Netware Super Library/Netware Super Library.iso/mis_util/utility/manuals1.txt

Text File | 1993-01-14 | 166.0 KB | 4,765 lines

DOC 1.1 documentation file
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note - this is a plain ASCII text file but it contains multiple
documents each separated by a title line beginning with two @ signs.
You may find it most convenient to view or print this file using the
DOC.EXE program supplied.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Title1:PC MAGAZINE
Title2:Power Pack Volume 1
Copyright:(C)1993 Ziff-Davis UK Ltd

@@Introduction
Introduction
PC Magazine Power Pack                         Volume 1
-------------------------------------------------------

Welcome! This disk is one of three making up the
PC Magazine Power Pack, a collection of the top
utilities from the PC Magazine utility library.

Volume 1 features general-purpose utilities and handy
little applications like TRACKR and CARDFILE, along
with utilities to enhance batch files and DOS command
line operation.

Program Summary
---------------

  General-purpose programs
  ------------------------
  ADDIT             Pop-up addition program
  CALC              Pop-up programmer's calculator
  CARDFILE          Pop-up address book and dialler
  COMPUTE           Command line calculator
  CONVERT           ASCII, dec, hex & binary converter
  HC                Long precision calculator
  JOURNAL           Pop-up expense account manager
  LOCK & UNLOCK     Encrypt sensitive files
  PARSE             Count words and sentences
  PCREMOTE          Control a remote PC by modem
  PCSORT            General purpose sort utility
  SCHEDULE          Pop-up diary
  TED               Tiny full-screen text editor
  TRACKR            Time recorder and manager
  ZCOPY             PC to PC serial file transfer

  Command line utilities
  ----------------------
  ALLKEYS           TSR hotkey controller
  ALIAS             DOS command line editor
  APPBK             Pop-up appointment book
  ASC               Pop-up ASCII chart
  CDX               Enhanced change directory command
  CHANGE            Fast search-and-replace
  DOSCLIP           Cut and paste between programs
  FREEZE            Lock the keyboard
  INSTALL & REMOVE  Load and unload TSR programs
  NO                Run command on all files but...
  RUN               Run programs from any directory
  SWEEP             Run command in all subdirectories
  WAITASEC          Scroll back DOS display

  Batch file utilities
  --------------------
  ALTPAUSE          Pause on Alt key
  ANSIHERE          Test for ANSI.SYS loaded
  BAT2EXEC          Batch file compiler
  BATCHMAN          Multi-function batch file enhancer
  BSAVE & BLOAD     Save and reload screens
  DRAW              Draw pictures in batch files
  PLAY              Play tunes in a batch file
  PUSHDIR & POPDIR  Save and restore current directory

The PC Magazine Utility library
-------------------------------
These programs are taken from the library of utility
programs originally written for the US edition
of PC Magazine. More information on these and the other
programs in the library is available on-line in the
ZiffNet forum on the CompuServe Information Service.

Where do I go from here?
------------------------
For more information about installing and running these
programs, see the 'Tech Notes' document. If you're
reading this in the DOC documentation viewer provided,
press the Left arrow key to go back to the document list
on the left and then the down arrow key to highlight
'Tech Notes'.

It is a good idea too to make sure that you read the
instructions for each program fully before trying
to use it.
@@Tech Notes
Technical Notes
PC Magazine Power Pack
-------------------------------------------------------

This document provides additional information on
setting up and using these utilities and on using the
documentation viewer program.

Installing the programs
-----------------------
To install these programs to a hard disk, use the
install program provided (started by typing GO).

Note that you can try out or use the programs directly
from the floppy if you don't want to install them onto
your hard disk straightaway. For example, to try the
PRUNE program out, follow steps like these:

* Insert the disk containing PRUNE (volume 2)

* Enter A: (or B:) at the DOS prompt to log
  onto the disk

* Enter PRUNE to run the PRUNE program

Installing the programs from DOS
--------------------------------
You can install all of the programs or just selected
ones using the DOS COPY command in the normal way.
For example, to install the FSIZE program, you might:

* Insert volume 2, the disk with FSIZE on it

* Enter A: (or B: if appropriate) to log onto the
  disk.

* Enter COPY FSIZE.COM C:\UTILS to copy the FSIZE
  program to an existing UTILS directory on your
  hard disk drive C.

Most of the programs use their own name for a filename
(for example, the CHKFRAG program is in the file
CHKFRAG.EXE). The programs will be either .COM or .EXE
type files. Use the DOS DIR command to find out the
filenames you need for your COPY command.

Installing volumes 1, 2 and 3 together
--------------------------------------
You can opt to install all three volumes in the Power
Pack into a single directory on your hard disk so that
all the programs are together. This is a convenient
arrangement and saves disk space. To do this using the
GO program, install each disk in turn but select the
same directory, for example C:\PCMAG, each time.

Some files, such as PACKING.LST and DOC.EXE, are
installed by each volume. When you come to install
volumes 2 and 3, GO will warn you that these files
already exist as they will have been copied to your
disk when you installed volume 1. You should choose
the 'Skip this file' menu option to continue the
installation.

If you do install all three volumes to one directory,
the DOC documentation program will present a menu of
files when you start it with the command DOC. You can
also switch between the manuals for the three disks
by choosing 'Select document file' from the DOC menu.
If you want the instructions for a particular program,
you can still enter DOC followed by a space and the
program name when you start it (for example, DOC ANSI).
DOC will search all three manuals for the right
document and open the correct file. If you know which
file the document is in, you can reduce the search
time by giving its name on the command line too, for
example DOC MANUALS3 ANSI.

Running the utilities
---------------------
These utilities are all individual programs which
should be started or loaded from the DOS prompt as
needed by entering the relevant command (usually the
program name followed by a space and any parameters
that particular program needs). Read the
documentation for a particular program before trying
to use it. This will give a guide to the command
format needed to use the program and in some cases a
few examples to show you how it works.

Please note that there is no overall menu or front-
end for the utilities as this isn't really an
appropriate way to use them.

In general, the way to run a particular program is to
change to the drive and directory where it is stored
and then enter the relevant command.

For example, if you want to run the DIRMATCH program,
and you install these programs to a C:\HOTUTILS
directory, you might enter:

    C:              change to drive C

    CD \PCMAG2      change to the volume 2 directory

    DIRMATCH        start DIRMATCH

Putting the programs in your DOS command PATH
---------------------------------------------
You can start DOS programs by either changing to the
drive and directory they are in and then entering
the relevant command or, if you have DOS 3.0 or
later, giving the relevant drive and directory
before the command name (e.g. enter C:\PCMAG2\PRUNE
to start PRUNE from a PCMAG2 directory on drive C).

However, it is most convenient if you place the
programs in your DOS command search path... a directory
that is mentioned in your current PATH command. You
can do this by either:

* Adding the directory the program is in to your
  normal PATH command in AUTOEXEC.BAT. For example,
  if the PATH command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file reads

  C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS

  and you have installed all the programs to a C:\PCMAG
  directory, you might change it to read

  C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\PCMAG

  You should be careful when making changes to
  AUTOEXEC.BAT not to disturb other commands already
  in it. See your DOS manual for full instructions.

or

* Copying those programs you use often to a directory
  already in your PATH command. Many PCs already have
  a directory called \BIN or \UTILS for small utility
  programs like these. For example, if you have a
  \BIN directory on drive C and use the HC program
  often, copy it across with a command like this:

  COPY C:\PCMAG1\HC.EXE C:\BIN

Loading programs from AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------------------------------
Some of these utilities are designed to be loaded or
run whenever your PC is working by placing the
relevant command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file.

Please bear in mind:

* The program file must be available for AUTOEXEC.BAT
  to load it. If it is not in a directory already
  named in a PATH command earlier in AUTOEXEC.BAT,
  you must give the drive and directory where it is
  stored (e.g. C:\PCMAG1\ADDIT) or copy the file
  to the root directory of the hard disk.

* The order in which resident programs are loaded can
  be significant. If there appears to be a conflict,
  try re-ordering the lines in AUTOEXEC.BAT.

* Always keep a startup floppy to hand and a back-up
  copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that if problems
  arise you can restore things to normal.

Using TSR (memory-resident) programs
------------------------------------
Some of these utilities are 'TSRs' or memory-resident
programs. These load into memory when first started
and remain there, either operating invisibly or
waiting to be called up.

TSR programs are very popular and those on this disk
are carefully written and fully tested. However, the
design of DOS means that there is always a chance of
conflict between different TSR programs or between a
TSR and your main software.

To avoid problems, please note:

1. You should carefully test any new TSR program
   on your system before using it while doing
   your normal work.

2. Each TSR uses up memory. If you load too many
   at once, your normal software may not be
   able to run.

3. If you discover a conflict, loading the TSRs
   in a different order may resolve it.

4. You can sometimes change the 'hotkey' used to
   call up a TSR to avoid a conflict with keys used
   by your other programs.

PACKING.LST file
----------------
A complete index of all the files on all three
volumes is provided in a text file called
PACKING.LST. This is arranged with details of one
file per line so that it easy to search using a
program such as the DOS FIND command. Use this
file to help you locate particular programs or
to identify the contents of various files.

Viewing and printing the documentation
--------------------------------------
A simple on-disk documentation viewer and printer
is provided in the program file DOC.EXE. The
documents for this are stored in the files
MANUALS1.TXT, MANUALS2.TXT and MANUALS3.TXT, one
for each volume.

You can start DOC by changing to the disk and
directory containing it and entering DOC.

DOC command line
----------------
The easiest way to start DOC is just with the command
DOC. However, you can add either the name of a
particular documentation file or of a particular
document to the command. For example,

    DOC MANUALS3         Starts DOC with MANUALS3.TXT
                         loaded. This form is only
                         needed if you have more than
                         one document file in the
                         current directory and want
                         to load a particular one
                         straightaway.

    DOC CALC             Starts DOC with the
                         instructions for CALC
                         selected. It may take a
                         moment or two for DOC to
                         locate the relevant document.

    DOC MANUALS3 BROWSE  Stars DOC with the MANUALS3
                         file, open at the instructions
                         for BROWSE.

Running DOC
-----------
DOC displays a list of available documents down the
left side of the screen and shows the text of the
currently selected document on the right.

To select documents, use the up and down arrow keys to
move through the list on the left. Typing the initial
letters of a document name will jump directly to the
next matching document. Once you've found the document
you want, press TAB or the right arrow key to move
to the text of the document on the right. The cursor
keys (Home, End, Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn) will now move
through the text. Press the left arrow or TAB key
again to go back to select other documents.

The DOC menu
------------
To call up DOC's menu, press the ESC key. DOC
presents various options which you can select with
the cursor and Return keys or by pressing one of
the highlighted letters. The options will vary
depending on your PC's configuration and the
document files available.

Pressing ESC a second time cancels the menu.

Quitting DOC
------------
Choose the Quit option from the menu to leave
the DOC program and return to DOS.

Colour display off
------------------
Choose Colour display off from the menu to ask
DOC to work in black-and-white. You may wish to
do this if you're using a laptop with an LCD screen
that doesn't show colours well or with some greyscale
or CGA composite video monitors.

This menu option does not appear on PCs that do not
have a colour capability.

Extended screen on
------------------
Choosing this menu option switches the display to
43 or 50 lines so that you can see more text without
scrolling. You can go back to the normal display by
choosing Extended screen off subsequently.

This menu option is only available on EGA or VGA
equipped PCs.

If you have a Super VGA display card and a program
to set extended text modes, such as 60 lines deep,
you might like to try setting an appropriate mode
before starting DOC... the program will operate
correctly with many non-standard Super VGA formats.

Fast screen on
--------------
This menu option only appears on PCs fitted with CGA
or equivalent displays. Normally the DOC program
deliberately slows down on this type of display to
prevent the screen flicker or 'snow' that some CGA
displays can suffer from. If your system does not
suffer from snow, choose 'Fast screen on' for a
faster screen display. There's no harm in trying
this option either way on your PC... snow does no
harm and you might prefer to have a fast display
that flickers to a slow one that doesn't.

Print Document
--------------
Choose this menu option to print the currently selected
document. A menu appears from where you can make four
print settings, choose Go to start printing or Cancel
to return to viewing documents. You may need to alter
the settings to suit your system before choosing Go
as follows:

1. Output port

   This is the printer interface that DOC should print
   the document to. By pressing O you can step through
   the ports fitted to your computer. The default LPT1,
   the first parallel printer port, is correct for
   most PCs. DOC can work with a serial printer (COM1
   or COM2) if you have one but you must make sure that
   the port is correctly set up (e.g. with a command
   such as MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p) BEFORE running DOC.
   X-On/X-Off handshaking is automatically provided
   for serial printers.

   You can set the output port to "FILE". In this case,
   DOC will ask for the name of a disk file when you
   start printing and will then print to disk rather
   than to a printer. If the file you name already
   exists, DOC will append pages to it.

   DOC does not support PostScript printers. If you
   have one of these, you might like to use the print
   to FILE option and then use a PostScript conversion
   program or word processor to print the resulting
   file.

2. Lines per page

   This is the number of printable lines on each page
   on your printer. DOC will print with this set
   incorrectly but will not be able to put page breaks
   and headers in the right place. The default is 70
   lines for A4 fan-fold paper at 6 lines per inch,
   typical of many dot-matrix printers. Other common
   values are 64, 66 and 72.

   If you have difficulty with this setting, a
   workaround is to set the form-length correctly on
   your printer, enter a small number of lines per
   page (e.g. 60) and then select the "Use form-feeds"
   option.

3. Use form-feeds

   Set this option to Yes if you're using a LaserJet-
   style printer or any printer with the form-length
   set correctly. DOC will work with this option set
   to No by counting output lines but this is slower.

4. Pause between pages

   Set this option to Yes if you're feeding single-
   sheets to the printer... DOC will pause for you
   to get the next sheet ready between each page.

Select document file
--------------------
This menu option only appears if you have more than
one DOC documentation file in the current directory
when you start DOC, for example if you install all
three volumes to the same directory on your hard
disk. Using this option, you can switch from one
file to another without leaving DOC.

Using document files without DOC
--------------------------------
The DOC document files can be accessed by
programs other than DOC though this may not be as
convenient. They are plain ASCII text files, with a
line-feed/carriage return pair at the end of every
line so they can be viewed with normal DOS commands
such as TYPE MANUALS1.TXT | MORE or
COPY MANUALS1.TXT PRN, text editor programs or
other file viewers and browsers.

The only unusual aspect is that the file contains
multiple documents separated by lines beginning with
two @ signs and a title for that particular document.
DOC uses these to provide its list of available
documents. If you're using the files outside of DOC,
you may wish to break them up at these lines.

Customising the utilities
-------------------------
Some of these utilities are compact assembly language
.COM programs to make them small, fast and efficient.
This means that some of the programs do not include
built-in configuration options.

However, if you're experienced with DEBUG, you can
'patch' the programs to customise their operation.
The manual for each program will describe the ways
in which it can be customised but typically you
can do so to:

*  Customise the screen colours the program uses
   (if the display is hard to read on your screen).

*  Change the 'Hotkey' used by one of the TSR
   programs to avoid a conflict with your other
   software.

*  Change defaults such as sorting order, size of
   records and so on.

To customise a utility, follow this general procedure
in conjunction with the manual for the program. (You
SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT this if you are not confident about
using DEBUG as a mistake may stop the program from
working or even crash your PC.)

1. Always MAKE A COPY of the .COM file for the program
   in question as a back-up. For example, assuming you
   were patching a program called POP-CAL.COM, you
   might enter:

   COPY POP-CAL.COM ORIGCAL.COM

2. Start DEBUG with the name of the program to modify.
   You must have the DOS DEBUG program available for
   this to work. For example, enter

   DEBUG POP-CAL.COM

   DEBUG loads the file and presents a - prompt.

3. Use the DEBUG E command to modify the areas of
   the program as described in its documentation.

   For example, assume the hotkey for POP-CAL can be
   changed by entering a new keyboard scan code at
   location 174. If we wanted to use Alt-P rather
   than Alt-C we can see from the scan code (SS) table
   below that we need to change this to code 19.

   This can then be entered in DEBUG with:

   E174 19

4. After making all the necessary changes, save the
   file back onto disk with the W command. Enter

   W

5. Now leave DEBUG. Enter

   Q

6. Now load and test out the new program. If it no
   longer works, delete it, restore your back-up
   copy (e.g. COPY ORIGCAL.COM POP-CAL.COM)
   and then try again.

The tables below list the values necessary for
customising colours and hotkeys.

             Keyboard scan codes
             for alternative hotkeys
             (Values for SS)
             -----------------------

         Scan                    Scan
Key      Code (hex)    Key       Code (hex)
-------- ----------    --------- ----------
Esc       01           Z          2C
1 !       02           X          2D
@ 2       03           C          2E
# 3       04           V          2F
$ 4       05           B          30
% 5       06           N          31
^ 6       07           M          32
& 7       08           < ,        33
* 8       09           > .        34
( 9       0A           ? /        35
) 0       0B           R Shift    36
_ -       0C           PrtSc *    37
+ =       0D           Alt        38
Bkspace   0E           Spacebar   39
Tab       0F           CapsLk     3A
Q         10           F1         3B
W         11           F2         3C
E         12           F3         3D
R         13           F4         3E
T         14           F5         3F
Y         15           F6         40
U         16           F7         41
I         17           F8         42
O         18           F9         43
P         19           F10        44
{ [       1A           NumLock    45
} ]       1B           ScrlLk     46
Enter     1C           7 Home     47
Ctrl      1D           8 UpArr    48
A         1E           9 PgUp     49
S         1F           -          4A
D         20           4 LArrow   4B
F         21           5          4C
G         22           6 RArrow   4D
H         23           +          4E
J         24           1 End      4F
K         25           2 DnArr    50
L         26           3 PgDn     51
: ;       27           0 Ins      52
" '       28           . Del      53
`         29           SysReq     54
L Shift   2A           F11        57
| \       2B           F12        58

             Shift Mask codes
             for alternative hotkeys
             (Values for MM)
             -----------------------

    Value  Alt  Ctrl  L-Shift  R-Shift
    -----  ---  ----  -------  -------
      0
      1                           X
      2                  X
      3                  X        X
      4           X
      5           X               X
      6           X      X
      7           X      X        X
      8     X
      9     X                     X
      A     X            X
      B     X            X        X
      C     X     X
      D     X     X               X
      E     X     X      X
      F     X     X      X        X

X signifies that this key must pressed. For example,
to use Left Shift and Right Shift for the hotkey,
the value to use for MM would be 3.

