Alt F2 keys. Therefore, choose Option 1, "Change Alt Function Keys." The following display will appear in the File Window. ================================ | Esc to Exit Help Line: 1 | Alt F1 .... _ | Alt F2 .... | Alt F3 .... | You will type in your help text and DOS commands on these lines. The first line is for the help text for the Alt F1 key. The next line is the DOS command for the Alt F1 key. Use the arrow keys to position the cursor on the desired line. The "line guide" in the upper right-hand corner of the window tells you which line the cursor is on. Using our two examples, type the help text on the help line and the command on the command line for each key, as shown below. ================================ | Esc to Exit Command Line: 2 | | Alt F1 ......Format | FORMAT A: | Alt F2 ......Dir A: | DIR A:/P _ | Alt F3 ...... | When you've finished typing in the help text and commands, press the Esc key. Then test your newly programmed keys. After testing, you must save the configuration of your newly programmed Function Keys to disk in order for them to be there the next time you use the program. Type "F8" and choose option (5) "Save to DM.COM." Programming with Variables The Programmable Function Keys allow you to execute programs and DOS commands on files. This may be accomplished by using variables. The variable {F}, means filename. This tells the computer to perform a command on whatever filename is next to the pointer. DM Users Manual Page 28 ________________________________________________________________ Suppose that you want to program the Ctrl F4 key to execute the WordStar Word Processor (filename WS). You want to be able to position the pointer next to any of your WordStar data files (your letters, reports, etc.) and then, when you press the Ctrl F4 key, the computer executes the word processor and opens the file next to the pointer. Your DOS command for the Ctrl F4 key would read: WS {F} The following are valid variables for DM. Variables used in the command line must be put in brackets {}. {F} = FileName {P} = Path {T} = Type in Text {D} = Drive {N} = Name no Ext {E} = Ext no Name {S} = Allow Program to Change Subdirectory {A} = Press Any Key to Return to DM The chart below shows some uses of the Programmable Function Keys using variables. Command Help Text Explanation/Use TREE {A} List Tree Executes the Tree program, which displays all the directories and subdirectories on the disk in a "tree" structure. Pauses before returning to DM. CHKDSK {A} Chkdsk Tells how much space is used up on the disk, and and how much memory is free. Pauses before return- ing to DM. BASIC {F} Basic Executes the Basic program and loads the data file next to the pointer. WS {F} Word Star Executes the Word Star word processor, and loads the data file next to the pointer. To continue the practice programming session, the above four com- mands and help text could be entered for the Alt F3, Alt F4, Alt F5, and Alt F6 keys on the Edit Commands (F8) menu. Press F8 and choose Option 1. DM Users Manual Page 29 ________________________________________________________________ ================================ | Esc to Exit Command Line: 2 | | Alt F1 ......Format | FORMAT A: | Alt F2 ......Dir A: | DIR A:/P | Alt F3 ......List Tree | TREE {A} | Alt F4 ......Chkdsk | CHKDSK {A} | Alt F5 ......Basic | BASIC {F} | Alt F6 ......Word Star | WS {F} There are many other possibilities for the Programmable Function Keys. Decide what tasks you would like your keys to do. It might help to make a chart like the ones above. Then enter your chosen commands and help text as shown in the examples. If you are going to be using software in one directory and files in another, you will need to specify the drive and path in your DOS commands. They were omitted from the examples given above for the sake of simplicity. The above commands with pathnames might read: C:\UTIL\TREE {A} C:\UTIL\CHKDSK A: {A} C:\BASIC {F} C:\WS {F} It is recommended that you keep your software in the root direc- tory if you plan to execute it with the function keys. When you're finished, press the Esc key. Then test your newly programmed function keys. You may need to go back and fine-tune some of your commands. Saving Your Programming When you are happy with the way the keys work, then you are ready to "save" the changes. If you don't save them, they won't be there next time you use DM. However, once they're saved, they can't be accidentally changed until you "save" something new. To save your Custom Programmed Function Keys, press the X (Extra Functions) key. Choose the option