Programmer 7500/MAX_PROGRAMMERS.iso/PROGRAMS/UTILS/HARDDISK/SKIP010.ZIP/SKIPMISC.010

Text File | 1988-04-18 | 25.7 KB | 511 lines

                          SKIP'S COMPUTER MISCELLANEA

                                      #10

                             (C) Copyright 1988 by
                           C. F. "Skip" Mowery, Jr.
                             Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
                           406 Van Reed Manor Drive
                               Brandon FL 33511
                                 813-689-4212

    "Skip's Computer Miscellanea" is copyrighted material and  remains  the
    property  of  the  author,  who reserves all rights to its publication,
    reproduction and distribution, with the following single exception:  it
    may  be  freely  copied and distributed electronically via computer for
    personal non-commercial use, provided that the content is not modified,
    that  it is not copied to or distributed on any form of print media and
    that it is not copied or distributed by or for  any  type  of  business
    endeavor without the prior written permission of the author.

                                  **********

    Your comments about this material and questions  about  any  aspect  of
    computing  are  welcome.    This  material  originates  on the Computer
    Archives BBS in Tampa, Florida, at 813-968-6220.

                                  **********

                              Updates to Issue #5

    Version 1.1 of PROCOMM PLUS TEST DRIVE fixes some problems, makes  some
    changes  and  adds some features -- none of which appear to be of great
    significance for most users.  What  is  of  significance  in  this  new
    version, however, is the DOC file, which has grown from 16 to 47 pages!
    I briefly reviewed the DOC file and unfortunately it doesn't look  like
    any more attention is devoted to scripts, but there's a lot of informa-
    tion on the various terminal emulations and other items.

    Also, I mentioned in Issue #5 that I had trouble  downloading  a  large
    file with Procomm Plus.  I just downloaded another,  even  larger  file
    (over 380K) with version 1.1 and had no problems.

    One problem that I didn't mention that occurred  with  both  Boyan  and
    Procomm  Plus was the interference of my screen blanker, SCRDIM.COM.  I
    have it set to blank the screen after 5 minutes of inactivity  and,  if
    the  blanking  occurs  during a file transfer, it causes a transmission
    error.  Another error is caused if a key  is  pressed  to  restore  the
    screen display.

    I had hoped that the constant updating of the  numbers  of  blocks  and
    bytes  transferred would prevent the screen blanking, but it doesn't --
    although it does cause those items (only those items) to be redisplayed
    when  they  change  after the blanking, and the transfer-complete alarm
    causes the entire screen to be redisplayed.   The  transmission  errors
    are  insignificant,  however,  since  the block is always retransmitted
    successfully.

    I corrected the problem by loading the comm program via  a  batch  file
    that includes an initial line to turn off the screen blanker and a last
    line to turn it back on again after I exit the comm program.

    In my continuing evaluation of Procomm Plus, I also discovered an  easy
    way  to have the program load and go directly to the Dialing Directory.
    KEY-FAKE.COM is a tiny (536 bytes) utility from PC Magazine  that  will
    simulate  key  presses  from a batch file.  Since I already use a batch
    file to call Procomm Plus, and since Key-Fake is in my  \BIN  directory
    and \BIN is in the PATH specification in my Autoexec.Bat file, it was a
    simple  matter  of  adding  a line to the Procomm Plus batch file right
    before the line that calls Procomm Plus.  The line is "KEY-FAKE  32  32
    @32", in which 32 is the ASCII code for a space and @32 is the extended
    code for Alt-D.  In other words, after  Procomm  Plus  loads,  Key-Fake
    then adds a space to begin the program, another space to get passed the
    shareware message, and finally an Alt-D to call up the dialer, while  I
    sit back and marvel at what the computer hath wrought.

    Finally as to the new version of Procomm Plus, apparently some kind  of
    change  was  made to the way colors are handled.  In the prior version,
    the Terminal Mode's  default  background  color  was  blue  and,  after
    connecting  to  the  BBS  and  a  response  of  Y to the question about
    graphics, the screen would clear to black prior to  the  BBS's  initial
    graphics  screen.    In the new version, the blue background remains on
    during the BBS's initial graphics screen and affects the aesthetics  of
    the  graphics.    Also, a blue bar appears across the screen after some
    prompts are answered.  If that anomoly bothers you as much  as  it  did
    me, change the Procomm Plus Terminal Mode default background  color  to
    black, using the Setup procedures (Alt-S).