             Colour values
             ---------------
             Black     0
             Blue      1
             Green     2
             Cyan      3
             Red       4
             Magenta   5
             Brown     6
             Lt Gray   7
             Dark Gray 8
             Lt Blue   9
             Lt Green  A
             Lt Cyan   B
             Orange    C
             Violet    D
             Yellow    E
             White     F

A full colour value is two hex digits, the first
for the background colour and the second for the
foreground. For example, bright white on a dark
blue background is 1F. Do not choose light colours
(values larger than 7) for the background as it
will produce a blinking display in most of the
programs.
@@ADDIT
ADDIT                                    Douglas Boling
Pop-up addition program                     Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
ADDIT.COM is a small TSR (3.5K) that adds negative &
positive numbers on your screen. You simply block the
on-screen area that contains the relevant numbers, hit
the Plus key, and then you can paste the displayed
total either into the same or another file.

Format
------

    ADDIT [/U] [/B]

then

    <Alt>-<Left Shift>

Remarks
-------
When entered on the DOS command line or as a line in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, ADDIT installs itself in
memory and waits for you to call upon its services.
The /U switch lets you uninstall the program, freeing
any memory it used. The only restriction on unloading
is that if any additional TSRs were loaded after
ADDIT, they must be removed before uninstalling ADDIT.

Use the /B parameter, and ADDIT will use the video
BIOS calls instead of writing directly to video
memory. While this is much slower than directly
writing to video memory, it can come in handy if you
have a non-standard video board. If ADDIT wrote
directly to the display memory of an incompatible
adapter, you would see garbage on the screen or your
machine might even lock up.

The default hotkey to activate ADDIT is Alt-<Left
Shift>. The F1 key brings up a help screen. When
you're done with ADDIT, press the Esc key and ADDIT
will return to the background to wait for the next
time it's needed.

When you pop it up, ADDIT presents a one-line banner
across the top of the screen and puts its own block
cursor at the spot your program cursor occupied. The
usual arrow keys move the ADDIT cursor, with the Home
and End keys taking it to the beginning and end of the
line. The PgUp and PgDn keys take you to the top and
bottom of the screen. To block (or highlight) an area
on screen, hold down the Shift key while moving the
cursor. Since you will normally want to highlight a
number of whole rows, the easiest technique is to go
to the top line to be marked and hit the End key.
Then, while holding down the Shift key, hit the Down
Arrow key as many times as required. The section will
then be highlighted. After releasing the Shift key, any
subsequent cursor movement will unblock the
highlighted area.

To sum the numbers contained in the blocked-off area,
simply hit the Plus key. (Either the Plus key on the
numeric keypad or on the regular keyboard will do.)
ADDIT can handle numbers with up to ten decimal
places. The total will be displayed in the ADDIT banner
and will be stored in a buffer so you can subsequently
paste it anywhere. Positive numbers in the
highlighted area will show up on colour screens in
yellow (by default); negative numbers (those preceded
by a minus sign) will be displayed in red (by
default). This allows you to check that all of the
numbers you want (and only the ones you want) included
have been added.

Note that if a dash (that is, the minus sign)
occurs between two numbers, the second number will be
considered negative. But if a dash is the last
character on the line and a number begins the
succeeding line, the hidden end-of-line marker
inserted by some word processors can fool ADDIT into
thinking that the number following is positive. Its
colour will be your clue.

Hitting the P key while ADDIT is active will paste the
displayed sum at the cursor location. ADDIT then
automatically exits but it continues to remember the
total in its buffer. Thus, you can paste the same sum
into several places or documents. If the point where
you want to put the result is on a different
screen--or in a different document, perhaps requiring
you to exit your application and start up another--you
first exit ADDIT by hitting the Esc key. Then find the
insertion spot you want, bring up ADDIT again by
pressing Alt-<Left Shift>, and hit P. You can clear
the banner and buffer at any time by starting to
highlight a new area.

Douglas Boling is a contributing editor of PC Magazine.

History
-------
Version 1.0    Initial Release
Version 1.1    Bug Fix
@@ALIAS
ALIAS                   Douglas Boling and Jeff Prosise
DOS command editing, recall and aliasing    Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A TSR utility that enables DOS command-line editing
and recall of previously issued commands and that
permits assignment of long commands and environment
strings to short synonyms ("aliases") or function
keys.

Format
------

    ALIAS [?][/U][/D][/E][/L][/F [d:][path]filename]
          [/Bnn][/M nn][/S nn][alias [command]]

Remarks
-------
When loaded without any of its optional switches,
ALIAS reserves a buffer size of 512 bytes for
user-entered alias strings and a command stack that
permits recalling the last 16 commands issued. These
defaults (/B 512 and /S 16) can only be changed at
load time. At this time, too, the /F switch can be
used with a filename  (plus drive and path) containing
regularly used aliases (see Note).

Previously issued commands can be recalled to the
command line with the Up and Down Arrow keys. When
many commands are stacked, typing a few initial
letters before hitting the recall key will speed
retrieval by skipping commands that do not match the
typed pattern. Use the optional /M nn switch, where
nn is a number, to set a minimum length of command
strings to be stacked. The default, /M 1, remembers
all commands.

Whether recalled or newly typed, command-line entries
can be edited when ALIAS is loaded. The Left and
Right Arrow keys move the cursor by character;
Ctrl-Left and Ctrl-Right move by word; and Home and
End go to the line ends. The Del and Backspace keys
delete characters; Ctrl-Backspace deletes the word at
the cursor; and Ctrl-End deletes to the end of the
line. Pressing Esc clears the command line and
returns to the bottom of the command stack. The Ins
key toggles between overstrike (the default) and
insert mode for character entry on the command line.

The command ALIAS alias [command] is used to define an
alias or command synonym. The alias variable may be
any one-word alphanumeric string; the command
variable  may contain multiple words and must end with
a carriage return. Defining an alias but omitting the
command variable removes a previous alias assignment.
Function keys and their Alt-, Shift-, and Ctrl-
combinations may be used in place of alias by being
designated thus: [Fn], [AFn], [SFn], [CFn], with 1 to
10 as the values of n. An asterisk after the close
bracket (for example, [F1]*) causes immediate
command-string execution when the function key is
pressed; otherwise, Enter must also be pressed. The
command variable may include replaceable command-line
parameters, (for example, %1), as in batch files.
Environment strings, such as the PATH string, may be
used in the command variable by being placed between
a pair of % signs.

A list of active aliases can be obtained at any time
by entering ALIAS with its /L switch. Alias
processing can be temporarily disabled with the /D
switch and reenabled with the /E switch. ALIAS ?
brings up a help screen. The /U switch uninstalls
ALIAS from memory, when possible.

Note
----
A plain ASCII file containing regular user-defined
aliases may be installed with the /F switch when ALIAS
is loaded, as, for example, ALIAS /F C:\BIN\MYALIAS.TXT
This file may be up to 32K and may also contain ALIAS
optional switches. Note that // and /* may be used to
add comments on the remainder of a line and that blank
lines are not processed.
@@ALLKEYS
ALLKEYS                                Robert L. Morton
TSR hot-key controller                Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Alternately disables and enables the hotkeys used by
pop-up utilities so these key combinations can still
be used by applications programs.

Format
------

    ALLKEYS
    POP-UP #1
    POP-UP #2
    POP-UP #3
    ...
    ALLKEYS

or

    ALLKEYS [/U]

Remarks
-------
ALLKEYS must be loaded twice, once immediately before
and once immediately after loading the series of
memory-resident (TSR) utilities whose hotkeys are to
be controlled. Normally, this is done by making the
appropriate entries in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. After
the second loading of ALLKEYS, the operation of the
TSR programs in the controlled group is initially
unaffected. Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Z, however, disables
these pop-up programs by passing their trigger keys to
an applications program instead. Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Z
a second time re-enables operation of the controlled
memory-resident pop-ups.

ALLKEYS may be completely uninstalled by
entering the command with the /U parameter.
This might be used from the DOS prompt to
change the set of pop-ups controlled by
ALLKEYS. If TSRs, e.g. SideKick, have been
loaded after ALLKEYS, complete deinstallation
is not possible, but the /U parameter will
still disable ALLKEYS' operation.

When ALLKEYS is activated with Ctrl-Alt-Z, a
series of beeps with a rising pitch is heard.
A descending sequence of tones sounds when
ALLKEYS is toggled off. Using the values for
SS and MM shown in the Scan Code and Shift
Mask charts at the end of this manual, the
default hotkey for ALLKEYS can be changed
with DEBUG, as shown below:

     DEBUG ALLKEYS.COM
     E 243 SS           ;Scan code
     E 244 MM           ;Shift mask
     W
     Q
@@ALTPAUSE
ALTPAUSE
Provides a pause key for batch files        Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
ALTPAUSE allows a batch file to pause at a certain
point only if the Alt key is held down. You can also
use ALTPAUSE to give the user a way to alter the
normal operation of a batch file.

Format
------

    ALTPAUSE

Remarks
-------
On fast machines with fast hard disks batch files can
fly by without giving you a chance to read messages or
make choices.

By inserting ALTPAUSE at key locations you can
optionally pause batch file operation by pressing the
Alt key. Operation will remain suspended until the
key is released.

If you ran the following TESTPAUS.BAT batch file:

    @ECHO OFF
    REM This is TESTPAUS.BAT
    ECHO This line goes by quickly
    ALTPAUSE
    ECHO This line goes by quickly
    ALTPAUSE
    ECHO This line goes by quickly

(or a longer version of it) without pressing any keys,
the batch file would simply print several "This line
goes by quickly" lines. But if you ran it and pressed
the Alt key, it would pause in midstream.

ALTPAUSE also generates an exit code of 1 that can be
read by the DOS ERRORLEVEL command and used to branch
to a particular place in the batch file if the Alt key
is pressed. For example, an AUTOEXEC.BAT file might
normally start Microsoft Windows when the machine is
started up. You could give the user the opportunity
to go to the DOS prompt like this:

  @ECHO OFF
  CLS
  ECHO Hold and then release ALT key for DOS prompt
  ECHO instead of Windows...
  ...
  normal instructions in AUTOEXEC.BAT
  ...
  ALTPAUSE
  IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO STOP
  WIN
  :STOP
@@ANSIHERE
ANSIHERE
Test for ANSI.SYS                    Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Quickly identifies whether or not ANSI.SYS is loaded
from the command prompt or in a batch file.

Format
------

    ANSIHERE

Some programs use ANSI.SYS to redefine keys or set
screen colours. The DOS MODE command uses it to set
the number of lines on-screen.

You can tell whether ANSI.SYS is loaded by examining
your CONFIG.SYS file, but ANSIHERE is easier. And, if
used in a batch file, it sets an exit code of 1 that
the DOS ERRORLEVEL command can read. This way your
batch files can execute ANSI instructions only if ANSI
happens to be loaded.
@@APPBK
APPBK                                Michael J. Mefford
Pop-up appointment reminder                Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Reminds you of appointments at the times you specify;
provides additional optional hourly chime and
continuous on-screen date/time display.

Format
------

    APPBK

or

    APPBK [f,][b,][s,][h,][a]


Remarks
-------
APPBK is a memory-resident utility that is normally
loaded through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. It must be
loaded after any system time/date setting routines,
and before loading SideKick (if used).

Pressing Alt-R opens the on-screen APPBK window, in
which you enter your appointments. Enter times as
2:00, not 02:00, and include the A or P before the M
in the window. You can edit your appointment list
using the F-1 and F-3 keys, by overstriking letters,
and with the deleting backspace key. F-2 toggles an
hourly chime on and off; F-4 similarly toggles a
continuous on-screen display of the time and date.

An alarm will sound at the appointment times
specified. Additionally, should you be away from your
desk and not hear the reminder, your first keystroke
following the alarm will pop up the APPBK window. To
close the window, press Esc or the Alt-R (default)
APPBK trigger key.

At the time it is loaded, APPBK may be given
alternative parameters for its colour (f), border
colour (b), trigger-key scan code (s), hourly chime
frequency (h), and alarm frequency (a). The default
values are 7,112,19,2217,2960. Tables of acceptable
alternative parameter values are give below. In
entering parameters, separate each with a comma.
Commas alone may be used for initial parameters you do
not wish to change.

Example
-------

    APPBK ,,,1760

would change only the frequency (tone) of the
hourly chime (the h parameter).

Parameter Tables
----------------

COLOUR CODES (f and b parameters)

Colour Adapter
--------------
fore-   back-            fore-
ground  ground  colour   ground  colour
  0       0     Black      8     Gray
  1      16     Blue       9     Light Blue
  2      32     Green     10     Light Green
  3      48     Cyan      11     Light Cyan
  4      64     Red       12     Light Red
  5      80     Magenta   13     Light Magenta
  6      96     Brown     14     Yellow
  7     112     White     15     Bright White

Monochrome Adapter
------------------
fore-   back-
ground  ground  colour
  0       0     Black
  7     112     White
 15      NA     Bright White


Add foreground colour to the background colour to
arrive at parameter number. For example, blue letters
on cyan (light blue) would be 48 + 1 = 49.

Defaults are 7 (white on black) for the datebook field
(foreground) and 112 (black on white) for the frame
(border).

SCAN CODES FOR ALT-KEY COMBINATIONS (s parameter)
Code Key   Code Key   Code Key   Code  Key
 16   Q     30   A     44   Z     120   1
 17   W     31   S     45   X     121   2
 18   E     32   D     46   C     122   3
 19   R     33   F     47   V     123   4
 20   T     34   G     48   B     124   5
 21   Y     35   H     49   N     125   6
 22   U     36   J     50   M     126   7
 23   I     37   K                127   8
 24   O     38   L                128   9
 25   P                           129   0
                                  130   -
Default is 19 (Alt R)             131   =

TONE/FREQUENCY (h and a parameters)
A    55  110  220  440   880  1760  3520   1740  14080
A#   58  117  233  466   932  1857  3714   7428  14856
B    62  123  247  494   988  1976  3952   7904  15808
C    65  131  262  523  1046  2093  4186   8372  16744
C#   69  139  277  554  1109  2217  4434   8868  17736
D    74  149  294  587  1175  2349  4698   9396  18792
D#   78  156  311  622  1245  2489  4978   9956  19912
E    82  165  330  659  1319  2637  5274  10548  21096
F    87  175  349  698  1397  2794  5588  11176  22352
F#   93  185  370  740  1480  2960  5920  11840  23680
G    98  196  392  784  1568  3136  6272  12544  25088
G#  104  208  415  831  1661  3322  6644  13288  26576

Middle C is 262. The defaults are 2217 (C#) for the
hourly chime and 2960 (F#) for the alarm chime.

Note
----
1. While APPBK is compatible with most applications
   programs and resident utilities, complete
   compatibility cannot be assured. It cannot, for
   example, be  used with XyWrite.
@@ASC
ASC                                        Jeff Prosise
Pop-up ASCII Chart                    Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Provides a pop-up ASCII chart showing decimal,
hexadecimal, and character equivalents for the full IBM
character set.

Format
------

    ASC

Remarks
-------
ASC is a memory-resident utility that is normally
loaded at boot-up, via your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Once
loaded, pressing Alt-A pops up the first page (32 ASCII
codes) of the display window over any currently active
applications program. The Up- and Down-Arrow, PgUp and
PgDn, and Home and End keys access the remaining ASCII
display pages. Pressing Esc closes the window,
restoring the original screen display.

In operation, ASC requires approximately 2.5K of RAM.
It is compatible with most applications and TSR
(terminate and stay resident) programs that do not
themselves require the Alt-A key combination.

Notes
-----
1. Users familiar with using DEBUG can modify the
   default border, text, and header colours of ASC.
   These values, initially 0Fh, 1Fh, and 1Eh,
   respectively, are located at offsets 014D through
   014F in the .COM file. For use with a composite
   monochrome display, the values 70h, 07h, and
   07h are suggested.
@@BAT2EXEC
BAT2EXEC                                 Douglas Boling
Batch file compiler                         Version 1.5
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
BAT2EXEC compiles your batch files to .COM files for
added speed. Large batch files often run annoyingly
slowly so BAT2EXEC is a good way to increase both your
productivity and satisfaction.

Format
------

    BAT2EXEC FILE.BAT

Using BAT2EXEC
--------------
Daily PC operations are almost unimaginable without the
use of batch files. Everyone has their favourite
collection of them, and some users have constructed
complex batch files of thousands of bytes that push the
batch language itself to its limits. Programs that
expand the available batch file functions, such as
Michael Mefford's BATCHMAN, encourage users to make
even larger batch files.

Unfortunately, however, batch files are also
notoriously slow. It can be almost painful to watch
them scroll down the screen a line at a time. A
standard way to improve the speed of interpreted
programs, such as batch files, is to compile them.
That's where BAT2EXEC comes in. Using BAT2EXEC
could hardly be simpler. Just enter BAT2EXEC FILE.BAT
where FILE.BAT is the name of your batch file. BAT2EXEC
will then produce an executable .COM file with the name
FILE.COM. If BAT2EXEC can't find the batch file, an
error message will be printed. If BAT2EXEC can't
understand a line in the batch file, it will print an
error message indicating the line in the file in which
it discovered the error.