S (Save Configuration). Your changes will be saved to disk. Limitations of the Programmable Function Keys Since DM takes up about 100k of memory, it uses up space that would ordinarily be used to execute your program. It is not DM Users Manual Page 30 ________________________________________________________________ recommended that you use DM to execute files for everyday use. In other words, you should execute your programs directly from DOS to work on your database files, spreadsheet files, or word processor files. The purpose of executing a file directly from DM is to look at a file to see what's in it, not to work on it. DM can only execute DOS commands as they would be entered on the command line. If you can't do something from the DOS command line, you can't do it from DM. Some software programs are written with internal limitations that make them unsuitable for loading with data files directly from DM. DM can't make the function keys to do something with your software that your software won't do in the first place. Remember the test: If you can't do it from the DOS command line, you can't do it from DM. The AutoRun Key Just like the programmable function keys, the AutoRun (F2) Key also has the capability of executing a program or a DOS command on a selected file in one keystroke. The AutoRun Key is different from the Programmable Function Keys, in that you can use the same key to run any number of programs, or execute any number of DOS commands. You only have to remember one key. The important difference between the AutoRun (F2) Key and the Programmable Function Keys is that the AutoRun Key looks at the extension of the file at the pointer, and executes a DOS command that you have programmed to run on all files with that extension. Suppose you program the AutoRun Key to run the BASIC program with any file which has a .BAS extension. If you positioned the pointer next to a file named (for example) ALIENS.BAS and pressed the AutoRun (F2) Key, the BASIC program will execute with the ALIENS.BAS file loaded. The AutoRun Key won't automatically work for your software. You must program this key yourself before it will work. If the key isn't programmed, nothing will happen when you press it. Programming the AutoRun Key When you press the AutoRun Key, the computer will look at the extension of the file next to the pointer and execute the command you have designated for a file with that extension. The first step to custom programming the AutoRun Key is to make a list (on paper) of the extensions of files you want to execute programs on. Next, write a DOS command to correspond with each extension. See examples later in this section. DM Users Manual Page 31 ________________________________________________________________ You will need to use variables in the commands, like you did when you programmed the Function Keys (see above). The following are valid variables for DM. {F} = FileName {P} = Path {T} = Type in Text {D} = Drive {N} = Name no Ext {E} = Ext no Name {S} = Allow Program to Change Subdirectory {A} = Press Any Key to Return to DM Suppose you want to program your AutoRun (F2) key to run BASIC, loaded with the file next to the pointer. You may remember the command that we used in the example for the Programmable Function Keys: C:BASIC {F} Since the AutoRun Key looks only at the extension, you will program your commands a little differently than you did with the function keys. Use the following format: Extension=DOS command So, the command for your BASIC program would be: BAS=C:BASIC {F} You may program the AutoRun (F2) Key to execute any DOS command. The command will be executed on the file at the pointer. Suppose you have the WordStar word processor. It makes backup files with the extension .BAK, and you perhaps you don't want to to keep backup copies. You could set up the command: BAK=DEL {F} If you positioned the pointer at a file named LETTER.BAK and pressed (F2), LETTER.BAK would be deleted. Suppose you set up the command COM={F}. What would happen if you placed the pointer next to a file called PACKMAN.COM and pressed F2? That's right, PACKMAN would run. Remember the test that you learned while programming the Function Keys? The rule is: If you can't do it from the DOS command line, you can't do it from DM. Test your commands directly from DOS, so that you will be sure that they work. When you have tested all your commands, and have written them in the "Extension=DOS command" format, you are ready to enter them into DM. DM Users Manual Page 32 ________________________________________________________________ For practice, let's enter the three examples given above. BAS=BASIC {F} BAK=DEL {F} COM={F} Press the F8 (Edit Commands) key. Pick option #4 "Change AutoRun Commands." The following will appear on the screen: ==================================== | Edit AutoRun Strings | | | | Type in the commands. Use the arrow keys to move around the screen and the backspace key to correct mistakes. ==================================== | Edit AutoRun Strings | BAS=BASIC {F} | BAK=DEL {F} | COM={F} | Press Esc when you are finished typing commands. Test them when you are finished. If the commands do what you wanted, you are ready to save the changes. If you don't save them, they won't be there next time you use DM. However, once they're saved, they can't be accidentally changed until you "save" something new. To save your AutoRun commands, press F8, then choose option "5" (Save to DM.COM). Your changes will be saved to disk. FOR THE EXPERTS About Attributes An attribute is a special characteristic assigned to a file by the computer or the user. If a file has any attributes, they will be listed in the Status Window when the pointer is positioned next to that file. The following briefly explains the four types of attributes. Hidden: A "hidden" file will not be listed in the DOS directory. (If you type the command "DIR" you won't see it.) It will be listed in the DM directory. System: This is a file that the computer uses internally. You should never mess with system files. You do want your system to boot next time you turn it on, don't you? DM Users Manual Page 33 ________________________________________________________________ Read Only: A "read-only" file is write protected, which means it can't be changed. It also can't be deleted under DOS. But it can be deleted with DM. You might want to change a file to "read only" if you don't want anyone fooling with it. Archive: When you run the utility program which backs up the hard disk, the program sets an "archive flag" on each file, which tells the system that "this file has been backed up." If you later modify that file, the archive flag is wiped out. Then, the next time the backup utility is run, it skips over files with archive flags, because they've already been backed up. There isn't any reason to change an archive attribute. Changing Attributes Warning: Do not use this unless you fully understand attributes and have a reason to change one. To change an attribute, place the pointer next to the file to be changed and press A (Change Attribute). The following screen will appear: Change File Attributes Hidden System Read-Only Archive S to Set R to Reset |HSRA| Space to Ignore |_ | The letters in the brackets |HSRA| stand for: H = Hidden, S = System, R = Read Only, and A = Archive You will type one of the codes shown on the screen below each of the letters |HSRA|. They mean: S to Set - An S sets that attribute to "on" for the file indicated by the pointer. R to Reset - R sets that attribute to "off" for the indicated file. Space to Ignore - A space leaves the attribute as it is Example: |HSRA| |S | This would set the hidden attribute for this file. All other attributes would remain as they were. If you want to change the attributes of a number of files at one time, mark (highlight) the desired files, then press Alt A (Change Attributes for Marked Files). Set the attributes as described above. The attributes you choose will be set for all marked files. DM Users Manual Page 34 ________________________________________________________________ WORDSTAR COMPATIBILITY Some of the control characters used by the WordStar word proces- sor and other programs may be used in DM. These characters are valid for scanning or marking files in a directory: Ctrl E - cursor up Ctrl R - screen Ctrl X - cursor down Ctrl C - screen down Ctrl D - mark file Ctrl S - un-mark file The following characters are valid in the edit mode: Ctrl D - cursor left Ctrl S - cursor right Ctrl G - erase character IMPROVING DM We value your comments and suggestions. Your ideas will help us make the next version of DM even better. If you find a bug, we want to know about it. We offer registered users a "reward" of up to $75 for suggestions we use or bugs we fix. DM USERS BULLETIN BOARD Computer Tyme has set up a TBBS bulletin board dedicated to supporting DM users. The number is 417-866-1665, and it's open 24 hours a day. You will need a 1200, or 2400 baud modem, and terminal software to support ANSI graphics. Other Programs Page 35 ________________________________________________________________ "D" is a "sweet little directory program." It provides a sorted multi-column directory listing which makes reading the directory a pleasure. Just type "D" to execute. For all user levels. Usage: D <path\mask> /E/D/S/U/B/N/F/I/R/A/L/W/O/P /E Sort by Ext /D Sort by Date /S Sort by Size /U Unsorted /B Sort Backwards /N Show File Names Only /F Full Display, Date & Time /I Identify Directory /R Programs that can Run /A Files with Archive Set /L Long Display, no Pause /W Wait for Keypress at End /O Use Standard Output Device /P Output to Printer Default options can be set using the Environment Strings. SET D.EXE=/O/I selects Standard Output and Identify Directory. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "T" also called "PickDir" allows you to change directories as quickly as possible. Just type "T". For all user levels. Lower case letter selects directory. Upper case letter selects directory and exits. Ctrl letter to change drives. - Previous Directory \ Root Directory <CR> Exit ----------------------------------------------------------------- MOVE moves files to other names, subdirectories or drives. Options include the quiet mode (no message displayed while moving), moving read-only, hidden and system files. Type "Move" to execute. For all user levels. Moves files to other names, subdirectories or drives. Usage: MOVE <file> <path> /Q/O/R/H WildCards are Allowed. /Q ;Quiet Mode, no Messages are Displayed while Moving. /O ;OverWrite Existing Files. /R ;Include Read-Only Files. /H ;Include Hidden, System, and Read-Only Files. The command SET MOVE=OVERWRITE will make MOVE default to overwrite mode. MOVE XYZ.DOC \SUBDIR ;Moves XYZ.DOC to subdirectory SUBDIR MOVE XYZ.DOC D: ;Moves XYZ.DOC to D: MOVE *.DOC \SUBDIR ;Moves all .DOC files to SUBDIR MOVE ABC.DOC XYZ.DOC ;Renames ABC.DOC to XYZ.DOC MOVE *.DOC \SUBDIR\*.TXT ;Moves all .DOC files to SUBDIR and changes names to .TXT Pipes and redirection are also allowed: TYPE MOVE.LST|MOVE C:\UTIL; Moves all files in MOVE.LST to C:\UTIL Other Programs Page 36 ________________________________________________________________ SORT is just like MS-DOS sort except that it is only limited by memory size instead of 64k, and it is 100 times faster. Sort also has a /I option to ignore case and will accept optional file names on the command line for input and output. Usage SORT <file> <file> /R/I/+N Optional filenames for input and output files. /R Reverse Sort. /+N Start sorting with column N. /I Ignore Case. ---------------------------------------------------------------- MORE is just like MS-DOS more except a lot slicker. It erases its prompts and gives you a pause at the end of the text stream. Pressing the space bar advances a page at a time and pressing the return key advances a line at a time. Usage: DIR|SORT|MORE or TYPE DOLIST.DOC|MORE ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIND is just like MS-DOS find with the following additions: Usage: FIND "String" <File File File> /V/C/N/L/P/I /V Displays all lines that do not contain String. /C Counts lines that contain String. /N Adds line numbers to output. /L List only names of files that contain String. /P Pauses display every 24 lines. /I Ignore Case. <file> may include wildcards. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FREE is a simple program that swows you how many bytes are on the disk, how many are free, and how many are used. It also shows total memory and memory used. It does not show extended or expanded memory so if you have more than 640k, this program won't show it. The sector size and the cluster size are also displayed. Usage FREE or FREE <drive> Other Programs Page 37 ________________________________________________________________ WHEREIS is just like PIPEDIR except the root directory and /S options are always selected. Output from Whereis is suitable for piping filenames into other applications. Usage: Whereis <Path\Mask> /H/T/P/A/F/D/Q /H include hidden and system files. /T gives only directory names. /P same as /T but adds a \ to the end. /A files that have been modified since last backup. /F file names only, no path. /D deletes files. /Q ask before delete. Examples: Whereis *.BAK ;Prints all *.BAK files on disk. Whereis *.BAK /D ;Deletes all *.BAK files on disk. Whereis /T ;Prints all subdirectory names. Whereis *.* /A ;Prints files changed since last backup. Whereis *.* >ALL.TXT ;Prints all files on disk to ALL.TXT. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PIPEDIR is a utility that lists the directory in a way that is suitable for piping and redirection and usable with DoList. Output from PipeDir is suitable for piping filenames into other applications. Usage: PipeDir <Path\Mask> /S/H/T/P/A/F/D/R/Q /S includes all subdirectories below Path. /H include hidden and system files. /T gives only directory names. /P same as /T but adds a \ to the end. /A files that have been modified since last backup. /F file names only, no path. /D deletes files. /R remove directory, all files, and all subdirectories. /Q ask before delete. Examples: PipeDir \*.BAK /S ;Prints all *.BAK files on disk. PipeDir \*.BAK /S/D ;Deletes all *.BAK files on disk. PipeDir \ /T ;Prints all subdirectory names. PipeDir \*.* /S/A ;Prints files changed since last backup. PipeDir \ /S >ALL.TXT ;Prints all files on disk to ALL.TXT. PipeDir C:\JUNK /R ;Removes directory JUNK and all files it contains. Other Programs Page 38 ________________________________________________________________ FORK This program is used in DOS piping commands to either display what is going through the pipe or to capture what is going through the pipe to a file. Text going through the pipe may be You may redirect piped files to the screen or another file without interfering with the piping process. DIR|FORK >X will do the same thing as DIR >X except you will be able to SEE the text. DIR|FORK Y >X will do the same thing as DIR >X except that output is also directed to file Y. DIR|FORK|SORT will show the directory first unsorted and then sorted. If the first character after FORK is a / then the text after the / is interpreted as a secondary command line to be executed with the text coming into the pipe fed into the secondary command. DIR|FORK /MORE|SORT|MORE will show the directory unsorted with a pause every 24 lines, then sorted with a pause every 24 lines. Since MS-DOS filters out redirection and piping commands, FORK interprets the secondary command line. @] is translated into >, @]] is translated into >>, and @! is translated into |. DIR|FORK /FIND " COM "@] COM.LST|FIND "BAT" >BAT.LST. This command will make a list of all the *.COM files in COM.LST, and all the *.BAT files in BAT.LST. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PATCH designed for the advanced user, allows you to patch files in either ASCII or HEX. Cursor movement supports a Wordstar key pattern as well as responding to cursor control keys. Type "PATCH". Usage: PATCH <FileName> Left Arrow * ^S = Character Left Right Arrow * ^D = Character Right Up Arrow * ^E = Character Up Down Arrow * ^X = Character Left Ctrl Left Arrow * ^Q^S = Left Side of Window Ctrl Right Arrow * ^Q^D = Right Side of Window Ctrl Up Arrow * ^Q^E = Top Side of Window Ctrl Down Arrow * ^Q^X = Bottom Side of Window Home * ^W = Upper Left Corner PgUp * ^R = Sector Backwards End * ^Z = Lower Right Corner PgDn * ^C = Sector Forward Ctrl Home * ^Q^R = Beginning of file Ctrl End * ^Q^C = End of File Other Programs Page 39 ________________________________________________________________ DOLIST About DoList DoList is a dual purpose program. It acts as a DOS SHELL, allowing the easy and convenient entry of commands, and it is capable of executing commands on a LIST of files. DoList in the SHELL mode: DOLIST @S <cmd> DoList has the ability to act like a DOS SHELL. Whenever input redirection is not specified, input comes from the standard input device. DoList detects this and uses it's powerful line editor to provide input lines. To use DoList in the shell mode type DOLIST @S. DoList will confirm keyboard input with the message: Shell Mode Enabled * Type "EXIT" to Return to DOS. Shell mode allows you to type command lines with the editing power of a word processor. It stores the commands you execute so that you can recall them and re-execute them. And it remembers the subdirectories that you've moved to, allowing you to easily return. During shell mode, all normal word processor editing keys, (Home, End, Arrows), work to edit the command line. The UP arrow recalls the previous commands you've executed and the DOWN arrow reverses this process. The Escape key aborts command line entry. The WORDSTAR command set is also supported. Using DOLIST @S, DoList inputs commands from it's powerful line editor and executes COMMAND /C <line> as a subtask. Due to this, you lose about 23k of ram. Enhancements: Upon entering the SHELL mode, DoList displays its own prompt. This prompt shows both the drive and path. Using the prompt command will not change this. Typing \ changes you to the root directory. Typing - changes you to the previous directory. Typing a directory name allows you to change to that directory without typing CD. DoList remembers the subdirectories