                                  **********

                              A Note About ARCTV

    ARCTV is a utility for viewing the contents of archive files.   I  used
    to use it a lot but now prefer NARC13 or  Arcmaster,  which  do  a  lot
    more.  Still, ARCTV can be convenient if it's in your path and you just
    want to take a quick look at something in an archive.

    However, I recently ran across a problem  with  ARCTV  that  I  thought
    you'd  like  to know about.  I have an archive that contains text files
    with the extensions .001, .002, .003 etc., but ARCTV tells me that they
    are NOT text files.  After a lot of experimenting, I finally found  out
    that  the  problem  is apparently that ARCTV determines which files are
    text files by looking at their extensions and, if it doesn't  recognize
    the  extension  as  one you would expect for a text file, it won't read
    it.  On the other hand, it will attempt to read any file  that  doesn't
    have an extension.  If a file without an extension is found not to be a
    text  file when the attempt is made, the read is aborted with a message
    that the file is not a text file.

    If you've encountered this problem, the solution is  to  either  delete
    the file extensions or rename the files with extensions that ARCTV will
    recognize -- such as .TXT or .DOC.  I delved into the ARCTV code, using
    Masterkey,  to  find  which  extensions ARCTV uses to identify non-text
    files and then tested my findings.  As a  result,  I  can  verify  that
    ARCTV  will  not read a file with any extension that begins with a zero
    or the letter O and will not read any file with an  extension  of  EXE,
    COM, CHN, BIN, DAT or ARC.  It will, however, attempt to read any other
    type  of  file, including, for example, a file with the extension .100,
    since it doesn't begin with a 0.  (Maybe that's why the checkbooks  for
    a new account always begin with 100 instead of 001?  Nah.)

                                  **********


                      Review of Macro Mania: MACMANIA.ARC


    What's a macro?  Did you ever press F3 at the DOS  level  to  have  the
    previous  command  reprinted  on  the command line?  That's a macro.  A
    macro involves a single key press or key combination that produces  the
    equivalent  of several key presses.  People who use the CB simulator on
    CompuServe often use macros for typing phrases that they use  regularly
    (such  as  the string "ha, ha, ha, ha"), the idea being that it's a lot
    easier just to press F6  (if that's the macro you set up for your ha's)
    than it is to type "ha," four or five times.  And  macros  can  include
    virtually any valid combination of keys -- not just text strings.

    So, how do we assign macros to individual keys?  Ah, there's the rub --
    it  ain't  easy.   And that's what Macro Mania is all about:  trying to
    make macro assignment easier.  The only problem is that I  don't  think
    Macro  Mania  makes  it  all  that  easy -- at least not if you want to
    create one or more macros quickly for one-time use.    Let  me  put  it
    another  way:    if you think that writing scripts for comm programs is
    easy, then so is Macro Mania.

    In my experience, most users fall into two groups:  those  that  use  a
    lot  of  macros  and  those that don't use any.  You either love 'em or
    leave 'em alone.  Macro Mania is for those who love 'em  or  for  those
    who  are  willing  to  expend some effort to see if they could learn to
    love 'em.

    Bear with me -- I'm eventually going to describe  the  program,  but  I
    want the stage to be set first.

    The easiest macro-producing program I've ever seen (and, admittedly,  I
    haven't seen all that many) is a modem communications program,  HOST20,
    which was specifically designed for use by CBer's on CompuServe.  While
    in HOST20, if you want to set up a macro, you press Alt-F (the F is for
    Function  key)  and  the  program  asks  you to enter the series of key
    presses that you want to assign to the macro key (i.e. your  string  of
    "ha"'s  or  whatever).    Then it asks you to press the function key to
    which you want the macro assigned.  And that's it -- from then on,  you
    have  that  string assigned to that function key -- and, of course, you
    can change it whenever you  want  or  assign  other  strings  to  other
    function keys.

    Now, with that in mind, here's what you have to do with Macro Mania  in
    order  to set up a macro.  First, you have to create an ASCII text file
    that describes the macros you want to install, using the equivalent  of
    a  script language.  It's not as complicated as the script languages in
    some comm programs, but it's not routine either.   Then,  you  have  to
    compile  that  text  file  into a data file, using the compiler program
    furnished in the Macro Mania archive.  Finally, you  have  to  use  the
    Macro  Mania  program, MACRO.COM, to load the macros, i.e. to make them
    active.  That's why I said that Macro Mania  is  not  for  someone  who
    wants to set up a quick macro for one-time use.