BAT2EXEC should not be used on every batch file.
AUTOEXEC.BAT, for example, must remain a genuine batch
file in order for COMMAND.COM to find it. Similarly,
batch files that run terminate and stay resident
utilities (TSRs) should not be compiled. The reason for
this limitation lies in the DOS memory management
structure: if a TSR is executed from a program compiled
by BAT2EXEC, the memory used by BAT2EXEC itself will
not be made available to the system after it
terminates.

Programs created by BAT2EXEC behave slightly
differently from the batch files from which they were
compiled. The .COM file does not echo each line to the
screen as does the batch file, for example. Running
other batch files does not cause the .COM program to
end. Also, pressing Ctrl-Break does not present the
message, "Terminate Batch file (y/n)." If Ctrl-Break is
pressed and BREAK has been set on, the program simply
terminates.

The size of the resulting .COM file is somewhat larger
than the batch file. Compiling a batch file containing
a single REM statement results in a .COM file size of
68 bytes, illustrating the overhead of the setup and
terminate routines. Program size increases quickly as
routines are added then slows as the loaded routines
are reused instead of new ones being added.

Certainly, BAT2EXEC is not suitable for use on every
batch file. Two and three line batch files are best
left in their easy-to-alter and simple-to-understand
ASCII format. However, for those batch files that have
grown into long complex programs, BAT2EXEC is the
answer.

@@BATCHMAN
BATCHMAN                             Michael J. Mefford
Batch file enhancement utility              Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
BATCHMAN, is designed both to give your batch files
significantly more power and to add many of the
refinements we all wish DOS provided. You can check the
DOS version, available memory, or display type and then
branch accordingly. You can create colourful menus that
branch on a user keypress. And, among its many other
capabilities, BATCHMAN will let you adjust the keyboard
typematic rate and tame the grating DOS beep or turn it
into a tune.

BATCHMAN is actually a collection of 48 batch file
enhancement utilities, all rolled into one 6K program.
This provides more than convenience: if BATCHMAN's
utilities were stored separately, at a minimum one
cluster each, they'd take up about 100K of disk space.

Format
------

    BATCHMAN [command] [arguments] [/R]

Entering BATCHMAN without any parameters (or with an
invalid parameter) will bring up a multi-screen display
that lists all the BATCHMAN commands. The optional
arguments are parameters for any given command. If you
add the optional /R switch, BATCHMAN will display the
EL returned from the command. The Report option will be
most helpful when you are designing and debugging your
batch files. Be sure to place BATCHMAN in a directory
included on the DOS PATH so your batch files can find
it.

Batchman and ERRORLEVELs
------------------------
The key to BATCHMAN's operation is the ERRORLEVEL
code, a number that programs can report to DOS when
they terminate and that can be acted upon from a batch
file. I'll abbreviate ERRORLEVEL as EL for the
remainder of this documentation.

An EL can have a value between 0 and 255. Each of the
BATCHMAN commands returns information as an EL. An
explanation of the syntax of each of the BATCHMAN
commands and the ELs they return will be found below.

The BATCHMAN commands
---------------------
The following conventions are used in the explanations
below. The commands are listed first, followed by any
parameters they might accept, followed by the EL the
command will return. The EL is given in curly brackets
to make it clear that it is not part of the command
syntax and should not be typed in.

For example:

    CLS [nn]  {EL=0}

Entered without the optional nn colour argument,
the command:

    BATCHMAN CLS

will clear the screen with whatever colour it finds at
the current cursor position. This provides the most
flexibility when you plan to distribute a BATCHMAN
batch file to other systems because it retains the
user's custom colour scheme.

If you wish to control the CLS colour, just add the
colour argument nn, where nn is a decimal or
hexadecimal value. Hexadecimal numbers need a suffix of
"h" to distinguish them from decimal. Selecting a
colour in hex is easier than decimal because each of
the 16 possible values for each of the background and
foreground colours fits into a single digit: the first
digit is background, the second foreground.

To clear the screen so that subsequent DOS output will
use blue letters on a light gray background, for
example, you would enter:

    BATCHMAN CLS 71h

The first number (7) is the background colour, and the
second (1) is the foreground colour. To do the same
using a decimal number requires a little maths: the
background colour is multiplied by 16 and added to the
foreground. In the above example, the decimal
equivalent would be (7 * 16) + 7 = 113, so the
equivalent command in decimal would be:

    BATCHMAN CLS 113

Like its DOS counterpart, BATCHMAN's CLS also homes the
cursor to the top left corner. Unlike the DOS CLS,
however, BATCHMAN's will clear the whole screen
properly in video modes such as the EGA/VGA 43/50 line
modes.

    CECHO [C] [nn,]string{EL=0}

CECHO is similar to the DOS ECHO command except you can
choose the colour of the echoed string. The nn colour
value is entered in the same manner as with CLS, and
again, if you don't enter a colour value, BATCHMAN will
use the currently specified colour. To echo a "Zowie!"
to the display in an eye-catching blinking yellow on
red, you would enter:

    BATCHMAN CECHO CEh,Zowie!

The C (hex) value for the background colour normally
displays as orange for a foreground colour. When used
as a background colour, however, it displays as the
blinking low intensity counterpart, red. Keep in mind
that any high intensity colour selected for the
background will blink in its corresponding low
intensity colour value.

The optional C parameter shown in CECHO syntax (don't
confuse it with the hex C colour value in the
immediately-preceding example) stands for "no carriage
returns." Normally, both CECHO and the DOS ECHO move to
the next line after echoing a string. At times this is
not desirable. For example, you might wish to echo two
strings, with different colours, on the same line. With
BATCHMAN you can suppress the carriage return by adding
a solitary C as the first argument. For example, to
display a red on yellow blinking "Zowie!" followed by a
normal red on yellow "Batchman!" on the same line your
batch file would consist of:

    ECHO OFF
    BATCHMAN CECHO C CEh,Zowie!
    BATCHMAN CECHO 4Eh,Batchman!

You can suppress the carriage return to prevent the
display from scrolling when you echo to the last line
of the display. This feature makes full screen menus
feasible, whereas echoing to the last line with the DOS
ECHO command causes the screen to scroll, spoiling any
previous display layout.

    SETLOOP  [n]  {EL=0}
    .
    .
    DECLOOP  {EL=SETLOOP-1}

You use the SETLOOP and DECLOOP commands when you want
to repeat a set of batch file commands. SETLOOP sets a
loop counter to the n argument, which can be a decimal
number between 0 and 255. Once the counter is set, the
BATCHMAN DECLOOP command will decrement the counter
each time it is executed and return the new value of
the loop counter as an EL. The short batch file:

    ECHO OFF
    BATCHMAN SETLOOP 10
    :HERE
    BATCHMAN CECHO ZONK!
    BATCHMAN DECLOOP
    IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO HERE

will echo "ZONK!" to the display 10 times before
terminating. The batch processor will branch to the
HERE label as long as EL is 1 or greater.

Programmers may wonder where the loop counter is stored
while other commands are executing. For the SETLOOP and
PUSHPATH commands (PUSHPATH/POPPATH will be discussed
below) BATCHMAN creates a small TSR of approximately
500 bytes. The loop counter uses one byte for its
storage; the balance is reserved for path strings. When
the loop counter becomes zero, the BATCHMAN TSR data
area is returned to the system memory pool (unless
PUSHPATH is also using the data area). Note that since
the loop counter is only one byte, you can not do loop
nesting.

If you exit a batch file before SETLOOP has decremented
to zero, the TSR data area will not be released. You
should construct your batch files so that any early
exit from a loop will execute a SETLOOP 0 to force a
recovery of the TSR data area. BATCHMAN is smart enough
not only to find its previous TSR data, but will
prevent the creation of another if you try to enter two
SETLOOP commands.

    QFORMAT [d:] [N]

    {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if not.}


QFORMAT is designed to wipe out all the files and
subdirectories on a floppy disk at a single stroke. To
keep you from accidentally trashing your hard disk, the
command will only accept A: or B: as drive arguments.
All other drive requests are ignored, and you can omit
the drive argument only if A: or B: is your current
default drive.

As a further precaution, QFORMAT warns you that all
data will be lost and requires that you press Y and
Enter to confirm. Any other keypress will abort the
process. If you don't want BATCHMAN to pause and ask
for your approval, however, you can add the optional N
argument to the command. The N stands for No Ask. Use
this option with caution!

QFORMAT will work only on diskettes that have already
been formatted by DOS. The DOS FORMAT command puts
vital information about the media type, number of
clusters per FAT, and so forth, in the boot sector of
the disk. BATCHMAN's QFORMAT command uses this
information to find and place zeros in the FAT and root
directory sectors of the disk.

The reason why QFORMAT can be so fast is that it
doesn't have to do the same work as the DOS FORMAT
command. FORMAT not only does a low level format but
also writes over the entire data area of the disk. It's
the low-level-and-data-format process that takes
forever. A low level format really needs be done only
once, and QFORMAT blithely skips that step. QFORMAT is
sophisticated enough to preserve bad sector
information, however.

    PUSHPATH
    {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if not}
    .
    .
    POPPATH
    {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if not}

PUSHPATH saves the current drive and directory, which
can then later be restored with POPPATH. Typically, a
batch file that executes an application includes a DOS
CD command (often a change of drive as well) move
operations to the place where the application resides.
After the application terminates, it's usually
desirable to return to the original path.

By way of example, to run Lotus 1-2-3 on drive D: and
then return to the default path afterwards, your batch
file would look something like this:

    BATCHMAN PUSHPATH
    D:
    CD \123
    123
    BATCHMAN POPPATH

PUSHPATH saves the current path in a TSR data area,
just as the SETLOOP command does. While only one byte
is reserved for SETLOOP's loop counter, however,
BATCHMAN's TSR data area allows stacking up several
paths with PUSHPATH. Subsequent POPPATH commands will
retrieve the paths in a LIFO (Last In First Out) stack
basis.

Suppose, for instance, that you're currently in your
directory and you issue the following commands:

    BATCHMAN PUSHPATH
    CD \DOS
    BATCHMAN PUSHPATH
    CD \PCMAG
    BATCHMAN POPPATH
    BATCHMAN POPPATH

In this sequence, the first POPPATH puts you back into
the \DOS subdirectory, and the last POPPATH restores
you to the root directory from which you started.

The number of path layers that can be stored will vary
with the length of each path pushed onto the stack.
BATCHMAN's TSR area reserves 408 bytes for paths, which
allows for 6 levels of nested paths if each path is the
maximum 65 characters allowed by DOS. Shorter path
names will allow nesting greater than 6 levels.

BATCHMAN returns an EL of 1 if it finds the stack too
full for another PUSHPATH or if the stack is already
empty with a POPPATH. Otherwise, the EL returned is
zero. When the last path is popped off the stack, the
TSR data area is discarded and returned to the DOS
memory pool.

    ANSI  {EL=0 if ANSI found;
    EL=1 if not found}

This BATCHMAN command is designed simply to determine
whether ANSI.SYS is or is not installed. If the EL is 1
you can then branch around any ANSI.SYS escape
sequences contained in your batch files. BATCHMAN is
smart enough to detect ANSI.SYS, but it will not find
other ANSI.SYS emulators, such as DesqView's DV-ANSI.

    BEEP [m,n[;m,n]...]{EL=0}

The BATCHMAN BEEP command gives you a great deal of
flexibility in controlling the frequency and length of
the sound DOS emits in response to a Ctrl-G character.
The m,n beep arguments are decimal numbers and are used
in pairs, separated by a comma. The m value represents
the frequency (in Hz.), and n is the number of 1/18th
second increments that comprise the duration.

The command for a middle C beep of a 1/2 second, for
example, would be:

    BATCHMAN BEEP 262,9

By separating the argument pairs with semicolons, you
can produce a series of tones with the same BEEP
command. You might, for example, find it interesting to
try:

BATCHMAN BEEP 392,3;523,3;659,3;784,3;10,3;659,3;784,12

The lowest valid frequency is 19, a very low buzzing
sound. You can use a value less than 19 to create
pauses between tones: no sound will be emitted, but the
duration argument is executed, effectively producing a
programmable delay between notes.

If you omit all arguments, BEEP defaults to 1046,1 --
a C note for 1/18 of a second. The DOS Ctrl-G beep is a
frequency of 886 that lasts for one second. Musically,
a frequency of 886 is an out-of-tune A, which probably
explains why it grates on so many ears.

    WAITTIL hh:mm[ss]

    {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if aborted}

WAITTIL provides a convenient way to pause until a
certain time of day. The hh:mm:[ss] argument is the
time in hours, minutes, and optionally seconds.
BATCHMAN will wait until the specified time arrives
but you can manually abort the wait by entering any
keystroke. A typical application for WAITTIL would be
to execute an electronic bulletin board communications
program that would automatically download messages late
at night when rates are lower.

    WAITFOR [mm:]ss

    {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if aborted}

WAITFOR simply pauses for a specified number of minutes
(mm) and seconds (ss). You can omit the minute part of
the argument if you desire. As with WAITTIL, the
WAITFOR delay can be over-ridden by pressing a key.

    CURSORTYPE [m,n]

You can use CURSORTYPE either to create a cursor size
that suits your taste or to restore the normal
underline cursor after an application alters it.
Entering CURSORTYPE without any arguments will default
to the standard underline cursor. To create a custom
cursor, you supply the m,n arguments as the start and
stop line values. These values can be either decimal or
hex; for hex input, add an "h" suffix to the number.

The top of the character box is logical line zero;
successively-numbered lines increment downward. The
valid scan line values used for m and n are 0-7 for a
CGA, 0-13 for a monochrome or EGA, and 0-15 for a VGA.
The default underline cursor start/stop lines are 6,7
for a CGA, 11,12 for a monochrome or EGA, and 13,14 for
a VGA. To set an EGA solid block cursor, for example,
enter:

    BATCHMAN CURSORTYPE 0,13

Note that the EGA BIOS on some video boards will
attempt to override your selections. BATCHMAN
temporarily turns off this BIOS EGA emulation logic for
all video boards when the cursor type is set, and this
seems to work for most systems. However, if entering
CURSORTYPE without arguments does not give you the
normal default underline cursor, you can explicitly
request an underline cursor that fits your display. You
may need to do this for video modes other than the
normal 25 line modes. A "wrap around" cursor, in which
the stop line has a lesser value than the start line,
is supported by the hardware of only some video
systems.

    BREAK                 {EL=0 if OFF; EL=1 if ON}

The BATCHMAN BREAK command returns the current state of
DOS's Ctrl-Break checking. You can change the state of
BREAK with the DOS command of the same name.

    DRIVEEXIST d:         {EL=1 if exist; EL=0 if not}

    DIREXIST directory    {EL=1 if exist; EL=0 if not}

These two BATCHMAN commands are used to return an EL of
1 to your batch files if the specified variable exists.

    ISVOL [d:]volume      {EL=1 if exist; EL=0 if not}

Similarly, this command returns an EL of 1 if a
particular disk volume exists on the named drive.

    YEAR      {EL=year from 1980 (0-199), where 0=1980}

    MONTH     {EL=(1-12)}

    DAY      {EL=(1-31)}

    WEEKDAY   {EL=(0-6), where Sun=0; Sat=6}

    HOUR      {EL=(0-23)}

    MINUTE    {EL=(0-59)}

    SECOND    {EL=(0-59)}

This group of BATCHMAN commands returns the system time
and date. Note that you can obtain a relatively fine
resolution of the time.

    VIDEOMODE             {EL=(0-19)}

The EL returned by the VIDEOMODE command allows you to
determine which of the possible screen modes listed in
Figure 3 is currently being used by your display.

    ROWS                  {EL=display rows}
    COLS                  {EL=display columns}

These obvious but very handy commands return the
current number of rows or columns displayed.

    SETCURSOR m,n         {EL=0}

By supplying values for m (the row) and n (the column)
you can use SETCURSOR to place your cursor at the
specified screen location. By using SETCURSOR in
concert with CECHO you can precisely control the
location of your messages. For example, to display
"Gotham City" in blue in the middle of the screen, you
would create the following batch file:

    ECHO OFF
    BATCHMAN SETCURSOR 12,35
    BATCHMAN CECHO 1,Gotham City

Be sure to include the ECHO OFF command, both so that
DOS won't spoil your display by echoing the commands,
and so that the cursor won't return to the beginning of
the next line for the CECHO command.

A related use of SETCURSOR is to hide the cursor. You
can do this by setting the cursor to display on line
26, which is off screen. Be sure to issue a second
SETCURSOR command that puts the cursor back on screen
once the hidden cursor is no longer needed, or you
won't be able to see what you type! If you forget,
don't panic. Just press Esc, blindly type CLS and press
Enter, and things will return to normal with the cursor
homed to the top of the display.

    E43V50           {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if not}

This BATCHMAN command loads the 8x8 BIOS font for an
EGA or VGA monitor. This changes the number of lines
displayed to 43 (EGA) or 50 (VGA}. You can use the DOS
MODE command to return to the normal 25-line display.

    PRTSC            {EL=0}

This command will execute a printer screen dump exactly
as if you had pressed Shift-PrtSc on an 83-key keyboard
or the dedicated Print Screen key on a 101-key
keyboard.

    COMPARE string1 string2

    {EL=0 if match; EL=1 if no match}

The BATCHMAN COMPARE makes a case insensitive
comparison between two strings. For most purposes
you'll probably want to use COMPARE instead of the case
sensitive DOS batch command:

    IF string1==string2

With the DOS IF string comparison a non-case sensitive
match requires two tests -- one for uppercase and one
for lowercase. Even this does not guarantee a match if
the string is a mixture of upper and lower case, as
might occur if a batch file were looking for a person's
name, for example. COMPARE solves this case problem.
Note that the BATCHMAN COMPARE does not need the double
equal signs the DOS IF command uses.