you've been to. By pressing the TAB key, DoList will rotate you through the last several directories you've been to. This allows you to switch between directories quickly and easily. Other Programs Page 40 ________________________________________________________________ Dolist will execute BASIC programs without having to type BASIC. DoList recognizes the .BAS extention and loads BASIC for you. In order to use this feature, you must tell DoList where the BASIC.EXE file is using the SET command. Example: SET BASIC=C:\BASIC.EXE When using DOLIST @S in a .BAT file, if you want execution to continue after loading DOLIST, type DOLIST @S <cmd>. Where <cmd> is any dos command you want to execute. DoList in Command Mode Did you ever want to execute a program on a LIST of files? That's what DoList does. DoList will execute a command line and substitute text from the standard input device in the command line. Suppose you had a file named BAK.LST that contained the following list of files: NOTES.BAK JOBS.BAK AUTOEXEC.BAK If you want to delete all the files in the list you type: DOLIST DEL @L < BAK.LST or TYPE BAK.LST|DOLIST DEL @L DoList will then execute the following commands: DEL NOTES.BAK DEL JOBS.BAK DEL AUTOEXEC.BAK DoList reads each line from the standard input device and executes the command for each line read. The @L causes DoList to insert the next input line into the command. Suppose we wanted to copy all the *.BAT files to drive A:. We would type: PIPEDIR \*.BAT /S|DOLIST COPY @L A: Or if we wanted to create an ARC file of all the *.BAT files we would type. PIPEDIR \*.BAT /S|DOLIST ARC A BAT.ARC @L In addition to the @L command which substitutes the whole line, DOLIST can look at the lines as fields that can be substituted individually. The individual fields are substituted by @1 thru @9. Other Programs Page 41 ________________________________________________________________ In the text line: 456,NOTES.TXT "Marc Perkel" @1 = 456 @2 = NOTES.TXT @3 = Marc Perkel The rule is that commas and spaces are delimiters unless you start with a quote. If you start with a quote, the next quote is the delimiter. If you don't want DoList to actually execute the commands, the @T command will cause DoList to output the text that it would have executed. This text can be redirected to a file for later execution. The @Q command makes DoList ask before executing each command line. This allows you to skip the command or abort DoList. The @S command puts DoList in the SHELL mode. This creates a friendly enhanced dos-like user interface. Two commands @I<filename> and @O<filename> can be used to choose the input and output files for DoList. This can be used in place of the pipes and redirection for dos. You must have at least 1 space after the filenames. Example: PIPEDIR *.BAT >BAT.LST ; creates BAT.LST with list of all *.BAT files. DOLIST COPY @IBAT.LST @L@T A: @OTEST.BAT ;reads each line of BAT.LST and creates the command COPY <line> A: and writes these commands to a file named TEST.BAT. Using braces '{}' suspends interpretation of @ commands allowing the @ to be part of the command. The outermost pair of braces are removed from the command. This is useful when using DoList recursively. That means using DoList to run DoList. When a command line is presented to DOS, the redirection and piping commands, < > | are interpreted and removed. In order to pass these commands to a program that DoList can run, we must use other codes that dos won't remove. The @[ is translated into <, the @] is translated into >, the @]] is translated into >> and the @! is translated into |. Other Programs Page 42 ________________________________________________________________ Using DoList Recursively: Lets say we have a file named X.LST that contains the lines: 1 2 3 And a file named Y.LST that contains the lines: A B C The following command produces the following results: DOLIST {DOLIST @L@T@Ix.lst }@L <y.lst A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3 C1 C2 C3 This type of processing opens some interesting possibilities. Inside DoList: DoList loads COMMAND.COM /C <commandline> for each line it executes. This allows DoList to run multiple execution of BAT files as well as COM and EXE files. DoList stays resident while executing so you lose about 23k of ram until it finishes. If output is redirected to a file, then all child processes are also redirected. You can make DoList run faster if you have a RamDisk by copying COMMAND.COM to your RamDisk and using the SET COMSPEC= command to point to the ramdisk. This must be done before going into the SHELL mode. If