    Oh, by the way, the archive contains  only  MACMANIA.EXE,  which  is  a
    self-extracting  installation  program  that produces all the necessary
    files and -- are you ready for this?  -- will only install on a disk in
    drive  A:.  So, even if you have a hard disk, you have to first install
    Macro Mania on a floppy in drive A and then copy it back to  your  hard
    disk.

    If you're serious about macros, Macro Mania has some features that  may
    interest  you.  You can put any key or key-combination possible on your
    keyboard into a macro, including function keys, Return or  Enter,  Back
    Space, etc.  You can have up to 134 macros.

    You can optionally choose whether Ctrl-Break will stop a macro or  not.
    You  can optionally choose a Macrotoggle key which will turn all macros
    off or on.  You can have Macro Mania installed permanently  (until  you
    reboot) or only during the execution of a certain program.  And you can
    even have multiple installations of Macro Mania.  (I  didn't  read  the
    DOC  file carefully enough to understand the value of that last option,
    but it's explained.)

    The language for the macro text file is composed of "character  expres-
    sions"  and  "directive  expressions",  each of which is identified and
    separated from any text strings in your  macro  by  being  enclosed  in
    braces ({...}).

    There are only seven directive  expressions:    {BREAK},  {ON},  {OFF},
    {MACROTOGGLE},  {KEY},  {START}, and {STOP}.  The character expressions
    are numerous and represent keys on the keyboard.  Here are just  a  few
    of them:

         Exp key     Secondary Exp(s)    Macro Definable    ASCII Code
         -------     ----------------    ---------------    ----------
         {ALT 0}                               X               N/A
         {ALT -}                               X               N/A
         {ALT =}                               X               N/A
         {CTRL PGUP}                           X               N/A
         {NUMERIC .}                                            46
         {NUMERIC +}                                            43
         {NUMERIC -}                                            45
         {NUMERIC *}                                            42
         {NUMERIC /}                                            47
         {NUMERIC =}                                            61
         {NUMERIC 0}                                            48
         {NUMERIC 9}                                            57
         {BEEP}                {BELL}          X                 7
         {BACKSPACE}                           X                 8
         {TAB}                                 X                 9
         {LINEFEED}                            X                10
         {CTRL ENTER}                          X                10
         {ENTER}               {RETURN}; {CR}  X                13
         {CTRL BACKSPACE}                                      127

    Without going into a lot of explanation about how  to  write  the  text
    file (primarily because I don't want to learn it), here's an example of
    a file that would bar Ctrl-Break from stopping the  macro,  that  would
    make Alt-F10 a macro for toggling the macros off and on, and that would
    make Alt-M a macro that produces the text string "Macro Mania;  Version
    1.00":

         {BREAK}={OFF}
         {MACROTOGGLE}={ALTF10}
         {KEY}={ALT M}
         {START}
         Macro Mania; Version 1.00
         {STOP}

    That file, named with  the  extension  .SRC,  then  would  have  to  be
    compiled  with the Macro Mania compiler to produce a data file with the
    extension .KEY.   Then,  to  load  the  macro  permanently,  you'd  use
    MACRO.COM  with the compiled data-file name.  To make a macro effective
    only during execution of a given program, you use MACRO, the  data-file
    name  and  the  name  of the program you want to run with the macro(s),
    and you must include the program's .EXE or whatever extension.

    The Macro Mania DOC file is one of the most  comprehensive  I've  seen.
    It  covers  everything  in  careful  detail and includes six appendices
    covering errors, common questions and answers, a list of the expression
    keys (script commands), a discussion of the technical structure of  the
    data  file,  a  discussion  of the use of text editors for creating the
    text file and, of course, lots of stuff  about  the  shareware  concept
    (which the author refers to as "freeware").

    However, the documentation isn't worth  much  if  you  can't  make  the
    program  work  properly  --  and I couldn't, at least not consistently.
    Pursuant to the instructions and examples in the DOC  file,  I  created
    the following text file and named it TEST.SRC:

         {BREAK}={ON}
         {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
         {KEY}={CTRL B}
         {START}
         DIR B:{ENTER}
         {STOP}

    Then I compiled it via the command COMPILER TEST.SRC TEST.KEY <Return>.
    The  compiler  reported compilation of one macro with no errors.  Then,
    pursuant to the instructions in the DOC file, I tried  to  load  it  as
    DOS-resident,  using  the  command  MACRO  TEST  /D.  I got the message
    "memory allocation error; cannot load COMMAND, system halted" and I had
    to reboot.  I read and re-read the DOC file and could find no reference
    to that error message or any explanation to help me solve  my  problem.
    I  tried  it  again with no other memory-resident utilities loaded, and
    again with "Break=On" removed from my Config.Sys  file,  but  the  same
    thing happened each time.