    CANCOPY filespec [d:]

    {EL=0 if room to copy; EL=1 if not}

Before you copy a file or a number of files to another
drive (especially a floppy disk drive), you can use
CANCOPY to see if there is enough room for all the
specified files. The filespec you supply can use the
DOS ? and * wildcards. If you don't specify the target
drive, the default drive is checked. Thus, for example,
to check whether the collection of PC Magazine
utilities you keep in a directory called PCMAG on drive
C: will fit onto a floppy, you would enter:

    BATCHMAN CANCOPY C:\PCMAG\*.* A:

BATCHMAN returns an EL of 0 if there is room; otherwise
a 1 would be returned. If you enter this from the DOS
command line, you'll want to include the /R option to
see the EL returned on screen.

    WARMBOOT

    COLDBOOT

As their names imply, WARMBOOT and COLDBOOT reboot your
system. WARMBOOT does the same thing as pressing
Ctrl-Alt-Del; COLDBOOT is like hitting the big red
switch. A COLDBOOT does a memory check (among other
things) that WARMBOOT does not, and it takes a lot more
time. Of course, be forewarned that with either of
these commands all unsaved data in RAM memory will be
lost. Note that WARMBOOT and COLDBOOT may not work on
some non-compatible systems.

    SHIFT ALT | CTRL

    {EL=1 if depressed; EL=0 if not}

This command returns the state of either the Alt or
Ctrl key. For example,

    BATCHMAN CTRL

returns an EL of 1 if the Ctrl key is currently
depressed. You can use the SHIFT command along with the
BATCHMAN GETKEY command without arguments to detect
alternate key presses. (See GETKEY, below, for an
example.)

    NUMLOCK [ON | OFF]   {EL=0}

    CAPSLOCK [ON | OFF]  {EL=0}

    SCROLLOCK [ON | OFF] {EL=0}

These three self-explanatory commands toggle the
current shift state of the NumLock, CapsLock or
ScrollLock keys when used without the ON or OFF
options. They explicitly turn the three keys on or off
if the optional arguments are supplied.

Thus, for example:

    BATCHMAN NUMLOCK

will toggle the NumLock state on if it was off or off
if it was on. Entering

    BATCHMAN NUMLOCK OFF

will turn the NumLock state off regardless of whether
it is currently on or off. This latter would be a
useful line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT if you use the numeric
keypad for cursor navigation instead of number entry.
Note that on some keyboards the LED indicator lights
may not faithfully track changes in shift status.

    RENDIR old new {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if not}

The RENDIR command will rename a directory, but only on
systems using DOS 3.0 or later. To use it simply enter
the path of the old directory and the new name.

For example, to change the name of a temporary
directory named TMP on the C: drive to a permanent
name, say, ROBIN, you would enter:

    BATCHMAN RENDIR C:\TMP C:\ROBIN

Be sure to include the complete path for both the old
and new directory names if the directory is other than
the default.

    ROMDATE  {EL=0}

ROMDATE displays the eight bytes of the BIOS date at
address FFFF:0005 of the ROM BIOS. Usually, the display
will be something like 10/07/87, but some clone BIOSs
do not have a date. If no ASCII numbers are found,
BATCHMAN displays nothing.

    GETKEY ['string' n]

    {EL=scan code if no ['string' n] list;
     else EL=position in list.}

There are probably hundreds of versions of the batch
file GETKEY program. They return the scan code of the
next key you press as an EL. If you enter the BATCHMAN
GETKEY command without the optional (bracketed)
arguments, it will do the same thing.

Entered without arguments, GETKEY can also be used with
the BATCHMAN SHIFT command to detect Alt- or Ctrl- key
combinations. The scan code for the "Q" key is 16. To
check for an Alt-Q keypress (perhaps as a Quit key
command), you would use the following batch file:

    ECHO OFF
    GETKEY
    BATCHMAN GETKEY
    IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 16 GOTO GETKEY
    BATCHMAN SHIFT ALT
    IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO GETKEY
    ECHO Alt-Q was pressed.

GETKEY's optional key list provides still another kind
of functionality with its optional key list. The
information you need may not be the scan code of a
given key, but rather its position in a string. If you
supply the optional 'string' argument to GETKEY,
BATCHMAN will wait either until one of those keys
listed has been pressed or until you break out of the
command with Ctrl-Break or Ctrl-C. An example may
helpful here. With the command:

    BATCHMAN GETKEY 'yn'

BATCHMAN will wait until either the "Y" or the "N" key
or one of the break keys mentioned above is
detected. All other keypresses are ignored, and if the
break-out keys are pressed, the EL returned will be
255. GETKEY is not case sensitive, so if either "Y" or
"y" is pressed, the EL will be 1, since the "y" is the
first character in the string of valid keypresses. For
"N", an EL of 2 will return.

The string must be enclosed in a pair either of single
or double quotes. If you want the single quote included
as a valid keypress, enclose it in double quotes and
vice versa for double quotes, as in the following
example:

    BATCHMAN GETKEY '"'

You can also include the function keys (even the F11
and F12 keys of the extended keyboard) in the GETKEY
list. The function key numbers are listed without
quotes, (they are designated by the n in the command
syntax above), and may or may not be further identified
with a leading "F." Multiple function keys are
delimited by either a space, comma or semicolon. To add
the F1 and F2 as valid keys to the "yn" string example
above, you would enter either:

    BATCHMAN GETKEY "yn" F1 F2

or just

    BATCHMAN GETKEY "yn" 1 2

If F1 is now pressed, the returned EL will be 3, since
F1 is the third entry in the list.

    DOSVER           {EL=(major*32)+minor}

DOSVER returns an EL representation of the DOS version
in use. DOS version numbers have two parts, the Major
version (the number to the left of the decimal point)
and the Minor version (the number to the right). For
DOS version 3.10, then, 3 is the major and the 10 is
the minor. Since the largest EL number is 255, the DOS
version number does not fit conveniently into an EL.
For DOS 3.10, for example, if the dot is discarded the
remaining 310 is too large for an EL.

Of course, BATCHMAN could be content to return only the
major number, truncating anything after the dot, or
even the first digit after the dot. But that would be
less than sufficient for some applications. So instead,
the DOSVER command compresses the version number by
multiplying the major number by 32 and adding it to the
minor number. With DOS 3.30 the result will be (3*32)+
30=126; with DOS 4.00 it would be 128. If there had
been a DOS version 3.32 we would have a problem of
course, since this would also return 128. Historically
speaking however, we are safe here.

    MAINMEM n | R  {EL=0 if enough}

    EXPMEM  n | R  {EL=0 if enough}

    EXTMEM  n | R  {EL=0 if enough}

The arguments for these three memory commands can be
either a decimal number, n, or an R. The decimal
argument is used to check whether the desired amount of
memory (in KB) is free. If BATCHMAN finds that there is
enough free memory to meet the request, the EL will be
0. Thus, if an application needs 512K bytes of the 640K
maximum possible with DOS, you would enter:

    BATCHMAN MAINMEM 512

The EL will return 0 if there are at least 512K bytes
free; otherwise, a 1. Your batch file can then branch
to an error message if there is not enough memory to
run the application. Note that these memory commands do
not allocate the memory. They only check if it is free.

The alternative R argument stands for Report and will
display the current free memory of the type requested
on the screen. To see how much free expanded memory you
have, for example, enter:

    BATCHMAN EXPMEM R

The report option of the three types of memory will go
nicely with BATCHMAN's ROMDATE command in a system
information batch file.

    DISPLAY              {EL=display type}

The DISPLAY command will report on the type of display
your system has installed. The values returned by
DISPLAY as EL codes are:

    1=MDA
    2=CGA
    4=EGA colour
    5=EGA mono
    6=PGS
    7=VGA mono
    8=VGA colour
    11=MCGA mono
    12=MCGA colour

    CPU  {EL=CPU type}

Similarly, the CPU command returns an EL that indicates
the microprocessor used by your machine. The specific
EL numbers are: 1=8086/8088; 2=80186; 3=80286; and
4=80386.

    WINDOW m,n,w,h[,c,b]

    {EL=0 if successful; EL=1 if not}

The powerful WINDOW command displays screen boxes. It
provides several parameters and options. The first two
decimal numbers (m,n) are the row and column of the top
left hand corner of the window. The next two decimal
numbers (w,h) are the desired width and height of the
window (including the border characters.)

The smallest size that WINDOW allows is 2 characters in
width and height. The optional fifth parameter, c, can
be either a hexadecimal or decimal number for the
colour of the window. If no colour argument is
supplied, the current colour of the screen is used by
default. The last parameter, b, sets the type of border
used to surround the window. If no parameter is found,
spaces are used. If you enter a minus sign for b, a
single-line box character will be drawn. An equals sign
for b will produce a the double-line box character. In
all cases, the centre of the window is cleared with
spaces of the chosen colour. For example, the command

    BATCHMAN WINDOW 1,1,80,25,17h,=

will create a blue window with white double line box
characters that will fill the entire screen, making a
nice menu frame. Text could then be added with the
BATCHMAN SETCURSOR and CECHO commands.

    TYPEMATIC [m,n | N]

    {EL=0 if valid parameters; EL=1 if not}

    m=typematic rate (0 - 31); larger m=faster rate

    n=initial delay  (0 - 3); larger n=longer delay

    N=normal: m=20; n=1; default: m=25; n=0

TYPEMATIC works only with keyboards that support
adjustable typematic (automatic key repeating) rates at
the BIOS level. That includes most machines, starting
with the AT, but not all clones.

The first optional decimal parameter, m, is a number
between 0 and 31 and represents the desired typematic
rate. The larger the m value, the faster your keyboard
will repeat keystrokes. The second parameter, n, has a
range of 0-3, and sets the initial delay. This delay is
the length of time you must hold down a key before it
begins repeating. The larger the delay value the longer
the delay. The delay parameters are in increments of
1/4 second, with 0=1/4 and 3=1 second. The typematic
parameters are divisors and cannot be easily be
translated into fractions of a second, however, and so
should be thought of only as a gradient scale.

If you don't enter any parameters, TYPEMATIC defaults
to a repeat rate of 25 and a delay of 0. The 25
translates into about 17 characters per second with
an initial delay of 1/4 second. You can restore the
typematic rate to the normal hardware defaults
(11 characters per second with a 1/2 second delay)
by using the N parameter. Just enter:

    BATCHMAN TYPEMATIC N

and the normal values of 20, 1 will be used. Once you
try adding a little zoom to your keyboard, however,
you probably won't ever go back to the hardware
defaults.

Updates
-------
This updated version of BATCHMAN has enhancements to
the GetKey and Shift functions.

The Getkey function has been enhanced with respect to
the command line arguments. In this version, unquoted
numeric arguments represent scan codes instead of
function keys. Any scan code is valid; thus, one can
now check for Home, PgDn, or Tab as well as function
keys. A drawback is that one must know the scan code
for the desired key, including the twelve function
keys. However, the previous mode of operation is
still supported if one precedes the function key with
an "f" (case-independent). The "f" is no longer
optional. Finally, function key 0 has been defined as
the "Enter" key.

The Shift function now reports whether either of the
shift keys is depressed. Use BATCHMAN SHIFT SHIFT.
BATCHMAN returns Errorlevel 1 if either shift key is
down; otherwise errorlevel 0.
@@BLOAD & BSAVE
BLOAD and BSAVE
Save and reload the screen display        Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Similar to the BASIC commands of the same name, these
two programs provide a simple ability to save and
reload screen displays. They are included here for
use with the DRAW program.

Format
------

    BSAVE filename

then

    BLOAD filename

Remarks
-------
BSAVE stores the currently displayed screen in a file.
The BLOAD command can then be used to reload it. If
the screen is a graphic image, you should use the
VIDMODE command included on Power Pack volume 3 to
set the appropriate display mode before using BLOAD.

BLOAD and BSAVE can be used in batch files to
quickly display complete screens or drawings.
See the DRAW command for more information.
@@CALC
CALC                                     Douglas Boling
Pop-up programmer's calculator            Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A pop-up programmer's calculator with base conversion,
bit-shifting, logical operator, and mod functions, and
32-bit number representation that also supports a
2-decimal fixed-place arithmetic calculations.

Format
------

    CALC

Remarks
-------
CALC is a terminate-stay-resident (TSR) program that
can be loaded either at the DOS command line or as a
part of an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The Alt-S key combination
(default) pops up a 6-line window for calculations; the
Esc key restores the screen to its previous condition.
The program automatically adapts itself to Monochrome,
CGA, EGA or VGA displays.

Any number on CALC's entry line can be successively
converted to hexadecimal, binary, octal, or decimal
(default) notation by pressing F1. Mixed-base
calculations are supported, and the +, -, *, and /
function conventionally so long as it is realised that
CALC operates in integer, not floating point mode.
(Fixed 2-decimal place calculations can be made by
pressing F2 before entering the numbers.) In integer
mode the mod function (e.g. 25 mod 8 = 1) is also
supported, using either the % or the \ sign as the
operator.

CALC uses full 32-bit number representation, and so can
be used for address calculations. The function keys F3,
F4, and F5, perform logical and, or, xor operations
between two numbers. F6 performs a not (invert)
function on the number entered. F7 shifts bits left and
F8 shifts right. F9 is a change-sign key, and F10
clears the entry line. To clear the calculator field,
press Shift-F10.

Using the values for SS and MM shown in the Scan Code
and Shift Mask charts given in the Tech Notes
document, the default hotkey for CALC can be changed
with DEBUG, as shown below:

    DEBUG CALC.COM
    E 157 "Ctl-A"        ;The new letter
    E 26B SS             ;Scan code
    E 275 MM             ;Shift mask
    W
    Q
@@CARDFILE
CARDFILE                                   Jeff Prosise
Pop-up contacts cardfile with autodialler   Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Combines a database of names, addresses, phone numbers,
and memo-IDs with a Hayes compatible autodialler.

Format
------

    CARDFILE [d:][filespec]

Remarks
-------
CARDFILE is normally loaded with a specific database
(filespec) by being listed as a line in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. You can switch to another database
by repeating the command with a different filespec at
the DOS prompt. The Alt-Right Shift key combination
pops up the CARDFILE window, and Esc returns you to
your application. Within the window, the Function keys
 are assigned thus:

    F1 - Begin/save a new or edited card
    F2 - Edit the card currently displayed
    F3 - Delete the card currently displayed
    F4 - Search all cards for a text string
    F5 - Save datafile to disk
    F6 - Dial the phone number currently displayed

All card data entry and editing is done in overstrike
mode. The backspace key deletes the previous character
and the four cursor keys can position the cursor
anywhere in the record area. Enter moves the cursor to
the start of the next line. You can page through all of
the cards with the PgUp, PgDn, and Enter keys. The HOME
and END keys let you jump quickly to the first or last
card, respectively.

To search the database, press F4 and enter a text
string. Pressing Enter resumes the search (which is not
case-sensitive) after a match; Esc cancels the search.
An alternate way to find a name quickly is to press Alt
and a letter key. To find "Smith," for example, hit
Alt-S, then use PgDn or Enter to skip past "Sagamore"
and "Siddhartha."

When used with a Hayes-compatible modem, F6 dials the
number currently displayed. At the prompt, pick up the
phone and press the Spacebar to break the modem
connection. The CARDFILE autodialler ignores all
non-numeric characters except the comma, which inserts
the pause sometimes needed to access an outside line.

Because CARDFILE is a memory-resident program, it must
assume rather than change the modem parameters. By
default, CARDFILE is initially configured for a
1200-baud modem connected to the COM1. Using DEBUG you
can change the value at :0182 from 0 to 1 to change
from COM1 to COM2, to 2 for COM3, etc. Similarly, to
change to a different baud (bps) rate, change the value
at :0184h from the default 83h, as follows:

     300 baud     43h
    1200 baud     83h
    2400 baud     A3h
    4800 baud     C3h
    9600 baud     E3h

The "ATDT" (dial) and "ATH0" (hangup) strings are at
addresses :0185h and :018Ah, respectively. While they
can be changed (especially substituting a "P", ASCII 80
for the "T" in the dialling command), note that each
sequence must be 4 bytes long. The dial string must be
delimited by a zero byte, and the hangup string must
end with 0Dh and 00.

To save memory, the card capacity may be lowered from
the default 255 (FFh) at :0169. Each record takes 192
bytes. And if the Alt-Right Shift 'hotkey' conflicts
with other software, change the default value 09 at
address :036A to a combination of the following:

    Right-Shift 1
    Left-Shift  2
    Ctrl        4
    Alt         8

Note
----
While CARDFILE will operate under DOS 2.x, its critical
error handler is only fully effective with DOS 3.x.
@@CDX
CDX                     Michael Holmes and Bob Flanders
Enhanced change directory command           Version 1.3
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Provides an alternative to the DOS CD command that
eliminates the need to enter long path and directory
names and that finds and changes to directories
containing specified filenames.

Format
------

    CDX [/?] [/B] [/+] [/F filename] [d:]p1 p2 ..pn

Remarks
-------
Entered without any of the optional / switches, CDX
searches one or more hard drives d: for a specified
directory p1. If found, the full path is displayed with
a ? prompt and is selected by typing Y; typing N
continues the search for another qualifying directory.
If the d: parameter is omitted, only the current drive
is checked; *: searches all hard drives, starting with
the first hard drive in the system. Multiple drives
listed as d:, including floppies (if requested) are
searched in named order, e.g. DCAB:. If d: is preceded
by a minus sign (-) the drive(s) listed are excluded
rather than included.