you are not sure what a DoList command will do, use the @T option to produce text instead of executing. If the commands are right, then use it without the @T. Other Programs Page 43 ________________________________________________________________ Summary of DoList Commands: @L ;substitute next input line @1 .. @9 ;substitute field 1 thru 9 @T ;output commands as text instead of executing them @S ;puts DOLIST in SHELL mode @Q ;query mode, displays command and asks for conformation @I<filename>;use <filename> for input file for DOLIST @O<filename>;use <filename> for output file for DOLIST @[ ;substitutes < in command line @] ;substitutes > in command line @]] ;substitutes >> in command line @! ;substitutes | in command line {} ;commands in {braces} are not interpreted but passed as text Before doing the following examples you will need to familiarize yourself with the Computer Tyme Software Programs described on pages 7-9 of this manual. Fun with DOLIST: Some of these examples assume that the reader knows the commands ARC and PKARC. These programs are used mostly by people who use modems and transfer files by phone to bulletin board computers. You don't have to know about these programs to use DoList. If you don't own a modem, you are missing out on a whole level of computer enjoyment and you should go to your nearest computer store and buy one. Try these examples: PIPEDIR \*.BAK /S|DOLIST DEL @L ; (deletes all BAK files in all directories.) DIR|FIND " BAK "|DOLIST DEL @1.@2 ; (deletes BAK files in current directory.) Create a file called TRASH.LST that contains extensions that need to be deleted from your hard disk. Example: BAK BWS TMP IFF BDC BTX BP? Other Programs Page 44 ________________________________________________________________ Then you can get rid of these files by typing: DOLIST WHEREIS *.@L|DOLIST DEL @L <TRASH.LST or TYPE TRASH.LST|DOLIST WHEREIS *.@L|DOLIST DEL @L Did you ever accidently copy a floppy disk onto your hard disk and get the files in your root directory instead of the directory that they were supposed to go into? When that happens you've got to go in and figure out what files to delete. PIPEDIR and DOLIST can fix your problem. PIPEDIR A:*.*/F|DOLIST DEL @L The list of files on A: is used for the list to delete the files on C:. Suppose you want to ARC all files that have been changed since the last backup. You could type: PIPEDIR \ /S/A|DOLIST PKARC A BACKFILE.ARC @L - This will cause all modified files to be ARC'ed into BACKFILE.ARC. Suppose you want to test the integrity of all your ARC files. You could type: WHEREIS *.ARC|DOLIST PKXARC -T @L >ERROR.LOG This will run a test on all ARC files on the disk with output to a file called ERROR.LOG. This file can then be printed. Now suppose after you have tested the integrity of your arc files, you want to make a list of all files in the ARC and sort them, you type: TYPE ERROR.LOG|FIND "Testing"|DOLIST @2@T|SORT >SORTLIST or from the beginning WHEREIS *.ARC|DOLIST PKXARC -T @L|FIND "Testing"|DOLIST @2@T|SORT >SORTLIST which makes for quite a pipe. Suppose you have a lot of ARC files on your hard disk and you want to Re-Arc them with PKARC. Here's what you do: Create a \TEMP directory in the root. (MD \TEMP) Create a BAT file called UPDATE.BAT containing the following commands: pkxarc %1 \temp del %1 pkarc a %1 \temp\*.* echo Y|del \temp\*.* Test this bat file by typing UPDATE <file.arc> to make sure it works. Then, to do the whole disk, type: PIPEDIR \*.ARC /S|DOLIST UPDATE @L Other Programs Page 45 ________________________________________________________________ TESTIF TESTIF tests the system and returns DOS error codes that can be used to control the execution of .BAT files. Error codes range from 0 to 255. Within this program are commands for reading system parameters and processing them mathematically into useful error codes. VideoMode, a Testif command, will for example, if you have both mono and color screens on your computer, bring up a piece of software on the desired screen by executing the appropriate .BAT file. Type "TESTIF". For the intermediate user. REM This checks to see if selected screen is MONO or COLOR TESTIF VideoMode IF ERRORLEVEL 7 GOTO MONO :COLOR .... .... GOTO END :MONO .... .... :END VideoMode is a Testif command that returns the current video mode. If the current mode is MONO then VideoMode returns a 7. With this command, if you have both MONO and COLOR screens on your computer, and you want to set up a .BAT file to bring up a piece of software that is installed different for mono and COLOR, Testif makes it easy. Testif