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1994-06-15
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QuickDoc v1.1
(c) Dr Grieve Software 1994
**What is this doc is about: explanation of QuickChange v1.5, QuickLoad v1.0
and QuickXcopy v1.0. Hopefully you will only need to read this document once.
**What does it do: the purpose of these programs is to perform the functions
loading programs, changing between directories and copying files between
directories, much easier and faster by the use of an alias.
**Why did I write these Quick programs: To save me time!
**How does Quick save me time? Well if you delve into dos it will 1. reduce
typing. 2. reduce the number of batch files that you have to maintain. (I
used to have a multitude of batch files, whose only purpose were to change to
a directory or load a program.) 3. avoid the agony of maintaining a menu.
**How do I run a Quick program:
Each program will display a help message if you execute them with no commands
or aliases. The help message will display available commands and give a short
description of them. See **Commands for more information.
**What is this alias business:
An alias is an substitute for a name. An alias is generally shorter or easier
to type than the name would be. In the Quick programs the alias defaults to
the top directory and in QuickLoad the filename defaults to the top directory
plus the extension '.exe'.
**What does QuickChange do:
This program lets you move between directories with the use of an alias. It
also provides functions that make the maintenance of the Q.DAT file very easy.
**What does QuickLoad do:
This program loads up a program with the use of an alias. It also provides
functions, similar to those in QuickChange, that make the maintenance of the
Q.DAT file very easy.
**What does QuickXcopy do:
This program lets you use aliases in the command line of Xcopy or Move. It
simply replaces the aliases you specify, with their full path and passes to
the appropriate command.
**What is the file Q.DAT:
You can use the add function in QuickChange or QuickLoad, or you could use
a text editor. Each line in q.dat refers to a directory in QuickChange or
QuickXcopy, or to a directory and a filename in Quickload. Each line should
follow this pattern:
[alias] path [filename]
The four different possibilities:
c:\games
vik d:\games\vikings
c:\apps\programs\tp turbo.exe
wp c:\apps\wp51 wp.bat
where the aliases and filenames are:
games games.exe (note: the file games.exe doesn't exist, QuickLoad will
vik vikings.exe return an error if you try to ql games)
tp turbo.exe
wp wp.bat
**Commands
**QuickChange
**/a [alias] { Add command }
This command automatically places the current directory into the Q.DAT file
using the last directory as the alias. You can create a different alias by
specifying it after the /a command. For example:
C:\GAMES\DOOM>qc /a (creates the line c:\games\doom)
C:\GAMES>qc /a g (creates the line g c:\games)
**/d alias { Delete command }
This command deletes the specified alias from the Q.DAT file. For example if
the Q.DAT file contained the following lines:
c:\games\doom
g c:\games
Then qc /d doom would delete the first line, and qc /d g would delete the
second.
**/s or /sp { Show command }
Simply displays the contents of the Q.DAT file in order of alias (default) or
by path (the /sp command).
**/t { Test Command }
Tests the Q.DAT file for invalid path specifications. A valid path will become
invalid if you remove a directory that was in it!
**/td { Test and Delete Command }
Automatically deletes any invalid path QuickChange discovers. A handy way to
tidy up your Q.DAT file.
**QuickLoad (commands are very similar to QuickChange)
**/a { Add Command }
The same as above except you can specify the filename.ext as well. Remember
the default filename is the top directory plus the extension '.exe'.
**/d { Delete Command }
Same as above
**/s, /sp, /sf { Show Command }
This command will display, in order of alias, path, or filename, all valid
filenames. That is which ones you can load at this moment.
**QuickXcopy (read the help files on Xcopy /? or Move /? for more info)
**/m { Move Command }
This command uses Move instead of defaulting to Xcopy.
**Clues:
1. The aliases are case sensitive.
2. The current directory is searched first for the Q.DAT file. That is you can
have multiple Q.DAT files, this is useful when using floppy disks.
3. Don't try to reformat the data file, that is add spaces or tabs.
4. Store the Quick executables, ie QC.EXE, QL.EXE and QX.EXE, and the data
file Q.DAT in a directory which is mentioned near the start of the path
command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. For example in the AUTOEXEC.BAT have a path
something like this:
path = c:\;c:\dos;c:\utils\dosb;c:\apps\norton
and store the above files in the directory dosb. This will make sure Dos will
not have to search through too many files to find a Quick program.
**Exit Codes: Useful if you like this sort of thing
0 - normal exit
1 - could not find data file Q.DAT
3 - invalid path, tried to change to an non-existing directory
4 - invalid input, either from the keyboard or from the data file Q.DAT
**History of Quick
QuickChange
1.0 Written in c++, very basic, was 45k in size. Was Freeware.
1.1 Converted program to turbo pascal, exe file now 5 times smaller.
During the conversion I made the program more maintainable for further
versions, and I tidied up (slightly) the show command. Was Freeware.
1.5 Added the commands add, delete, test, test & delete, and enhanced the show
command. Now Shareware
QuickLoad
1.0 Based on QuickChange. Makes use of conventional memory swapping so that
almost all memory is still available to the loaded programs.
QuickXcopy
1.0 Allows the full use of Dos 6.2's xcopy and move.
**Further Versions
In further version of QuickChange and QuickLoad I intend to further optimise
the code and introduce more basic user error capture.
I intend to produce two further programs, QuickMenu and QuickSelect.
QuickMenu will be a dynamic 90% automaintainable menu system, and QuickSelect
will be a handy front-end utility for the many command line programs that load
up a single file, eg playfile or mp. I will bundle these programs together and
release them as shareware, in QUICK11.ZIP.
In REG.DOC I explain that upon registering you receive free all versions
now and in the future of all the Quick family.
**Hooha
This program is Shareware, please read REG.DOC to understand the conditions
on how you may use the Quick programs. You can distribute all of the Quick
programs, all I ask is that you keep all of the files intact, and adhere to
my numbering system for the ZIP files.
The bundle QUICK10.ZIP should contain the following files, if it does not,
you can obtain the proper files at a popular FTP site or write to me at my
email address or my home address. (In the REG.DOC file).
QUICK10.ZIP
QC.EXE 13,312 QuickChange v1.5
QL.EXE 24,528 QuickLoad v1.0
QX.EXE 9,744 QuickXcopy v1.0
Q.DOC 7,742 QuickDoc v1.1
REG.DOC 2,737 Registration Doc
Q.DAT 12 Sample Data File
**Request: If you can think of a way to improve any of these programs please
send your idea(s) via email.
My address for this year (1994) is IS30225@otago.ac.nz. Thanks.