The p1 target directory name can be truncated to as
little as its initial letter. To prevent having to
bypass an inconvenient number of qualifying directories
at the ? prompt, multiple values of p, each separated
by a space, can be used to construct an abbreviated
path, which need not include all steps. If the initial
p1 begins with a backslash (\) the search will be made
from the root rather than the current directory.

Using the /F switch limits qualifying directories to
those containing a user-specified filename. The
filename supports the * and ? DOS wildcards, and if all
the subdirectories of d: are to be searched, p1 may be
omitted or replaced by an asterisk (*). Supplying the
/B switch automatically selects the first qualifying
directory, eliminating the user prompt. The /+ switch
causes floppy disk drives A: and B: to be included in
the search. Executing CDX with no operands brings up a
syntax help screen.

In keeping with DOS conventions, entering CDX with
a single dot, double dot, backslash or a single
parameter that is the full name of a directory goes to
the requested directory. An extension of this
convention allows a disk name to be specified. For
example, if you are currently on C: and you enter CDX
D:\ABC you will be taken to the D: drive ABC directory.
CDX can be forced to search by placing a * at the end
of the parameter.
@@CHANGE
CHANGE                               Michael J. Mefford
Fast text search-and-replace            Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Performs a rapid search-and-replace operation for text
strings and/or ASCII decimal codes throughout a file of
maximum 40,000-byte length.

Format
------

    CHANGE filespec findstring replacestring

Remarks
-------
The filespec parameter may include a drive letter and a
path in addition to the designated filename.

Findstring and replacestring may consist of text
characters enclosed within (double) quote marks or
ASCII decimal codes whose numbers are separated by
commas. Note that the format requires that each
parameter be separated by a single space. Text strings
in quotes and ASCII values in numerals may be combined
in either string if separated by commas.

Example
--------
To change all references to Miss Jones to Mrs Smith in
the file NOGOSSIP.ART on the current directory, you
would enter

    CHANGE NOGOSSIP.ART "Miss Jones" "Mrs Smith"

Example
--------
To strip out all carriage return-line feeds (i.e.
replace them with a null string) in the file MCI.B16 in
the \COMM subdirectory, enter

    CHANGE \COMM\MCI.B16 13,10 ""

Notes
-----
1. In the second example you might want to use a space
   between the quote marks rather than a null string to
   keep the words from running together. Observe that
   by putting the number of the month in hexadecimal
   (B=November) you can fit both month and day within
   the three character DOS filename extension.
@@COMPUTE
COMPUTE                              Michael J. Mefford
Command line calculator                Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A five-function calculator (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, and modulo functions) that
works directly from the DOS command line prompt.

Format
------

    COMPUTE arithmetic expression

Remarks
-------
COMPUTE accepts decimal numbers only, and the operators
in its arithmetic expression are +, -, *, /, and %.
Note that the % symbol does not stand for percent, but
rather designates the modulo operator, which returns
the remainder of an integer division. (Example: COMPUTE
8 % 5 returns the value 3, since 5 goes into 8 once
with a remainder of 3.) When working on real numbers
with a fractional part the modulo operator in COMPUTE
rounds off the operands before the division.

The standard order of precedence for arithmetic
operations is followed by default. Multiple levels of
parentheses and/or square brackets are supported,
however, so that the order in which calculations are
made can be modified. Thus, while COMPUTE 4 + 5 * 2
returns the value 14, the command COMPUTE (4 + 5) * 2
returns 18.

COMPUTE stores its last calculated result within its
own .COM file. This number, designated x, can be
recovered and used in the next calculation, whose
result becomes the new x. The value of the
currently-stored x can be seen by entering the command
COMPUTE x, and x can be used as an operand, as in
COMPUTE x + 5.

The program can handle decimal numbers up to 20 digits
on either side of the decimal point. Rounding errors
are precluded by using a binary coded decimal (BCD)
format. Under DOS 3.x and later, COMPUTE can be renamed
to a shorter name to save keystrokes. Under DOS 2.x,
however, the program cannot be renamed and must be
stored either in the current directory or in one
designated in a PATH= statement.
@@CONVERT
CONVERT                              Michael J. Mefford
Convert between hex, decimal, octal and
binary                                      Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Simultaneously displays an ASCII code or whole number
between 0 and 65,535 in its hexadecimal, decimal,
octal, and binary equivalents; especially useful in
translating printer, modem, or display escape
sequences and set-up strings from one number base to
another.

Format
------

    CONVERT number[-number][base] | "character(s)"

Remarks
-------
Either a single number or a number-number range may be
input to CONVERT for multiple number base display.
Decimal input is assumed, unless otherwise indicated by
adding b (binary), o (octal), or h (hexadecimal) to the
number(s). An ASCII code to be converted must be placed
within double quotes. Control codes (for example,
Ctrl-A) may be entered normally at the keyboard (within
double quotes), with the exception of the escape
character. To display the equivalents (including the
ASCII left-arrow graphic) of the escape character,
enter CONVERT 27.

When large numbers are converted, the 2-byte sequence
displayed within quotes in the right-hand column as the
ASCII "equivalent" should not be used in translating
set-up strings. It represents the individual byte
values, not the value of the combination. Note, too,
that in this display, decimal 0 (null), 32 (space), and
255 (blank) all appear as blanks. The output from
CONVERT may be redirected to a printer or to file, so a
multi-line table of values can be created. When
redirection is used, however, the ASCII equivalent
normally shown in the right-hand column is dropped.
@@DOSCLIP
DOSCLIP                                  Douglas Boling
Cut-and-paste clipboard for DOS             Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

DOSCLIP is a memory-resident (TSR) utility that
provides a Windows-like cut-and-paste facility for DOS
programs. You can simply pop-up DOSCLIP over one
program, copy a block of the text on-screen to the
DOSCLIP clipboard, change to another program and then
'paste' the copied data into it.

Unlike other cut-and-paste programs, DOSCLIP is Windows
aware and will operate in conjunction with the Windows
clipboard. This makes it especially useful for those
who run DOS applications under Windows in 386 Enhanced
mode.

Format
------

    DOSCLIP [/B] [/U]     (loads DOSCLIP)

    Alt-C                 (pop-up DOSCLIP)

    Arrow keys and Shift  (select area)

    C or Enter            (copy selected area)

    V                     (paste clipboard)

Remarks
-------
DOSCLIP is loaded from the DOS prompt and requires 10K
when memory resident. The optional /B switch parameter
is required only with video boards that do not conform
to the IBM video standard. Entering DOSCLIP with the
/U switch uninstalls the program (subject to the usual
TSR limitations... TSRs must always be uninstalled in
the reverse order).

The default pop-up hotkey is Alt-C, which brings up
DOSCLIP over the application and replaces the
underline cursor with a block-style cursor used to
define an on-screen text area to be saved to the
clipboard.  The arrow keys, PgUp and PgDn, Home, and
End are used to move the DOSCLIP cursor; Ctrl-Left
Arrow and Ctrl-Right Arrow move it laterally in eight
-character jumps. To block an area, place the cursor in
one corner and move it to the diagonally opposite
corner while holding down the Shift key. After
releasing the Shift key, the defined area is saved to
the clipboard by pressing Enter or the C key.

A defined text area can be pasted into another
application by pressing Alt-V or by bringing up
DOSCLIP with Alt-C and then pressing V. The default
pop-up and paste hotkeys can be changed by using
PATCH.COM and the DOSCLIP.ZIF file, both of which
are supplied (see below).

When used in conjunction with Windows, it is desirable
to load DOSCLIP before starting Windows, memory
permitting. This will make DOSCLIP available to all
Windows sessions. Windows should also be run in 386
Enhanced mode if possible so that data captured in
DOSCLIP can be pasted into Windows applications and
vice versa.

Customising DOSCLIP with PATCH.COM
----------------------------------
PATCH.COM is a special customising program for PC
Magazine utilities, allowing you to alter colour
settings, hotkeys and other defaults directly in a
.COM file without having to use DEBUG. PATCH.COM works
via a .ZIF type file with the same name as the utility
it is to alter... the .ZIF file tells PATCH.COM what
customisation options are available for a particular
program and how to make the changes.

PATCH.COM is included on this disk along with
DOSCLIP.ZIF so that you can set the colours and
hotkeys for DOSCLIP if necessary. To use PATCH.COM:

  * Make sure PATCH.COM, DOSCLIP.COM and DOSCLIP.ZIF
    are all in the same directory and that this
    is your current directory (use CD if not).

  * Enter a command such as

    COPY DOSCLIP.COM DOSCLIP2.COM

    to make a back-up copy of DOSCLIP.COM. You
    probably won't need this but it means that you
    have an original DOSCLIP.COM to come back to
    if you do.

  * Enter PATCH to start PATCH.COM. As only one
    .ZIF file is present, the menu on the left will
    just list 'DOSCLIP'. Press Enter to select this
    and the customisation items on the right will
    highlight.

  * Use the arrow and return keys to select the
    hotkey, colours and buffer settings for DOSCLIP
    as you prefer.

  * Press the Esc key when you've finished your changes
    and type a Y if you want to save them to
    DOSCLIP.COM.

  * Your new settings should now be stored in
    DOSCLIP.COM and will take affect when you next
    load it.
@@DRAW
DRAW                                 Michael J. Mefford
Draws graphics from DOS prompt or batch
files                                       Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Provides low-resolution (320 x 200) colour or high-
resolution (640 x 200) monochrome drawing capabilities
on CGA, EGA and VGA systems, without the need to work
in BASIC.

Format
------

    DRAW [/K]                (Option I)

    DRAW string [/K]         (Option II)

    DRAW filespec/F [/K]     (Option III)

Remarks
-------
Entered at the DOS prompt with no arguments on the
command line (Option I), DRAW looks in the current
directory for a file named DRAW.DAT and executes the
commands in that file. A sample DRAW.DAT file is
included on this disk. The file can be examined, and
similar files created, with a regular ASCII word
processor.

Alternatively, DRAW can be entered with a string of
commands (Option II) for a simple graphic or with the
name of a file consisting of commands (Option III).
Any legal DOS filename may be used, and full path
support is provided, but a /F terminator must be
appended to the filename. An optional /K may be added
to prevent a keystroke from halting execution.

Example
-------
You can get a feel for how DRAW operates by entering,
at the DOS prompt:

    DRAW X0 C2 BU50 M+40,70 L80 M+40,-70 BD5 P2,2

This will create a red triangle in the middle of your
screen. You can trace the specific steps in this
command sequence by referring to The DRAW Command Set
table below.

The DRAW Command Set
--------------------
Xn   Change to low resolution 320X200 colour graphics.

     If X is not found, the default is 640X200 high
     resolution black and white graphics. X must be
     the first character of the command line or the
     first character in a file.

     The palette will be changed to n, where n can be
     either zero or one. See C colour command below
     for the colour of each palette.

K    Do not poll the keyboard while drawing. If K is
     not found, any keystroke terminates the program.

Sn   Flood the screen colour to pattern n. n must be a
     decimal number in the range 0-255, and represents
     an eight bit pattern. Normally this command is
     issued immediately after the X command (if
     present), to clear the screen with a background
     colour other than black. For example, to clear to
     colour red (2) in low resolution, the command is
     S170 (binary 10101010).

         colour         320X200          640X200
           0               0                0
           1              85              255
           2             170               NA
           3             255               NA

     Pattern colours may also be used. For example, a
     pattern of half green and half black would be S58
     (binary 01000100). In high resolution, each bit
     represents a dot, eight dots per byte. This is
     why only two colours (black or white) are
     available. In low resolution, there are two bits
     per dot, so four combinations can be represented.
     In the example here the sequence is 01 (green), 00
     (black), 01 (green), 00 (black). See C (colour)
     command below for complete coding of the colours.

U,D,L,R,E,F,G,H
     These commands, followed by a number, will move in
     one of the following compass directions:

                          U
                  H       |       E
                    \     |     /
                      \   |   /
                        \ | /
               L -- -- -- + -- -- -- R
                        / | \
                      /   |   \
                    /     |     \
                  G       |       F
                          D

Mx,y Move x,y units either relative to the current
     position or to the absolute coordinates, x,y. If
     the x coordinate is prefaced with either a plus
     sign or minus sign, the move is relative.
     Otherwise, the move is absolute. Note, you do not
     need to include a plus sign in front of the y
     coordinate in a positive y move.

Pp,b Paint the colour p until the border colour b is
     found. The paint originates from the current
     position.

B    Blank move. The move following a B will move the
     desired units without plotting points. The next
     command will then continue drawing.

N    No update. The draw command following an N
     command will plot points, but the position will
     not be updated. The next draw command will start
     at the same position as the last.

Cn   Change the colour to n. All draws after a C
     command will be in colour n. n can be 0 (black) or
     1 (white) in high resolution and 0 to 3 in low
     resolution. In low resolution, the colour is
     dependent on the palette.

                       320x200                 640x200
     colour     palette 0     palette 1
       0         black         black            black
       1         green         cyan             white
       2         red           magenta          NA
       3         yellow        white            NA

Related programs
----------------
These disks also include BLOAD, BSAVE, VIDMODE and
PLAY programs which can be used with DRAW to create
quite sophisticated presentations within batch files.

The command

    BSAVE filespec

saves a byte image of the screen buffer to a file
(with optional drive and path specifications), and

    BLOAD filespec

loads a saved image file back to the screen buffer.

VIDMODE can be used in a batch file with BLOAD
to set the appropriate display resolution (VIDMODE 4
for low res, VIDMODE 6 for high res). The PLAY
utility plays a tune on the PC's speaker.

Example
-------
This disk includes the example DRAW and PLAY files
MOVIE.DAT and STING.DAT so that you can try the
this example. Create the following batch file,
SAVE.BAT, using an ASCII word processor, EDLIN, or
COPY CON:

    ECHO OFF
    DRAW MOVIE.DAT/F
    BSAVE PICTURE

Enter SAVE and the batch file will create a saved
screen image called PICTURE of the MOVIE.DAT drawing.
Now, similarly create a second batch file, SHOW.BAT:

    ECHO OFF               (turn off command display)
    VIDMODE 4              (select low res graphics)
    BLOAD PICTURE          (load the image)
    PLAY STING.DAT/F       (play the tune)
    PAUSE > NUL            (wait for a keypress)
    VIDMODE 3              (back to text screen)

If you now enter SHOW at the DOS prompt the picture
of two con men will appear, with appropriate musical
background. Pressing any keystroke will clear the
display.

Note
----

1. The PAUSE > NUL line in SHOW.BAT waits for a
   keystroke without showing a message on the
   display. This will not work properly on DOS
   versions prior to DOS 3.

2. The VIDMODE program is included on volume 3
   of the Power Pack; you will need to copy the
   program file to the same directory as the
   DRAW and PLAY programs for the examples above.
@@FREEZE
FREEZE                                     Jeff Prosise
Locks a running PC to keep sensitive data
hidden                            Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Ensures confidentiality of in-memory data when it is
necessary to leave a PC running without storing the
data to a removable medium or encrypting it. FREEZE
temporarily suspends program operation, blanks the
screen, and disables the Ctrl-Alt-Del reboot sequence
until a user-entered password (up to 64 characters) is
re-entered.

Format
------

    FREEZE

Remarks
-------
FREEZE is a memory-resident utility, normally loaded by
an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. After loading, the machine is
"locked" by pressing Alt-NumLock and then entering your
chosen password. The password may include any characters
except Esc and Enter. Pressing the Esc key aborts
password entry, and pressing Enter initiates the
lockdown.

The Backspace key may be used to correct incidental
mistakes, but care must be exercised, as the characters
are not echoed on the screen during entry. To unlock
the machine, simply re-enter the same password and
press Enter. Again, the Backspace and Esc keys can be
used to correct or abort password entry.

Notes
-----
1. The password is never stored and may be changed each
   time FREEZE is invoked with Alt-Numlock. If an
   attempt is made to load FREEZE more than once,
   an error message will result.

2. While FREEZE is believed compatible with most other
   memory-resident programs, because of the importance
   of data with which it is expected to be used, it
   should be thoroughly checked in your specific
   configuration. In particular, FREEZE should be
   loaded before SideKick.
@@HC
HUGECALC                                 Neil Rubenking
Long precision calculator                   Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A command-line calculator utility that can perform
addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
exponentiation, and factorial functions on numbers
with up to 254 significant digits.

Format
------

     HC n operator [n]

Remarks
-------
The n operand variables may consist of any string of
digits up to the 127-character maximum of the DOS
command line. The operands must not include commas or
other formatting punctuation, and must be separated
from the command and the operator by at least one
space. Two operands are required for all operations
except factorial. The operators recognised are +, -,
*, /, ^, and !.

When output to the screen (the default) or redirected
to a printer or other DOS device, HUGECALC prints the
name of the function and inserts commas at every three
digits in the numeric result. If the output is
redirected to a file or piped to a program input,
however, only the numeric result is sent. Note that
when it accepts input from a file or via a pipe,
HUGECALC uses that input as its first operand. This
means that you can evaluate complex expressions with
HUGECALC by using the DOS pipe (|) facility to string
together several HC commands in sequence.

Example
-------
If a program that prints 10,000 permutations a second
is asked to print all possible combinations of 13
characters, how long will it take?   The command

    HC 13 ! | HC / 10000 | HC / 3600 | HC / 24

pipes the factorial of 13 (the possible combinations)
to a second instance of HC, which divides it by 10,000
(the permutations per second). The result is piped to
a third instance of HC, which divides it by 3600 (the
seconds in an hour), and finally to a fourth instance
of HC, which divides it by 24 (the hours in a day).
The answer printed on the screen is:

    QUOTIENT: 7
    REMAINDER: 4,

that is, 7 days, 4 hours.

