Shareware Grab Bag

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

/ Shareware Grab Bag / Shareware Grab Bag.iso / 007 / pcflist.arc / PC-FLIST.DOC next >

Wrap

Text File | 1986-01-05 | 58.7 KB | 2,282 lines

PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 1 PC-FLIST Reference Manual Version 1.10 CodeCrafters P.O. Box 206 Shelton, CT 06484-0206 Copyright (c) 1985, 1986 by CodeCrafters. All rights to PC-FLIST are reserved by CodeCrafters. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 2 PC-FLIST is a User Supported program. It represents many hours of hard work. Please support the concept of User Supported software by sending a small contribution of $20 if you find this program of value. Complete program source code is available to those who contribute. If you would like the source, send a DSDD diskette along with you contribution of $20 plus $1 postage. The source consists of both C and 8088 Assembler files. There are many useful generalized functions for screen I/O, DOS command execution and memory-to-memory operations. PC-FLIST may be shared with others under the condition that NO CHARGE is made for the program or documentation. CodeCrafters P.O. Box 206 Shelton, CT 06484-0206 PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 3 Table Of Contents 1.0 What Is PC-FLIST ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.0 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.0 PC-FLIST Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1 Title Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.2 Name Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.3 Command Input Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.4 Statistics Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.5 Function Key Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4.0 PC-FLIST Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4.1 The Backspace Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4.2 The Ctrl-End Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.3 The Ctrl-Home Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.4 The Ctrl-Left Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.5 The Ctrl-PgDn Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.6 The Ctrl-PgUp Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.7 The Ctrl-Right Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.8 The Del Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.9 The Down Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4.10 The End Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.11 The Enter Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.12 The Esc Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.13 The Grey + Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.14 The Home Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.15 The Ins Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.16 The Left Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.17 The PgDn Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4.18 The PgUp Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4.19 The Right Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4.20 The Scroll Lock Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4.21 The Shift-Tab Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4.22 The Tab Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4.23 The Up Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 5.0 PC-FLIST Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.1 The / Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.2 The /nnnn Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5.3 The /A Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5.4 The /B Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5.5 The /C Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5.6 The /F Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5.7 The /H Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5.8 The /L Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5.9 The /O Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5.10 The /Q Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5.11 The /R Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5.12 The /Sx Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5.13 The /T Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5.14 The /X Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5.15 The = Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5.16 The ? Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5.17 The * Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 4 6.0 PC-FLIST Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 6.1 The / Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 6.2 The /D Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 6.3 The /E Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 6.4 The /N Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 6.5 The /P Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 6.6 Combining PC-FLIST Functions . . . . . . . . . . 