    Then, combining other examples from the DOC  file,  I  prepared  a  new
    TEST.SRC  file  with  the  following  lines (the 7th line was blank, as
    shown below):

         {BREAK}={ON}
         {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
         {KEY}={ALT M}
         {START}
         Macro Mania; Version 1.00
         {STOP}

         {KEY}={CTRL B}
         {START}
         DIR B:{ENTER}
         {STOP}

    Following the same steps as previously, I compiled  the  file  and  the
    message  indicated that 2 macros had been compiled without error.  Then
    I loaded it as memory-resident, as previously, and this time it  loaded
    without  error  and  all  three  macros  worked  properly,  i.e.  Alt-M
    produced the text string "Macro Mania; Version 1.00", Ctrl-B  performed
    a directory listing of drive B, and Alt-F10 turned those macros off and
    on.

    Then, after re-booting to clear those macros, I created  the  following
    test  file  (same  as  above,  but reversing the order of the Alt-M and
    Ctrl-B macros):

         {BREAK}={ON}
         {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
         {KEY}={CTRL B}
         {START}
         DIR B:{ENTER}
         {STOP}

         {KEY}={ALT M}
         {START}
         Macro Mania; Version 1.00
         {STOP}

    That one also compiled, loaded and worked without error.

    Again after re-booting, I created the following test file,  using  only
    the Alt-M macro:

         {BREAK}={ON}
         {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
         {KEY}={ALT M}
         {START}
         Macro Mania; Version 1.00
         {STOP}

    That one also worked without error.

    Then I made four more tests, re-booting  before  each  one,  using  the
    following test files:

         Test 1:  {BREAK}={ON}
                  {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
                  {KEY}={CTRL D}
                  {START}
                  DIR B:{ENTER}
                  {STOP}

         Test 2:  {BREAK}={ON}
                  {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
                  {KEY}={ALT B}
                  {START}
                  DIR B:{ENTER}
                  {STOP}

         Test 3:  {BREAK}={ON}
                  {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
                  {KEY}={ALT B}
                  {START}
                  CLS{ENTER}
                  {STOP}

         Test 4:  {BREAK}={ON}
                  {MACROTOGGLE}={ALT F10}
                  {KEY}={CTRL B}
                  {START}
                  DIR B:{ENTER}
                  {STOP}

                  {KEY}={ALT M}
                  {START}
                  CLS{RETURN}
                  {STOP}

    All four resulted in the same error message as first  described  above.
    Note that, in lieu of Ctrl-B, Test 1 used Ctrl-D and Test 2 used Alt-B,
    but both used the DIR B:  command, while Test 3 used Alt-B and the  CLS
    command, and Test 4 combined Ctrl-B with DIR B:  and Alt-M with CLS.

    From all of the above tests, it would appear that  Macro  Mania  has  a
    problem  dealing  with  a  file  that  consists  of only one or two DOS
    commands, such as DIR B:  or CLS, but that a DOS command can be handled
    if there are at least two macros in the file and one of them is a text-
    string macro.

    So, if you plan to use Macro Mania for DOS commands, make sure that you
    include  at  least  one  text-string  macro in the data file -- or wait
    until a later version of Macro  Mania  resolves  this  anomoly.    (Or,
    perhaps  all it would take is a more careful reading of the DOC file to
    discover something I missed.)

    Query:  If I have trouble remembering what I had for lunch  today,  how
    in the world am I going to remember  134  macros;  and,  when  deciding
    which  key(s)  to  use  for  which  macro(s),  to  avoid duplication or
    conflict with key combinations in other programs,  how  do  I  remember
    which of my other programs already use which keys as  macros  of  their
    own?    (As it happens, my wife makes an unforgettable spaghetti -- but
    that's beside the point.)

                                  **********


                         An Idea for Saving Disk Space


    Let's assume that you have lots of RAM and a hard disk,  and  that  the
    hard  disk  is  becoming full.  Let's also assume that you have several
    small (less than 2000 bytes) COM files that you use regularly.  Now, we
    know that, because of the way disk space is allocated and depending  on
    the type of hard disk you have, those small files are  each  taking  up
    1024,  2048  or  4096 bytes of disk space (depending on the hard disk),
    even though each may be much smaller than that.