Note that all such chained calculations must be
strictly sequential and that parenthetical expressions
are not supported.
@@INSTALL & REMOVE
INSTALL & REMOVE                           Jeff Prosise
TSR management programs                     Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
INSTALL and REMOVE are a pair of programs that allow
you to load and unload TSR (memory-resident) type
programs in a safe way, even with programs that do not
provide their own uninstall or unload feature. INSTALL
is used before loading a memory-resident program.
Subsequently REMOVE will remove the program and restore
the PC's interrupt vectors and memory allocation to the
same state as before the program was loaded. Using
these programs, you can have the TSR programs you need
loaded only when you need them and maximise your free
memory in situations when you don't.

INSTALL and REMOVE can be used to manager one program,
a group of programs or even several sets of programs
that can be removed or reloaded in stages.

Format
------

    INSTALL [groupname]

and, subsequently,

    REMOVE

Remarks
-------
The optional groupname parameter may be the actual name
of a TSR utility (or several such names, up to 119
characters) or it may be any convenient name for a
group of such programs. All memory-resident programs
loaded after invoking INSTALL will treated by REMOVE as
a group until INSTALL is run a second time. To be able
to REMOVE such utilities individually, run INSTALL just
before each separate utility is loaded.

Example
-------
An AUTOEXEC.BAT file might contain the following lines:

    INSTALL TIMEKEY
    TIMEKEY
    INSTALL FREEZE
    FREEZE
    INSTALL SUPERKEY SIDEKICK
    KEY
    SK

After booting up, entering REMOVE at the DOS prompt
would then produce the following display:

Number of installations: 3

    TIMEKEY
    FREEZE
    SUPERKEY SIDEKICK

Press ENTER to remove, ESC to abort

Pressing Enter would remove Superkey and SideKick.
Subsequent calls to REMOVE would be needed to eliminate
first FREEZE and then TIMEKEY. Note that TSRs must
always be removed in reverse order of loading.

INSTALL uses 1600 bytes of memory each time it is
invoked. A maximum of 32 TSR groups can be INSTALLed.
In the unlikely event that a "Deinstallation failed"
warning appears, you should reboot as a memory
allocation error may have occurred.
@@JOURNAL
JOURNAL                              Michael J. Mefford
Expense account manager                Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A standalone or TSR (23KB RAM) utility that maintains
and prints expense account information and includes
the appointment schedule features of SCHEDULE (also
on this disk).

Format
------

     JOURNAL [/I] [/U] [/Hn] [/Pn...n] [/G] [/A] [/C]
             [/M] [/B]

Remarks
-------
The optional /I switch is used when it is desired to
run JOURNAL as a pop-up. The /U switch uninstalls the
program if no other TSR has been loaded subsequently.
Note, however, that 'SideKick', if used, must be
loaded after JOURNAL. The default hotkey is Alt-J,
but this can be changed with the /H switch, using any
Ctrl- or Alt- alphanumeric key for n. To install with
Ctrl-K as the pop-up key, enter <JOURNAL /H ctrl k>.

The /Pn...n switch allows entering printer control
codes, with up to 10 decimal values for n. For
printers that support the IBM extended-ASCII character
set, using the /G switch produces a neater printout by
utilizing the line-drawing characters. With LCD
screens the /B (black-and-white) switch is
recommended.

By default, JOURNAL chimes and pops up at the time of
a scheduled appointment; it also pops up at midnight
to turn to the next day's events. The /C switch
eliminates the chime; /A prevents the appointment
pop-up, and should be used if a communications program
is running; and /M prevents the midnight pop-up (to
avoid stopping a program that is running overnight).

JOURNAL comes up initially with a Calendar screen and
can be switched to its Journal and then to its
Appointment screens with F7. Pressing the hotkey
exits from any screen; Esc goes back to the Calendar
screen, where a second Esc exits. JOURNAL should be
run from its own directory, which must be current (not
just on the path) when it is installed or executed.
The program will create and store SCHEDULE.DAT and
JOURNAL.DAT in this directory when the Save command
(F2) is given from the Appointment or from the Journal
screen. The purge command (F4) can be executed from
either screen to keep the .DAT files timely. The
material removed can be archived, by being
automatically appended to the files SCHEDULE.ASC and
JOURNAL.ASC. The .ASC files can be edited with a word
processor; the .DAT files can only be edited in the
program's screens and then resaved. (F2)

The PgUp and PgDn keys change the day displayed in the
Journal, Appointment, and Purge screens (the month in
the Calendar screen). Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn
similarly change the months (years). The current date
can be restored immediately by pressing F3. Tab and
Shift-Tab move among the three sections of the
Appointment screen (the two time columns and the mini
notepad), and from field to field of the expense
Journal screen. Pressing Home moves to the start of
an expense field, an appointment section row, or the
start of the week in the Journal, Appointment, and
Calendar Screens, respectively. Hitting Home a second
time moves to the first field, the top of the section,
or the first of the month for the three screens, in
order. Pressing the End key once and twice moves to
the corresponding end points of the three screens.

The cursor keys, Del and Backspace keys work as
usual. F6, Shift-F6, and Ctrl-F6 clear lines and
fields in the Journal screen, and lines, sections, and
all sections in the Appointment screen. The Calendar
screen displays blocks that correspond to entries in
the Appointment Screen.

Pressing F5 from the Appointment screen prints a list
of appointments when the printer port number (1 or 2)
is entered. When F5 is pressed from the Journal
screen the program tallies all entered expenses for
days up to, but not including the current date. (Use
PgDn to advance the day to include the current date).
To get an overall total, suitable for deciding whether
to file a report yet, press F7. Pressing F8 after F5
will send a full, day-by-day report to the printer
(F7) or to an ASCII-editable file (F8). The printed
report puts two days on a standard-size page. Remember
to purge expense account information when a report has
been made or it will reappear on the next report.

JOURNAL is a text-based program and will not pop up
over graphics screens (e.g. Microsoft Windows) or
during DOS or disk activity. The largest number the
program can handle is 65,535.99.
@@LOCK & UNLOCK
LOCK and UNLOCK                          Steven Holzner
File encryption and decryption                Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
LOCK encrypts a file, rendering it unreadable to anyone
who does not know the user-chosen passphrase.
Subsequently, using the same passphrase, UNLOCK will
decrypt the file.

Format
------

    LOCK plainFile codeFile      (to lock a file)

then

    UNLOCK codeFile plainFile    (to unlock a file)

Remarks
-------
The user-selected passphrase can be up to 64
characters in length; the programs prompt you
to supply it. Files to be LOCKed and
UNLOCKed must be less than 62K in length. If
you do not supply new filenames for the
locked and unlocked files, the programs use
the default filename FILE.LOC.

Example
-------
You have a file of student course evaluations
named CONFY on drive C: that you wish to mail
to a colleague in encrypted form. You put a
formatted floppy disk in drive A:, and at the
C> prompt you enter

    LOCK CONFY A:CRIMSON

When the program asks for a passphrase, you
enter VERITAS.

The CRIMSON file on the disk will be
unreadable. When your colleague--who must,
of course, be told the passphrase you have
used--puts the disk in his machine, he types

    UNLOCK A:CRIMSON GUIDE

When prompted, he supplies the passphrase
VERITAS, and his file GUIDE will be identical
to your original file CONFY.

Notes
-----
1. LOCK and UNLOCK do not delete any files,
   original or encoded.

2. You should always LOCK and UNLOCK from one
   filename to another. If you give the same
   filename for both the plain and encrypted
   files in a LOCK or UNLOCK command, you may
   not be able to recover your plain text.

3. Requires DOS version 2.0 or later.
@@NO
NO                                      Charles Petzold
Exclude files from wildcard operations        Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Excludes specified files in a subdirectory from the
action of a command.

Format
------

    NO filespec command [parameter]

Remarks
-------
NO.COM is designed for situations in which you want to
apply a command such as DELete or COPY to all the
files in a directory except one or two (or a class of)
files. For example,

               NO *.BAS COPY *.* A:

copies all the files in your current subdirectory to
drive A: except for those that have a .BAS extension.

To exclude more than one file (or category) you must
use a separate NO command for each on the command
line. Thus,

               NO *.ASM NO *.COM DEL *.*

deletes all files in the current directory except
those with .ASM or .COM extensions.

Notes
-----

1.   NO.COM should not be used in conjunction
     with the PC-DOS BACKUP and RESTORE
     commands. This is because NO operates
     by temporarily setting the "hidden" file
     attribute bit on the files to be
     excluded from the main command, then
     unhiding the files after the main
     command has been executed. Since the
     DOS BACKUP/RESTORE operation acts on
     hidden and unhidden files alike, NO.COM
     cannot be used to exclude files from
     BACKUP/RESTORE. RESTORE, indeed, will
     restore the supposedly excluded files as
     hidden, overwriting the originals.

2.   While NO.COM provides full path support
     (and so requires the use of DOS 2.0 or
     later), it is a good policy when using
     NO to use CHDIR to make the directory
     that contains the files on which you
     wish to operate the current directory.

     For example, suppose you are in your
     root directory, one of whose subdirec-
     tories is \BASIC. If you were to enter
     the command

     NO *.BAS DEL \BASIC\*.*

     you would not delete all the files in
     the \BASIC subdirectory except those
     with a .BAS extension, as you might have
     intended to do. To do this from the
     root directory you would have had to
     enter

     NO \BASIC\*.BAS DEL \BASIC\*.*

     This complete filespec would tell NO
     that it had to protect files in the
     \BASIC, not in the current (i.e. root)
     directory.

     If you follow our recommendation and
     enter

          CD \BASIC
          NO *.BAS DEL *.*

     thus making \BASIC your current
     directory before you start deleting, you
     will then clean out all but the .BAS
     files, just as you intended.

3.   Should a parity check error, power
     failure or system crash occur during the
     brief period between the times NO hides
     and subsequently unhides the protected
     files, those files will subsequently
     seem to have disappeared. They are not
     lost; only hidden from a DIR listing.
     Use the DOS ATTRIB command or a similar
     program to remove their hidden status.
@@PARSE
PARSE                                Michael J. Mefford
Word count and analysis of text files        Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Displays the number of characters, words, and sentences
in ASCII text files.

Format
------

    PARSE [d:][path]filename

Remarks
-------
PARSE also calculates and reports the averages of the
numbers of characters per word, words per sentence, and
"long" words (8 or more characters). It uses these to
calculate and display an approximation of the Fog Index
grade-level readability rating.

The accuracy of the various counts may be affected,
though usually not significantly, by the presence of
formatting and printing codes included in the file by
non-ASCII word processors. PARSE does ignore the
"high-bit" codes produced by WordStar and similar
programs, but "dot commands" and the like will be
counted.

Notes
-----
1. For further information on the Fog Index see
   Robert Gunning's The Technique of Clear Writing
   (McGraw-Hill, 1952, 1968).
@@PCREMOTE
PCREMOTE                      Terry Lahman & Kevin Sims
PC remote control program                     Version 2
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
To permit accessing and operating an off-site
computer from your own keyboard by using a modem
link or a second computer connected via a null
modem cable. PCREMOTE will run most text-mode
applications remotely.

This revised PCREMOT2 version can be used with the
ZCOPY program (version 1.4R) included on this disk
for two-way file transfer. A SETUP program to allow
configuration parameters to be changed is also
included.

Format
------

    PCREMOT2 [/M] [/#] [/B#] [/D] [/S] [/N] [/U] [/?]

Remarks
-------
PCREMOTE is actually two programs in one. Entered
without the /M switch it becomes RAM-resident on
the off-site computer to be controlled. This
machine and its modem must be left powered on to
receive calls but may otherwise be used normally
or left unattended.

Entered with default parameters, PCREMOT2 becomes an
8K TSR on the host (controlled) computer, using COM1,
1,200 bits per second, no CGA desnowing, and a default
password of "PC Magazine". The /M parameter executes
the program on the remote (home) machine, and /#
accepts values of 1 through 4 for the COM port
assignment. (If used, /3 or /4 must not share an
interrupt with other devices.) Baud rates are: /B1
(1,200); /B2 (2,400); /B4 (4,800); /B9 (9,600); or
/B19 (19,200 null modem only) bps. Used with a modem
connection (the remote unit prompts for and then dials
the number), the host will automatically reduce speed
to match that of the remote machine.

The /D parameter should only be used if necessary to
eliminate snow on older CGA hosts, and the /S
parameter displays an ASCII 2 character to indicate
that PCREMOT2 is active. For null-modem cable
connections, the /N parameter must be specified on both
machines, as must a common /B# speed. The /U parameter
uninstalls the TSR and /? provides a syntax help
screen.

The SETUP program provides for permanent (updatable)
configuration of all parameters, change of password
(up to 20 characters), entry of special modem-
initialisation strings (up to 30 characters), and
change of the default Alt-key combinations. Alt-C
retransmits the host screen to overcome phone-line
noise; Alt-S shells the remote unit to DOS; Alt-X
exits the program.

Alt-T initiates file transfers, which can only be done
when the host is displaying the DOS prompt and
ZCOPY.COM is on its PATH. Full prompts are provided
for filename(s) (DOS wildcards are supported) and for
source and destination file paths. Files cannot be
renamed during transfer. Applications in graphics mode
(including Windows) are not supported. Previous
PCREMOTE versions must be updated on both host and
remote machines.

A Sample Session with PCREMOT2
------------------------------

The following is a step-by-step guide to using
PCREMOT2:

ON THE HOST COMPUTER:

Run SETUP, configure for host mode, and verify that the
modem COM port and baud rate are set correctly. Make
sure you save the configuration (SETUP option 14). The
next time you run PCREMOT2 there will be no need to
reconfigure.

Verify that PCREMOT2 and ZCOPY are stored in a
directory listed on the host computer's PATH. (Type
PATH to see the current PATH. If the directory
containing the two programs in not on your PATH, modify
the PATH command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or move the
programs to one of the directories on the PATH.)

Execute PCREMOT2. The program will now be resident on
the host. If desired, the host monitor screen can be
turned off to prevent burn-in over long periods of
inactivity.

ON THE REMOTE COMPUTER:

Run SETUP, configure for manned mode, and verify that
the modem COM port and baud rate are set correctly.

When prompted, enter the phone number of the office
(host) computer.

After the modems connect, the host sends the "Enter
password:" prompt to the remote computer.

Enter the password. (The default is "PC Magazine".) Any
data that now appears on the host computer's screen
will be displayed on the remote screen, as well.

Now you should experiment with PCREMOT2. If you enter
DIR, for example, you'll find that scrolling appears a
little strange at first.

Start a text application, such as a word processor or a
utility program.

With the application still active, press Alt-X and exit
PCREMOT2. The modems will hang up and the call will be
terminated.

Execute PCREMOT2 and dial back into the host. The
application will still be on-screen, executing
normally. (Thus, you can start a program that has a
long execution time, hang up the phone, and dial back
later to see whether the program has finished its
task.)

Terminate the application or shell out from it so that
you see the host's DOS prompt on the remote screen.
Press Alt-T and follow the very explicit prompts to
transfer a file or two between machines.

When you're finished, press Alt-X and exit PCREMOT2.

Using the SETUP program
-----------------------
SETUP.EXE displays the current configuration of the
PCREMOTE program. The user can change configurable
items, eliminating the need to enter command line
parameters when executing PCREMOTE. SETUP.EXE must be
in the same directory as PCREMOT2.COM.

SETUP displays menu numbers on each line of the
display. To modify a parameter, enter the number and
press enter. Parameters that toggle, for example
Host/Remote, are toggled and the parameters
redisplayed. Parameters having more than one
configuration will display the possible options.
Parameters requiring an input, a new password, prompt
you for the input.

If you select communications port 3 or 4, SETUP also
updates ZCOPY.COM with the port address and interrupt
values used in PCREMOTE. ZCOPY.COM must be in the
same directory as SETUP.EXE.
@@PCSORT
PCSORT                               Michael J. Mefford
Fast general purpose sorting utility        Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A fast and capable text sorting utility without the
limitations of the DOS SORT command.

Format
------

    PCSORT [filename] [options]

PCSORT command line summary:

    /Sn                 n=size of record in lines (1-9)
                        Default=1

    /Pn                 n=sort priority (1-9) Default=1

    /R                  Sort current priority in
                        reverse order
                        Default = ascending

    /N                  Numeric sort current priority
                        Default = Alphanumeric

    /L[n]               Line sort:
                        n=record sort line (1-9)
                        default=1
                        default sort is a line sort

    /[B][+] nn [xx [y]] Block or column sort:
                        nn=start column
                        xx=width
                        y=sort line (1-9)
                        defaults:
                        nn=1;
                        xx=start column to end of line;
                        y=1

    /W [+|-] n          Word sort:
                        n=word count
                        default = +1
                        - n = count from end of record

    /C                  Case sensitive sort
                        Default = Case insensitive

Shown above are the many switches you can use, either
at the command line or within batch files, to configure
PCSORT for your own needs. The options listed need be
used only if you're using PCSORT as a filter -- in
combination with the DOS redirection characters |, <,
and >. A common example is piping DOS directory's
output to a filter and redirecting the filter's output
to a file.