has the capibility to test results to see if a command equals a value. TESTIF VideoMode = 7 Returns error code 1 if true and 0 if not true. A 1 is always returned to indicate TRUE and 0 is returned to indicate FALSE. Operators include =, [], [, ], [=, ]=. Note the square brackets replace the normal greater than and less than symbols. That is because MS-DOS filters these characters and therefore can't be used. TESTIF Year = 88 and Month = May Testif supports all logical operators such as AND, OR, XOR, NOT. Multiple conditions can be used. Year returns the year part of the system date. Month returns the month part. May is a constant equal to 5. The error code result will be 1 for true or 0 for false. TESTIF MemSize / 10 Other Programs Page 46 ________________________________________________________________ MemSize returns the total memory size in K. Since this number is usually larger than 255, (the maximum error code), we devide by 10. On a 640k machine, the return code is 64. Notice that division is supported. Testif supports the mathematical operators +, -, *, /, MOD, SHL, SHR, AND, OR, XOR. All numbers are processed as signed 32 bit integers. It is up to you to keep the result between 0 and 255 for meaningful results. TESTIF 5*(9+3) Interpretation is from left to right. Parentheses can be used to alter this order. The above example returns 60. TESTIF FreeSpace(0) ] 4000000 This checks freespace on the current drive (0). Other drives can also be checked. The result is 1 if more than 4,000,000 bytes are free. TESTIF FileSize TESTIF.EXE / 1024 This returns the filesize of TESTIF.EXE in K. To test your formulas, start the line with an @ sign. Testif will print the return code on the screen. TESTIF @DosVersion ErrorLevel: 3 TESTIF Commands: Day of Week SUN ErrorLevel = 0 MON ErrorLevel = 1 TUE ErrorLevel = 2 WED ErrorLevel = 3 THU ErrorLevel = 4 FRI ErrorLevel = 5 SAT ErrorLevel = 6 Month JAN ErrorLevel = 1 FEB ErrorLevel = 2 MAR ErrorLevel = 3 APR ErrorLevel = 4 MAY ErrorLevel = 5 JUN ErrorLevel = 6 JUL ErrorLevel = 7 AUG ErrorLevel = 8 SEP ErrorLevel = 9 Other Programs Page 47 ________________________________________________________________ TESTIF Commands, cont. OCT ErrorLevel = 10 NOV ErrorLevel = 11 DEC ErrorLevel = 12 MONO ErrorLevel = 7 CO80 ErrorLevel = 3 BW80 ErrorLevel = 2 CO40 ErrorLevel = 1 BW40 ErrorLevel = 0 VideoMode Returns Current Video Mode VideoPage Returns Current Video Page ScreenWidth Returns Current Screen Width Year Returns System Year (88=1988) Month Returns System Month (1=Jan) Day Returns System Day (01-31) DayOfWeek Returns System Day of Week (0=SUN,2=MON,etc) Hour Returns System Hour Minute Returns System Minute Second Returns System Second WriteVerify Returns if Write Verify is on DosVersion Returns Dos Version Number MinorDosVersion Returns Minor Dos Version Number CurrentDrive Returns Current Drive Number (A: = 0) Drives Returns Number of Drives Floppies Returns Number of Floppy Drives SerialPorts Returns Number of Serial Ports ParallelPorts Returns Number of Parallel Ports CapsLock Tells if Caps Lock is on (1=True) NumLock Tells if Num Lock is on (0=False) ScrollLock Tells if Scroll Lock is on MemSize Returns Total Memory Size in K Random Returns a Random Number from 0 to 255. SectorsPerCluster(n) Returns Number of Sectors per Cluster (0=Current Drive) BytesPerSector(n) Returns Number of Bytes per Sector (1=A:) FreeClusters(n) Returns Number of Free Clusters (2=B:) TotalClusters(n) Returns Total Number of Clusters (3=C:) FreeSpace(n) Returns Free Space in Bytes (4=D:) TotalSpace(n) Returns Total Space in Bytes Exist <FileName> Tells if File Exists FileSize <FileName> Returns File Size in Bytes FileAttr <FileName> Returns File Attribute FileDate <FileName> Returns Date and Time as 32 bit Number Mem(A:B) Returns Byte at A:B MemW(A:B) Returns Word at A:B Port(A) Returns Byte at Port A = True if A = B [] True if A <> B (not equal) Other Programs Page 48 ________________________________________________________________ [ True if A < B ] True if A > B [= True if A <= B ]= True if A >= B + Returns A + B - Returns A - B * Returns A * B / Returns A / B MOD Returns A mod B AND Returns A and B OR Returns A or B XOR Returns A xor B SHL Returns A shl B (Shift Left) SHR Returns A shr B (Shift Right) NOT Returns not A I am going to expand this program. I welcome suggestions. If you want me to include a test that this program doesn't have, let me know how the test is performed. (DOS call, memory location, port, etc.) Marc Perkel COMPUTER TYME, INC. 216 S. GLENSTONE SPRINGFIELD, MO 65802 (417) 866-1222