    For example, my hard disk uses 2048-byte clusters.  Hence, even an  89-
    byte  COM  file takes up 2048 bytes of disk space -- and I have over 30
    COM files that are less than 2000 bytes in size, and many of them  have
    less  than  1000 or less than 100 bytes.  That's a lot of wasted space.
    On the other hand, I have 704K of RAM.

    So, here's my idea, which I haven't tried yet since my hard disk  still
    has almost half of its capacity available.  Why not put all those small
    COM  files  into  one  archive  (e.g. COM.ARC)  and  then  set  up  the
    Autoexec.Bat  file  to  create  a RAM-disk and to extract the COM files
    from the archive to the RAM-disk, and include in the PATH specification
    the  drive  name  of  the RAM-Disk?  That way, every time you boot, all
    those COM files would be in RAM, which means they  would  execute  even
    faster but would still be accessible at all times, and you'd save a ton
    of space on your hard disk.

    What do you think -- good idea?

    The shareware program, XEQ115.ARC,  will  do  something  similar.    It
    combines  several  COM programs into one and, to run one of them, you'd
    enter XEQ and the COM filename.   But,  as  I  recall,  it's  a  little
    complicated  to  set  up  and  there's a limit on how many files can be
    combined and, hence, you'd have to remember which COM  program  was  in
    which of the combined files.

                                  **********


                 Keyboard Clicks and Re-Entering DOS Commands


    You probably already know this stuff, and I may have known  it  at  one
    time and forgot, but I just accidentally, and virtually simultaneously,
    ran across two fascinating features about DOS.

    I accidentally pressed Alt-Esc.  Do you know what that does?   Try  it.
    It  toggles  the  keyboard clicking off and on.  When I had my old H-19
    smart terminal, I always had the key click off because it  annoyed  me.
    But  with my new system, I've never considered turning it off and don't
    remember ever knowing how to do it.  Well,  now  I  know  --  and  it's
    really  eerie to see the cursor moving and not hear the clicks when you
    hold down a key.

    Then I accidentally pressed the  right  arrow  key  while  at  the  DOS
    command  line  --  and  I  was surprised to see the prior command being
    reprinted, one character with each key press.  I  knew  that  F3  would
    reprint  the  entire  prior  command, but I didn't know about the arrow
    keys.  The left arrow key acts just like the Back Space key.

    One of these days I really should read the DOS manual to see what  else
    I'm missing.

    On the other hand, I couldn't find any reference to the key-click in my
    DOS manual's index.  Maybe I discovered an undocumented feature.  Let's
    call it the "Skipclick Option".

                                  **********


                           What You Should Have (4)

                  "The best laid plans of mice and men ...."


    In Issue #6, I started a discussion of programs  that  everyone  should
    have  by  listing some of the best file managers that I've come across.
    In Issues #7 and #8, I reviewed the programs in that  list.    In  this
    issue, I was going to discuss some other programs that you should  have
    and  some  that are worthy of your consideration as "nice to have" but,
    as you can see, I got sidetracked with other things.  Also, it occurred
    to  me that, not only was I being presumptuous by thinking that I could
    be the final arbiter on what everyone  should  have,  but  also  I  was
    biting off considerably more than I would  ever  be  able  to  chew  --
    there's a whole heck of a lot of really fine software out there.

    So, I've revised the plan.  Instead of  suggesting  what  programs  you
    should  have,  I'm  planning  to  discuss  in future issues some of the
    shareware and public domain programs that I have.  And unless I  change
    my  mind  again, I'll probably break them down into three basic catego-
    ries:  what's in my Autoexec.Bat and Config.Sys files; what's in my BIN
    directory (other than the DOS files), i.e. the things I  use  regularly
    or  like  to have immediately available for when I need them (thanks to
    the PATH specification);  and  the  things  I  keep  in  my  \MISC\MISC
    subdirectory  --  my "Fibber McGee's Closet", where I store things that
    look interesting and that I just might have (but haven't so far had)  a
    need for.

    In the meantime, don't forget that I welcome questions, or  suggestions
    of topics to discuss or files to review.

                                  **********

                       Autoexec.Bat and Config.Sys Files


                              What's in the Bin?


              "Fibber McGee's Closet":  The \Misc\Misc Directory