PCSORT menu command summary:

    PgUp/PgDn   Next page
    Arrow keys  Cursor
    Home(1)     Beginning of column
    Home(2)     Top of page
    Home(3)     Top of text
    End(1)      End of column
    End(2)      End of page
    End(3)      End of text
    Ctrl-Home   Beginning of text
    Ctrl-End    End of text
    Enter       Beginning of next line
    F1          Displays all sort fields at a glance
    Alt-F1      Resets all the sort variables to defaults
    F2          Save file
    F3          New file
    F4          Sort text
    F5          Increase lines per record (1-9)
    Shift F5    Decrease lines per record
    /F6         Select next key priority (1-9)
    Shift F6    Select previous key priority}
    F7          Sort order (de/ascending)
    F8          Alphanumeric or Numeric sort
    F9          Select next Field type:
                Line, block, word or none
    Shift F9    Select previous Field type
    F10         Mark the record line for line sort
                or mark block sort field or select
                sort word count
    Shift F10   Reverse selection of word count
    Esc         Exit PCSORT

This listing of PCSORT's navigation keys demonstrates
the program's versatility in sorting in up to 9
priority orders. Each priority can be set independently
of the others. Key commands, in general, operate as you
might expect. Note, however, the varied uses of the
Home and End keys for travelling throughout the file;
each key's role, here, depends on the number of times
you press it.

Customizing PCSORT
------------------
Some systems, especially laptops, do not display
colour contrasts very well. If you find PCSORT hard to
read, you can force PCSORT to use black-and-white
attributes by entering the command MODE BW80 before
running it. The best way to do that is from a batch
file, as shown:

    MODE BW80
    PCSORT %1 %2

If you have a colour system and PCSORT is using black
and white attributes, chances are some other
application has changed the video mode. To encourage
PCSORT to use colour, issue the DOS command

    MODE CO80

before running PCSORT.

The following instructions will enable you to customise
the colours used by PCSORT. Start by making a back-up
copy of PCSORT.COM and then enter

    DEBUG PCSORT.COM

You are now ready to modify PCSORT.COM. If at any time
you make a mistake, you can abort the editing process
by entering Q. The last two commands that you enter
after entering any modifications are

    W
    Q

for Write to disk and Quit DEBUG.

Colour scheme: Enter the following Debug instructions,
replacing the xx with a hexadecimal colour value. The
default colour values for the menu colour, the text,
and the block marker, and their respective descriptions
are shown as comments to the right of the semicolons.
Do not type in the comments.

    E 106 xx  ; 71  Blue on light gray
    E 107 xx  ; 17  Light gray on blue
    E 108 xx  ; 31  Blue on cyan

Alternate colours may be selected from the following
list. The background colour number is entered for the
first x and the foreground colour for the second x. Do
not use a light colour for the background, or the
display will blink.

  Dark colours   Light colours
  ------------   --------------
  Black    0     Dark Gray 8
  Blue     1     Lt Blue   9
  Green    2     Lt Green  A
  Cyan     3     Lt Cyan   B
  Red      4     Orange    C
  Magenta  5     Violet    D
  Brown    6     Yellow    E
  Lt Gray  7     White     F

For example, to change the Block marker colour from
blue on cyan (31) to blue on light gray (17), you would
enter

    E 108 17

PCSORT turns on the border, and some monitors can not
handle that. To disable the border, enter

    E 10C 1

Replace the 1 with a 0 to re-enable the border. Finish
the DEBUG session with

    W
    Q
@@PLAY
PLAY                                 Michael J. Mefford
Plays tones and tunes on the PC's speaker   Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Provides many of the music-producing functions of the
BASIC PLAY statement without the need to work in
BASIC.

Format
------

    PLAY[/K]              (Option I)

    PLAY string[/K]       (Option II)

    PLAY filespec/F[/K]   (Option III)

Remarks
-------
Entered at the DOS prompt with no arguments on the
command line (Option I), PLAY looks in the current
directory for a file named PLAY.DAT and executes the
commands in that file. The PLAY.DAT file included on
this disk is "Greensleeves."  The file can be
examined, and similar files created, with a regular
ASCII word processor.

Alternatively, PLAY can use either a command-line
string (Option II) or any legal DOS filename (Option
III) to supply the music command arguments. Filenames
may include a path designation, but must include the
/F terminator. A sample file "score," STING.DAT is
contained on this disk.

Pressing any key while PLAY is executing will
terminate operation unless the /K switch has been
added.

The command set used with PLAY is shown on the
following page and is exemplified in the PLAY.DAT and
STING.DAT files.

The PLAY Command Set
--------------------
K   Keyboard. K will cause PLAY not to poll the
    keyboard during play. If K is not found, any
    keystroke will exit.

On  Octave. n is a decimal number between 0 and 6.
    Middle C starts 03. The default is 04.

Ln  Length of time the notes will be played until the
    next L command is encountered. n is a decimal
    number between 1 and 64. For example, L4 =
    quarter-note and L8 = eighth note.

Tn  Tempo is the pace at which the music is played.
    n is a decimal number between 32 and 255. The
    larger the number, the faster the pace. The default
    is T120.

A-G Letter names corresponding to the notes of the
    scale. The letter name may be followed by
    either a # or + for a sharp, or a - for a flat.
    O3C = middle C.

Nn  Note to be played. n is a decimal number between
    1 and 84. Each increment is 1/12 of an octave. N
    can be used as an alternative to defining a note
    by a letter and an octave. For example, N37 =
    middle C.

Pn  Pause, or rest, for a length defined by n. P works
    in the same way as the L command above. For
    example, P2 = a half rest.

MN  Music Normal. The note is played 7/8 of its
    specified time, and 1/8 is a rest between notes.
    This is the default.

ML  Music Legato. The note is played the full length of
    time specified.

MS  Music Staccato. The note is played 3/4 of the time
    specified, and 1/4 is a rest between notes.

.   Dot. A dot can follow a letter note or a pause. A
    dotted note increases play time by half the duration
    of the note or pause. More than one dot may be used.
@@PUSHDIR & POPDIR
PUSHDIR & POPDIR                            John Friend
Save and restore current directory        Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
This pair of programs provides a way to return
automatically to your current directory after running
programs that require directory changing.

Format
------

    PUSHDIR
    ... command(s) that run program
        or change directory ...
    POPDIR

Remarks
-------
While PUSHDIR and POPDIR can be entered directly from
the DOS prompt, their primary application is in batch
files. For example, suppose you create a file named
12.BAT that consists of the following four lines:

    PUSHDIR
    CD\LOTUS
    123
    POPDIR

Suppose also that 12.BAT, PUSHDIR.COM, and POPDIR.COM
are either in your root directory or in a subdirectory
on the PATH specified in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Assume, finally, that you are currently in your word
processing subdirectory (\WP), but need some
information from a 1-2-3 spreadsheet. If you now enter

    12<CR>

from the DOS prompt, PUSHDIR stores the \WP (your
current directory) on its stack and DOS changes to the
\LOTUS subdirectory and runs 1-2-3. When you exit from
1-2-3, you would normally be left in the \LOTUS
subdirectory. A DOS CD command in 12.BAT after the 123
line could return you to a specified directory every
time you terminated 1-2-3, of course. But POPDIR
returns you to whatever subdirectory you were in when
you invoked 1-2-3 -- in this case, to your \WP
subdirectory.

PUSHDIR can accommodate up to six levels of directories
on its stack, permitting considerable programming
flexibility in constructing batch files.

Notes
-----
1. PUSHDIR and POPDIR require DOS 2.0 or later.
@@RUN
RUN                                  Michael J. Mefford
Runs programs from any directory        Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Executes .COM, .EXE, or .BAT files from any disk
directory without requiring changing directories or
specifying a path to the file.

Format
------

    RUN [/C|/S][d:][directory]filename [args]

Remarks
-------
Unless the optional directory parameter is specified,
RUN defaults to a diskwide search to find the
executable filename. Any additional arguments (args)
that would normally be specified on the DOS command
line may be added to the program RUN is called upon to
execute. A drive specifier (d:) must be used if the
file to be run is not on the current drive. During
its search, any keypress will abort the operation of
RUN.COM.

RUN can either operate from the current directory (its
default mode, designated by the optional /S switch) or
it can change to the directory (/C) in which it finds
the desired program before executing it. The /C
option is required by programs such as WordStar, which
can find their overlay files only when loaded from
within the directory in which they are stored. The /C
option is also required to run .BAT files under DOS
2.x (see Note below).

Note
----
RUN overcomes the inability of DOS 2.x to handle .COM
and .EXE files that are prefixed with a path. Batch
files under DOS 2.x, however, still require RUN's /C
option. If desired, the /C option can be made the RUN
default mode, with /S as its selectable alternative.
To make this change, put a copy of RUN in the same
directory with DEBUG.COM, and enter the following
commands:

     DEBUG RUN.COM
     E 15B 1
     E 1E8 "C"
     W
     Q

If you later upgrade your version of DOS and wish to
reverse the process, use the same procedure with the
following commands:

     DEBUG RUN.COM
     E 15B 0
     E 1E8 "S"
     W
     Q
@@SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE                             Michael J. Mefford
Appointment scheduler and diary            Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
An appointment scheduler that provides both a monthly
overview and a detailed daily screen with notepad and
optional reminder chime; includes editing, printing,
and archiving facilities and can be used as either a
standalone or a memory-resident utility (15KB RAM
required).

Format
------

    SCHEDULE [/I] [/U] [/Hn] [/Pn...n] [/G] [/A] [/C]
             [/M] [/B]

Remarks
-------
When installed as memory-resident by using the
optional /I switch, SCHEDULE automatically reminds you
of appointments by chiming and popping up its
appointment screen. The default hotkey is Alt-C. This
can be changed with the /H switch to any alphanumeric
Ctrl- or Alt-key combination (n), either at or after
installation. To make Ctrl-S the hotkey, enter
SCHEDULE /H Ctrl S. The /P parameter allows sending
up to 10 decimal printer set-up codes (n...n). Include
the /G switch for printers that support the IBM
line-drawing characters.

The reminder chime can be disabled by including the /C
switch, and automatic screen pop-up can be avoided by
using the /A option. The /M parameter prevents the
default midnight pop-up so overnight programs can be
run. If screen contrast is a problem (e.g. with
laptops), use the /B (black-and-white) option.
SCHEDULE can be uninstalled with the /U option,
subject to usual limitations.

SCHEDULE.COM and the two files it creates
(SCHEDULE.DAT and SCHEDULE.ASC) must be stored in the
current directory when the program is run as a
standalone or installed as a memory resident. Batch
files will simplify this requirement. As a text-based
program, SCHEDULE will not come up over a graphics
screen (e.g. Microsoft Windows); it must be installed
before SideKick (if used).

SCHEDULE.DAT contains all appointment records saved by
pressing F2 (see command summary overside). It can be
purged or archived in whole or part by pressing F4. A
suitable date up to which to purge can be selected by
F3 (today) or with the PgUp/PgDn keys (moves by days)
or with Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn (moves by months). F8 selects
an individual day for purging. Menu prompts are
provided for determining whether the selected records
are deleted or automatically appended to SCHEDULE.ASC
to provide a permanent record usable by any ASCII
editor.

The monthly ("calendar") and daily ("appointment")
displays cover the period from 6:30 A.M. to 9:30 P.M.
in hour and half-hour increments, respectively. Within
each screen the following commands can be executed:

Keystroke       Calendar Screen   Appointment Screen
---------       ---------------   ------------------
PgUp/PgDn       Next month        Next Day
Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn  Next year         Next Month
Arrow keys      Select day        Navigate screen
Home(1)         Beg. of column    Beg. section column
Home(2)         Beg. of calendar  Top of section
End(1)          End of column     End section column
End(2)          End of calendar   End of section
Ctrl-Home       Beg. of calendar  Beg. of section
Ctrl-End        End of calendar   End of section
Ctrl <-         Beg. of column    Beg. section column
Ctrl ->         End of Column     End  section column
Enter           Select app't.     Enter
Esc             Exit Schedule     Return to Calendar
F2              Save app'ts.      Save app'ts.
F3              Today             Today
F4              Purge app'ts.     Purge app'ts.
F5              Print calendar    Print app'ts.
F6              Go to Notepad
Shift-F6        undefined         Clear section
Ctrl-F6         undefined         Clear all 3 sections
Tab             undefined         Go to next section
Shift-Tab       undefined         Go to prev. section
Del             undefined         Del. char. at cursor

Customising Schedule
--------------------
The following instructions will enable you to customise
the colours used by SCHEDULE and to change the tone of
its chime. Start by making a backup copy of
SCHEDULE.COM and then enter:

    DEBUG SCHEDULE.COM

You are now ready to modify SCHEDULE.COM. If at any
time you make a mistake, you can abort the editing
process by entering Q. After entering any desired
modifications last two commands you enter are:

    W
    Q

for Write to disk and Quit DEBUG.

COLOUR SCHEME
Enter the following DEBUG (E)nter instructions,
replacing the xx with a new hexadecimal colour value.
The default colour values and descriptions that
SCHEDULE uses are shown as comments, to the right of
the semi-colons.

    E 578 xx   ; 17 Lt. gray on blue.
    E 579 xx   ; 71 Blue on lt. gray.
    E 57A xx   ; 1E Yellow on blue.
    E 57B xx   ; 3B Bright cyan on cyan.
    E 57C xx   ; 1B Bright cyan on blue.
    E 57D xx   ; 7E Yellow on lt. gray.

Alternative colours may be selected from those listed
below. The background colour number is entered for the
first x and the foreground colour for the second x. Do
not use a light colour for the foreground, or the
display will blink.

    Dark colours    Light colours

    0 Black        8 Dark gray
    1 Blue         9 Lt. blue
    2 Green        A Lt. green
    3 Cyan         B Lt. cyan
    4 Red          C Orange
    5 Magenta      D Violet
    6 Brown        E Yellow
    7 Lt. gray     F White

For example, to change the yellow on blue (1E) to red
on blue (14) you would enter

    E 57A 14

CHIME TONE
The value used to calculate the tone of the chime is a
hexadecimal number that can range from a low of 0025 to
a high of 1150. The default value is 0416. You'll find
numbers close to the default more pleasing. To change
the tone, enter

    E 584 yy xx

where xxyy is the new tone divisor. For example, to
change the tone from the 416 Hz C note to an A (a
divisor of 370), you would enter

    E 584 70 03

Note that the numbers must be entered exactly as shown
above. The 70 03 (yy xx) represent 0370 (xxyy).
@@SWEEP
SWEEP                                   Charles Petzold
Repeat command in each subdirectory         Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Causes a command to be successively executed in every
subdirectory on a hard disk.

Format
------

    SWEEP command

Remarks
-------
SWEEP starts from the current directory. In order to
use SWEEP to extend the range of a command to all the
subdirectories on a disk, use CD (if necessary) to make
the root directory your current directory. From the
root directory, the command

    SWEEP DIR

will display the listings, by subdirectory, of every
non-hidden file on the disk. To erase all the .BAK
files on a disk you need only get into the root
directory and issue the command

    SWEEP DEL *.BAK

SWEEP itself will not accept parameters other than its
command. Thus, if you are on drive C: and wish a
directory of all files on drive D: to be sent to your
printer, you must first make drive D: the current drive
before you issue the command

    SWEEP DIR > LPT1

(In this case you would either need a copy of SWEEP.COM
on drive D: or else drive D: would have to be listed on
your PATH.)

SWEEP can execute .BAT file commands (and even non-DOS
commands, such as LOCATE.COM). A useful file called
CLEAN.BAT might consist of the three lines

    DEL *.BAK
    DEL *.TMP
    DEL *.OBJ

From the root directory, if you then enter

    SWEEP CLEAN

all .BAK, .TMP, and .OBJ files will be erased from the
disk.

Notes
-----
1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later.
@@TED
TED                                         Tom Kihlken
Text editor                                 Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
A small, full-screen editor for line-oriented files of
up to 64K in length that supports scrolling, cut,
copy, paste, and printing operations, and permits
entry of all members of the IBM character set.

Format
------

    TED [filespec]

Remarks
-------

TED will open and read a file whose name (and path, if
required) are supplied initially. If no filespec is
provided it will open a new file and prompt for a
filename when the Save and Exit command (F7) is
given. The original of a modified file is saved with
a .BAK extension. The Abort command (F1), when
verified, abandons any modifications and leaves the
original file intact.

Lines may be of any length, and each must be
terminated by pressing Enter. Lines longer than the
screen width display a diamond in the rightmost
column. Offscreen characters (up to 248 columns) may
be viewed by using the Ctrl-<arrow> keys. Lines may
be broken by pressing Enter at any point, and may be
conflated by pressing Delete at the line end.

A block of text is defined by toggling on the Mark
command (F4) and moving the cursor with the arrow
keys. The Marked area is shown in inverse video.
Pressing F3 prints the blocked text; F5 (Cut) removes
it to a buffer from which it can be Pasted (F6) at any
point where the cursor is located. The paste buffer
remains intact until another section is marked and
cut.

Pressing F8 deletes to the end of a line; F9 deletes
the entire line. F10 restores the most recent deletion
of F8 or F9. The Undo command (F2) restores letters
deleted by the Delete (but not by the Backspace) key
if the cursor has not been moved.

The Home and End keys move the cursor to the beginning
and end of the current screen line; the Tab key moves
to the next column evenly divisible by eight. Text is
entered in Insert mode by default; pressing the Insert
key toggles to overstrike mode. TED configures itself
to the display in use and supports EGA and VGA text
modes other than the standard 80 columns by 25 rows.
PgUp and PgDn scroll the file by the number of rows
displayed, minus 5. Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn move to
the top and bottom of the file.

Any character in the IBM set can be entered by
pressing the Alt key, typing its ASCII value on the
numeric keypad, then releasing the Alt key.
@@TRACKR
TRACKR                                     Scott Chaney
Time tracking utility                      Version 1.2a
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Trackr is a memory-resident utility that keeps track of
the time you spend on a project. If you bill clients
by the hour it can multiply the logged time by your
hourly rate using the information you enter in a
client data file and prepare a printable billing
report.

Remarks
-------
A 7K memory-resident utility, TRACKR lets you create or
switch tasks at any time, stop the clock temporarily,
switch applications with the clock running, combine
multiple separately timed tasks for the same client
into a single billing report, and update your task log
at a keystroke. Increments for partial-hour
calculations can be as small as 1 minute. If at any
time you are in a TRACKR menu and wish to return to
your application, simply press Esc key. If you're two
or more menus deep, you will have to hit the Esc key
twice.

You can use any ASCII editor -- DOS 5.0's EDIT, PC
Magazine's TED, or even your word processor (in its
nondocument mode) -- to create CLIENT.DAT, the file
holds the billing information for each of your
accounts. A typical entry in CLIENT.DAT might be:

    ABC Developments Ltd
    123 Anystreet
    Anytown, AT1 4RS
    0039 49671
    \30\15

After the line containing the client name, you can
include any number of additional lines (each
terminated by pressing Enter) that you want TRACKR to
print out in its billing report. In the above sample,
for instance, you might want to add an account number
code for the client, or you might decide you don't
want to include the phone number on the invoice.
Anything between the client's name and the last line
of each client entry is optional.

The last line in each client entry is the only one that
must follow a specific format: \$$$\mm\, where $$$ is
the rate at which you bill this client per hour, and
mm is the minimum billing increment in minutes. The
last line in the sample entry above, therefore, tells
TRACKR that you bill ABC Developments at 30 punds per
hour and that partial-hour calculations should be
rounded up to the next 15 minutes. Note that the
billing rate and increment line must be the only line
whose first nonspace character is a backslash.

Your CLIENT.DAT file will hold the multiline entries
for up to 30 clients, and entries can be separated by
blank lines or not, as you choose. If you put more
than 30 clients in your CLIENT.DAT file, TRACKR will
notify you with the message, "Ignoring Extra Clients".
You can either continue (but not have access to all
your clients) or uninstall TRACKR, edit your
CLIENT.DAT file down to 30 clients, and run TRACKR
again. Do not edit CLIENT.DAT while TRACKR is running.

Using TRACKR
------------
When you have created your CLIENT.DAT file, you're
ready to install TRACKR. You can do this simply by
running it, either from the DOS prompt or as a line in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The full syntax for TRACKR is

    TRACKR [/#] [/U] [/I d:\path]

THE "CLIENT.DAT" FILE MUST BE IN THE SAME SUBDIRECTORY
WHERE THE .LOG FILES ARE TO BE LOCATED. THE FIRST
TIME YOU USE TRACKR YOU MUST TELL IT WHERE THE
CLIENT.DAT FILE AND THE .LOG FILES ARE TO BE KEPT.

You do this by using the "/I d:\path" command line
option. For example, if want your log reports kept in
the C:\BILLING subdirectory, then move CLIENT.DAT into
that subdirectory and start TRACKR with the following
line:

    TRACKR /I C:\BILLING

TRACKR will thereafter remember where you keep its
ancillary files, so you need only use the /I switch
once.

When you're logged onto a task, TRACKR periodically
displays the name of the active task and the elapsed
time (in hh:mm) since you started it. This reminder
appears in the upper-right corner of your screen for
5 seconds, and by default it is repeated once a minute.
You can disable the reminder or change how often it
appears by using the /# command line switch when you
install TRACKR. The n value is the number of minutes
that should elapse between reminders, and it can range
from 0 (no reminder) through 9. When in Pause mode
(described below), the reminder pops-up as before,
except that instead of displaying elapsed task time it
reminds you that you're in PAUSE mode.

The /U command line switch allows you to uninstall
TRACKR from memory, subject to the usual limitation
that TSR's must be uninstalled in the reverse order in
which they were loaded. If at any time you forget the
command syntax, simply enter TRACKR /?.

Once loaded, TRACKR pops-up when you press Ctrl-R. Any
time you are in a TRACKR menu and wish to return to
your application, simply press Esc.

TRACKR can pop-up only in text modes. Thus, if you need
to access the utility while running a program that
uses graphics modes, you must get to a part of the
program that uses text mode before the hotkey will
have any effect. If necessary, you can go out to the
DOS prompt, using the application's "shell" function.
Only in the worst case might you temporarily have to
exit the application.

The first time you use TRACKR, it will notice that you
haven't created any tasks to be timed for any of the
clients listed in your CLIENT.DAT file. TRACKR will
therefore simply present you with a list of the
clients. (Only the first 21 characters of each client's
name will be shown.) When you select a client you'll
be asked to provide a Task Name.

The Task Name can be 8 characters long and must not
contain anything that cannot be part of a legal DOS
filename or begin with a backslash. (TRACKR will
append the extension .LOG to the Task Name, and this
combination becomes the filename of the billing
report.) When you type in the desired Task Name and
hit Enter, TRACKR will prompt you for a comment, the
can be up to 30 characters and is designed for short
notes or identifiers such as "First Qtr Results."

Whether you include a comment or not, hit Enter once
again. You will be returned to the application in
which you were working (or to DOS, if you shelled
out), and TRACKR will start the meter on the task you
have just created for the selected client.

TRACKR menus
------------
If you now hit Ctrl-R again, the task you just created
(along with others, as your task list grows) will
appear on the left side of the menu window. On the
right side are five menu choices: Pause, Log Off,
Switch, Create New Task, and Update Task Log. Press
the highlighted letter to select the desired function,
or press Esc to return to your application.

If you're interrupted during a task and want to suspend
billing time during the interruption, press P for
Pause. That way you don't have to log off and relog
onto the same task later. When you want to resume,
press Ctrl-R to get to the menu and hit R for Resume.

Press L from the menu to Log Off the currently active
task. TRACKR will then stop charging time to the
active task, write the time information to that task's
log file, and recalculate the billing entries in that
task's log file.

Pressing S (for Switch) provides a shortcut option that
logs you off the current task and immediately logs you
onto another. This is particularly handy when you're
working on one project and get a billable telephone
call for another client. Note that each available task
is identified in the menu by both name and number;
when switching tasks you enter the number  of the new
task.

To create a new task, you press C for Create Task at
the menu. This will initially bring up an
alphabetical list of all the clients from the
CLIENT.DAT file, displayed on the left side of the
pop-up window. Since TRACKR can only display five
clients at a time, you may need to use the PgUp and
PgDn keys to go though the entire list. Select the
client to be billed (again, by  number), and you'll be
asked to provide a Task Name (remember, it can only be
8 characters). You'll again have the option of
entering a comment. Once you press Enter, TRACKR logs
you onto the new task and returns you to your
application.

Over time, you will probably create more tasks than the
10 that can be displayed at once in the menu window.
The PgUp and PgDn keys will again take you through the
entire list, which is limited to a total of 50 tasks
(.LOG files). If you create more than 50 tasks, TRACKR
will warn you when you load it into memory.

Since all the tasks you create are listed
alphabetically rather than being grouped by client,
you may want to include a client code in every Task
Name. For example, you may want to have a Phone Task
for each client so that when he calls you can
immediately start tracking the amount of time you're
on the phone with him. Thus, if you have three
clients--ABC Corp., XYZ Corp., and PC Corp--you might
have Task Names of ABCPHON, XYZPHON, and PCPHON.

As mentioned earlier, TRACKR takes a Task Name, such as
"proposal," and creates a PROPOSAL.LOG file from it.
The .LOG file for each task contains the client
information entered in the CLIENT.DAT file, plus an
entry for each time you start the task. Each entry
consists of the date, the time you began the task, the
time you stopped the task, the time spent on the task,
and any comments you entered in the Comment field. The
file also tallies the time totals for each day and
multiplies these by the billing rate, thus coming up
with a billable amount for each day. The last entry in
the .LOG file is the total amount of time spent and
money due for the entire task.

If you want to update the calculations without leaving
the task, you simply hit U, for Update a task, which
is the final selection from the menu. Note that when
TRACKR calculates the time you spent working on a task
it always rounds up to the next billing increment: If
you work on a particular task for 16 minutes and you
bill in 15 minute intervals, TRACKR will bill for 30
minutes. Since the log file shows the actual log-on
and log-off times, you may occasionally want to adjust
the log-off time shown in the file to avoid
overcharging. TRACKR will update the calculations,
based on the corrected time, the next time you perform
the task or use the Update function.

Rounding up to the next billing increment can cause
similar confusion when you encounter a series of
interruptions and are using the Pause feature. Each
time you resume, a new entry is started, and rounding
up a series of short fractional increments can plainly
result in overcharging. One solution is to bill in
smaller minute increments (down to one minute), but
again there will be times when you want to edit the
file and update it before printing it for your client.

You can use any ASCII editor to edit a .LOG file and
delete, add or adjust any entry. When editing, be sure
to keep the columns lined up, and use spaces (not
tabs) to keep everything in line. Note, however, that
when TRACKR updates a .LOG file, it pays attention
only to the date, start time, end time, and comment
fields. If you need to adjust a total, therefore, you
must do so by adjusting the start or end times.
TRACKR's recalculations will wipe out any editing
changes you make in a total field. You can, however,
edit the client information shown in the .LOG file,
including billing rate and billing increments, and
these changes will be reflected at the next update.

When the .LOG file is finalised, you can use your word
processor, any print utility, or the DOS command

    TYPE filename > PRN

to print out the billing report.

When no task is currently being metered, pressing
Ctrl-R brings up a menu with only three choices on the
right side of the menu:  Create new task, Update task
log, and Log in new task. Only the L (for Log in)
option is new here, and the procedure is familiar.
After pressing L, you select the desired task from the
list by entering its number rather than its name and
then by entering a comment, if desired. TRACKR will
immediately return you to your application and start
tracking your time on this task.

Two final notes are in order. You must always load
TRACKR before you load Microsoft Windows. If TRACKR
still doesn't pop up in the application you're running
under Windows, then open the DOS window in the Main
folder and pop it up from there. Note also that you may
have to install TRACKR before you open other DOS
applications. If you shell out from a program and try
to load TRACKR, you may not be able to get it to pop
up within the application.

Scott Chaney is the founder of RSE, a company in
Auburn, Washington, that specialises in the
development of productivity shareware for PCs.

Revision History
----------------

Version 1.0     Initial Release
        1.1     1/7/92  Bug fixes
        1.2     1/29/92 Fixed errors in reading
                CLIENT.DAT and attempted pop-ups
                during non-text screens.
@@WAITASEC
WAITASEC                                Charles Petzold
Permits backward scrolling of DOS screen    Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Uses the single-keystroke ScrollLock key to halt a
fast-scrolling display; then allows you to scroll
backwards, recalling previous screens.

Format
------

    WAITASEC       (loads memory-resident program)

then

    <ScrollLock>   (activates WAITASEC)

Remarks
-------
WAITASEC is a memory-resident program that is normally
loaded through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Thereafter,
alternately pressing and releasing the ScrollLock key
will halt and restart a scrolling display, e.g. a
lengthy DIR listing.

While holding down the ScrollLock key to freeze the
display, if you also press one of the cursor movement
keys (Home, Up Arrow, PgUp, End, Down Arrow, or PgDn),
the display will not resume scrolling when you release
the ScrollLock key. Thereafter, the Up and Down arrow
keys move the display by one line, the PgUp and PgDown
move it by 25 lines, and the Home and End keys take
you to the beginning and end of the stored screen
memory. Pressing any non cursor key at this point
deactivates the stored mode, and the original
scrolling resumes.

Notes
-----
1.   WAITASEC will not work with an 80-column
     colour display if an unmodified PC-DOS
     ANSI.SYS has been loaded. (The ANSI.SYS
     that comes with various versions of MS-DOS
     does not cause problems with WAITASEC.)
     To run with IBM's ANSI.SYS, make a copy
     (MODANSI.SYS) of the original ANSI.SYS
     and use DEBUG to patch the copy as
     follows:

     DEBUG MODANSI.SYS
     E 29D 90 90
     E 2A1 90 90
     W
     Q

     Put the modified MODANSI.SYS in your
     CONFIG.SYS file in place of ANSI.SYS.

2.   Because of the way they handle TTY
     output, certain EGA cards will not
     permit WAITASEC to scroll backwards.
     This problem can often be cured by
     adding MODANSI.SYS, as above.

3.   WAITASEC does not save your current
     display screen.

4.   While WAITASEC has been found compatible
     with XyWrite III (XYKBD.COM loaded) on a
     PC/AT, as with other memory-resident
     programs, unforeseen hardware and
     software incompatibilities may be
     encountered.
@@ZCOPY
ZCOPY                                      Bob Flanders
High-speed serial file transfer            Version 1.4R
-------------------------------------------------------

Purpose
-------
Transfers files at high speed, via a serial link,
between two PCs. It can be used to move files
between machines that do not share a common disk
format, such as a laptop and desktop PC or to
conveniently move large quantities of data between
two standalone PCs. ZCOPY can also be used with the
PCREMOTE program included on this disk to move files
via modem.

Format
------

    ZCOPY source [target] [/w][/n][/u][/o][/a][/p][/d]

Remarks
-------
The two machines must be IBM-compatible and must be
connected by a standard "null modem" cable. ZCOPY is
executed, with appropriate parameters, on both
machines; a 30-second (default) connect timeout is
provided.

On the sending machine both a source (filename plus any
needed drive and path) and a target (COM1 or COM2) must
be specified. ZCOPY supports the * and ? DOS filename
"wildcards," but it does not permit renaming files
during transfer. On the receiving machine the source is
COM1 or COM2, and the target, if specified, must be a
directory path. (Any needed subdirectories must be
created on the receiving machine before using ZCOPY.)

The optional /w and /n switches operate before
connection is established, and so are entered on the
ZCOPY command line of each machine. The /w parameter
prolongs the default connection timeout indefinitely;
it can be cancelled with Ctrl-Break. The /n parameter
sets the highest bit-per-second (bps) rate at which
ZCOPY will attempt to transfer data. If used, it must
be the same on both machines. The default is /1 (115
kbps). Other acceptable values are /2 through /6 (57.6
kbps, 38.4 kbps, 19.2 kbps, 9600 kbps, and 4800 kbps,
respectively). If ZCOPY cannot maintain error-free
transfer at a given transfer rate, it automatically
steps down to the next lower speed.

The other optional parameters may be entered on either
machine's ZCOPY command line. The /u (Update) switch
permits overwriting same-named files on the receiving
machine without operator confirmation if the source
file is more recent. The /o (Overwrite) switch
suppresses the confirmation prompt for all files. By
default, when ZCOPY receives a disk-full signal, before
aborting it tries to find a smaller selected source
file that will fit on the receiving disk. The /a (Abort
on Full) aborts at the first disk-full indication. The
/p (Pause) switch creates a pause before the transfer
operation begins after the connection between machines
has been made, permitting changing a disk. The /d
option changes the date of a received file to that of
the receiving machine.

Null modem cable
----------------
A Null modem cable is one that allows data to be
transmitted directly between two PCs and most dealers
will be able to supply a suitable one. If you need to
have one made, ZCOPY's standard configuration is:

1st Machine    2nd Machine
-----------    -----------
  PIN               PIN
   2   <---------->  3
   3   <---------->  2
   7   <---------->  7

All other leads are optional and are not used by ZCOPY.

Transferring ZCOPY without common media
---------------------------------------
If you find yourself in the situation where you have
ZCOPY one one machine but not on the other and can't
get ZCOPY on a disk for the other machine, you can
use the following procedure to transfer ZCOPY itself
over the serial link.

1. Connect the two machines together via the null
   modem cable. You must know which communications
   ports you are using.

2. At each machine, set the communications port to
   the same communications parameters use the DOS
   MODE command. Enter:

   MODE COM1:1200,N,8,1

   Substitute COM2, COM3 or COM4 if appropriate on
   each machine but keep the other values the same.

3. On the machine receiving ZCOPY, do the following
   (without the comments):

   A>COPY CON TMP.DBG ; Build the debug script
   n zcopy.com        ; Name of the received program
   a 5000             ; Assemble at a high address
   CALL    5016       ; Get low character of count
   MOV     CL,AL      ; cl = low byte
   CALL    5016       ; .. Get high character
   MOV     CH,AL      ; cx = length of program
   PUSH    CX         ; .. save it
   MOV     DI,0100    ; di -> output area for program
   CALL    5016       ; Get program character
   STOSB              ; Store it
   LOOP    500E       ; .. Loop until all received
   POP     CX         ; cx = length for write
   INT     3          ; .. return to debug
   ADD     DX,+05     ; dx -> line status register
   IN      AL,DX      ; al = lsr value
   TEST    AL,01      ; q. any data available?
   JZ      5019       ; a. no .. loop until ready
   SUB     DX,+05     ; dx -> data register
   IN      AL,DX      ; get the character
   RET                ; return w/al = character
                      ; enter a blank line to stop
   rdx                ; set dx ...

   :3f8 <== Note: This would be 3F8 for COM1, 2F8 for
            COM2, 3E8 for COM3, 2E8 for COM4!

   g=5000             ; start the program
   rip                ; IP = write address
   :100               ; .. address 100 hex
   w                  ; write out ZCOPY.COM
   q                  ; .. and back to DOS
   ^Z<CR>             ; (or use F6<CR>)
   A>debug <tmp.dbg

   Complete these steps before the next one... the
   receiving machine will wait for ZCOPY to be sent
   to it.

4. On the machine sending ZCOPY, do the following:

   A>debug zcopy.com  ; bring in zcopy
   rdx                ; setup the comm port

   :3f8 <== Note: This would be 3F8 for COM1, 2F8 for
            COM2, 3E8 for COM3, 2E8 for COM4!

   g=103              ; call the self-transfer routine
                      ; (30-40 secs will pass)
   AX=00CC BX=0000 CX=0000 DX=03F8  SP=FFFE BP=0000 SI=1354 DI=0000
   DS=1FE1 ES=1FE1 SS=1FE1 CS=1FE1  IP=1353 NV UP EI PL NZ NA PO NC
   1FE1:1353 CC   INT 3
   q
   A>

ZCOPY is now on the receiving machine.