26 7.0 PC-FLIST Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 7.1 The ATTR Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 7.2 The CHAR Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 7.3 The DEFINE Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 7.4 The EXECUTE Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.5 The FILEID Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.6 The MACRO Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 7.7 The OPTION Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 7.8 The SYNONYM Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 7.9 Profile Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 7.10 Profile Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 8.0 PC-FLIST Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 5 1.0 What Is PC-FLIST ? PC-FLIST is a full-screen file directory program designed to improve the productivity of virtually any PC user regardless of expertise. PC-FLIST allows the PC user to: * Select which files are to be included in the file list. * Sort files by Name, Extension, Size or Date/Time. * Execute DOS commands associated with files in the list. * Include files with similar names from other drives. * Select up to 10 groups of files to be displayed. * Select a different group of files without exiting. PC-FLIST was modeled after IBM's VM/CMS FLIST program which provides similar functions to the VM/CMS user. Although PC-FLIST was modeled after IBM's FLIST, the power of the real time nature of the PC has not been abandoned. Some of the features provided by PC-FLIST are: * User customization Profile. * User defined display attributes. * Forty (40) user defined function keys. * Thirty-six (36) user defined macro keys. * On-line Help facility. The minimum system configuration required by PC-FLIST is: * An 80 column monochrome or color monitor. * One or more diskette(s) or fixed disk(s). * 128K read-write memory (see NOTE below). * DOS Versions 2.00 or later. NOTE: PC-FLIST requires between 39K and 46K depending upon the size of the file list. Additional memory is required to execute DOS commands. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 6 2.0 Getting Started PC-FLIST consists of three (3) files. "PC-FLIST.EXE" is the PC-FLIST program, "PC-FLIST.PRO" is the default Profile and "PC-FLIST.HLP" is the default Helpfile. The Profile and/or Helpfile may be customized through the use of a text editor as both are standard ASCII files. The most convenient method of executing PC-FLIST is to place all three files on the default drive or within the DOS search path. PC-FLIST will search all paths defined to DOS for the Profile unless the P Option is specified, and will search all paths defined to DOS for the Helpfile unless the H Option is specified. PC-FLIST is invoked from the DOS command line or from within a .BAT file. NOTE: PC-FLIST supports both popular switch characters, / for DOS enthusiasts and - for UNIX enthusiasts. Both switch characters are functionally equivalent. For the purposes of this discussion, the / character will be used. The format of the PC-FLIST command is depicted in Figure 2.1. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | PC-FLIST [[d:][path]filename[.ext]] | | | | [/D] | | | | [/H[d:][path]filename[.ext]] | | | | [/P[d:][path]filename[.ext]] | | | +- Figure 2.1: PC-FLIST Command Format --------------------+ The operands which may appear with the PC-FLIST command are: [d:][path]filename[.ext] Provides the file selection criteria to be used in developing the file list. The DOS "wild card" characters * and ? may be used within filename and .ext. /D Indicates only directories are to be considered when creating the file list. /H[d:][path]filename[.ext] Provides the file specification of the Helpfile to be used other than the default "PC-FLIST.HLP" provided. /P[d:][path]filename[.ext] Provides the file specification of the Profile to be used other than the default "PC-FLIST.PRO" provided. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 7 For example, to select all files on the default drive, Enter: PC-FLIST OR PC-FLIST *.* To select all files on the A drive with an extension of .BAT, Enter: PC-FLIST A:*.BAT To select all files on the B drive beginning with A, Enter: PC-FLIST B:A*.* And to select all directories on the default drive for use as a file maintenance home base, Enter: PC-FLIST /D OR PC-FLIST *.* /D PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 8 3.0 PC-FLIST Display The PC-FLIST display is divided into five (5) areas as depicted in Figure 3.1. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | +---------------------------------------------+ | | | Title Area | | | | ----------+------------------+------------- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Name | Command Input | Statistics | | | | Area | Area | Area | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------+------------------+------------- | | | | Function Key Area | | | +---------------------------------------------+ | | | +- Figure 3.1: PC-FLIST Display Format --------------------+ 3.1 Title Area PC-FLIST uses this area to display: * PC-FLIST version number. * Amount of memory available to DOS commands. * File selection criteria of the current display level. * Current display level number. * Current file list entry within the file list. 3.2 Name Area PC-FLIST uses this area to display: * Drive of the file. * Name of the file. * Extension of the file. 3.3 Command Input Area PC-FLIST uses this area to: * Accept both PC-FLIST and DOS commands. * Display error messages. NOTE: The error messages will disappear at the first keystroke within the same line as the error message. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 9 3.4 Statistics Area PC-FLIST uses this area to display: * Size of the file in bytes. * Date of the last update for the file. * Time of the last update for the file. 3.5 Function Key Area PC-FLIST uses this area to display: * Names of function keys for each shift state. NOTE: The names displayed will change whenever the shift state is changed; i.e. pressing Alt, Shift or Ctrl. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 10 4.0 PC-FLIST Keys PC-FLIST supports most of the cursor control and scroll keys to perform specialized functions enabling easier and more productive use of the product. Those keys which are supported and their PC-FLIST meanings are: Backspace Rubout Ctrl-End Bottom Ctrl-Home Top Ctrl-Left Erase To Beginning Of Line Ctrl-PgDn Bottom Edge Ctrl-PgUp Top Edge Ctrl-Right Erase To End Of Line Del Delete Character Down Cursor Down End End Of Line Enter New Line Esc Erase Input Grey + Execute Input Home Beginning Of Line Ins Insert On/Off Left Cursor Left PgDn Page Down PgUp Page Up Right Cursor Right Scroll Lock Scroll On/Off Shift-Tab Backtab Word Tab Tab Word Up Cursor Up 4.1 The Backspace Key The Backspace key (Rubout) deletes the character to the left of the current cursor position, provided the cursor is not at PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 11 the beginning of the line, and shifts the characters to the right into that position. 4.2 The Ctrl-End Keys The Ctrl-End keys (Bottom) scroll to the last page of the file list and position the cursor at the beginning of the last command line. 4.3 The Ctrl-Home Keys The Ctrl-Home keys (Top) scroll to the first page of the file list and position the cursor at the beginning of the first command line. 4.4 The Ctrl-Left Keys The Ctrl-Left keys (Erase To Beginning Of Line) erases all characters from the beginning of the command line through the current cursor position. 4.5 The Ctrl-PgDn Keys The Ctrl-PgDn keys (Bottom Edge) move the cursor to the beginning of the last command line of the display page. 4.6 The Ctrl-PgUp Keys The Ctrl-PgUp keys (Top Edge) move the cursor to the beginning of the first command line of the display page. 4.7 The Ctrl-Right Keys The Ctrl-Right keys (Erase To End Of Line) erases all characters from the current cursor position through the end of the command line. 4.8 The Del Key The Del key (Delete Character) deletes the character at the current cursor position and shifts the characters to the right of the cursor into that position. 4.9 The Down Key The Down key (Cursor Down) moves the cursor to the next line and scrolls the file list up if the cursor was on the last line of the display page, provided the cursor is not already on the last line of the file list. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 12 4.10 The End Key The End key (End Of Line) moves the cursor to the end of the line. 4.11 The Enter Key The Enter key (New Line) moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line and scrolls the file list up if the cursor was on the last line of the display page, provided the cursor is not already on the last line of the file list. 4.12 The Esc Key The Esc key (Erase Input) erases ALL input from ALL command lines within the Command Input Area regardless of whether they are displayed and positions the cursor at the beginning of the first command line. 4.13 The Grey + Key The Grey + Key (Execute Input) executes non-comment PC-FLIST and DOS commands within the Command Input Area regardless of whether they are displayed. NOTE: If an PC-FLIST /Sx command precedes other commands, the following commands may not execute in the order intended due to the sorting of the file list. 4.14 The Home Key The Home key (Beginning Of Line) moves the cursor to the beginning of the line. 4.15 The Ins Key The Ins key (Insert On/Off) activates and deactivates Insert Mode. If Insert Mode is active, indicated by a blinking SQUARE cursor, the Ins key will deactivate it. If Insert Mode is inactive, indicated by a blinking UNDERLINE cursor, the Ins key will activate it. In Insert Mode, characters to the right of the cursor are shifted to the right as characters are entered at the current cursor position. Any characters shifted off the right side of the display are lost. 4.16 The Left Key The Left key (Cursor Left) moves the cursor to the previous character of the command line, provided the cursor is not already at the beginning of the line. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 13 4.17 The PgDn Key The PgDn key (Page Down) scrolls to the next page of the file list and retains the cursor position relative to the top of the display page whenever possible. 4.18 The PgUp Key The PgUp key (Page Up) scrolls to the previous page of the file list and retains the cursor position relative to the bottom of the display page whenever possible. 4.19 The Right Key The Right key (Cursor Right) moves the cursor to the next character of the command line, provided the cursor is not already at the end of the line. 4.20 The Scroll Lock Key The Scroll Lock key (Scroll On/Off) activates and deactivates Scroll Mode. If Scroll Mode is active, the Scroll Lock key will deactivate it. If Scroll Mode is inactive, referred to as Wrap Mode, the Scroll Lock key will activate it. In Scroll Mode, the file list scrolls up or down as the cursor is moved off the display. In Wrap Mode, the cursor wraps around as the cursor is moved off the display. 4.21 The Shift-Tab Keys The Shift-Tab keys (Backtab Word) moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous word within the command line, provided the cursor is not already at the beginning of the first word within the line. 4.22 The Tab Key The Tab key (Tab Word) moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word within the command line, provided the cursor is not already at the beginning of the last word within the line. 4.23 The Up Key The Up key (Cursor Up) moves the cursor to the previous line and scrolls the file list down if the cursor was on the first line of the display page, provided the cursor is not already on the first line of the file list. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 14 5.0 PC-FLIST Commands PC-FLIST supports a variety of file list manipulation commands. These commands may appear within: * An EXECUTE command within the Profile. * A DEFINE command within the Profile. * The Command Input Area. The PC-FLIST commands are identified by the PC-FLIST Command Character. This character may be changed with a CHAR command within the Profile. For the following, it will be assumed the Command Character is /, the default. The following are PC-FLIST commands: / Scroll to current file list entry. /nnnn Scroll to specific file list entry. /A Append another drive to file list. /B Scroll to bottom of file list. /C Terminate all display levels. /F Find matching file list entry. /H Display the Helpfile. /L Create or select display level. /O Do not append file specification. /Q Terminate current display level. /R Read drive replacing file list. /Sx Sort file list by criteria "x". /T Scroll to top of file list. /X Execute the Command Input Area. = Repeat last DOS command. ? Recall last DOS command. * Do not process this command. 5.1 The / Command The / (point) command requests the current file list entry become the first file list entry within the display. The format of the / command is depicted in Figure 5.1. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 15 +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | / | | | +- Figure 5.1: / Command Format ---------------------------+ No operands are required with the / command. For example, to position the display to the file list entry which contains the cursor, Type: / and then press the Execute Input key. 5.2 The /nnnn Command The /nnnn (point) command requests a specific file list entry become the first file list entry within the display, where nnnn is the file list entry number. The format of the /nnnn command is depicted in Figure 5.2. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /nnnn | | | +- Figure 5.2: /nnnn Command Format -----------------------+ No operands are required with the /nnnn command. For example, to position the display to file list entry number 17, Type: /17 and then press the Execute Input key. 5.3 The /A Command The /A (Append) command requests the directory from another drive be processed and those files matching the file selection criteria of the current display level be added to the file list. The format of the /A command is depicted in Figure 5.3. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /A d: | | | +- Figure 5.3: /A Command Format --------------------------+ The operands which MUST appear with the /A command are: PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 16 d: Provides the drive whose directory is to be processed. For example, to append drive A to the file list, assuming drive A is NOT already in the file list, Type: /A A: and then press the Execute Input key. 5.4 The /B Command The /B (Bottom) command requests the last page of the file list be displayed. The Ctrl-End (Bottom) keys may also be used to view the last page of the file list. The format of the /B command is depicted in Figure 5.4. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /B | | | +- Figure 5.4: /B Command Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the /B command. For example, to position the display to the last page, Type: /B and then press the Execute Input key. 5.5 The /C Command The /C (Cancel) command requests the termination of ALL display levels WITHOUT executing any other PC-FLIST or DOS commands, then control is returned to DOS. The format of the /C command is depicted in Figure 5.5. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /C | | | +- Figure 5.5: /C Command Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the /C command. For example, to terminate all display levels, Type: /C and then press the Execute Input key. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 17 5.6 The /F Command The /F (Find) command requests the next file which matches the file search criteria specified, on this or a previous /F command, is to become the first file list entry within the display. The format of the /F command is depicted in Figure 5.6. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /F { filename[.ext] | = } | | | +- Figure 5.6: /F Command Format --------------------------+ The operands which MUST appear with the /F command are: filename[.ext] | = Provides the file search criteria to be used in searching the file list. The DOS "wild card" characters * and ? may be used. = indicates the next occurrence of the file search criteria specified on a previous /F command. For example, to locate a file starting with ABC, Type: /F ABC*.* and then press the Execute Input key. 5.7 The /H Command The /H (Help) command requests the Helpfile, "PC-FLIST.HLP" by default, be displayed. NOTE: The Helpfile may be modified, if desired, using any ASCII oriented editor. Its format is a simple twenty-four (24) lines of up to eighty (80) characters per line constituting a display page. A More ... message will be displayed between each display page and a Holding ... message will be displayed after the final display page. The final display page should contain less than twenty-four (24) lines to avoid an unnecessary More ... message preceding the Holding ... message. The format of the /H command is depicted in Figure 5.7. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /H | | | +- Figure 5.7: /H Command Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the /H command. For example, to view the Helpfile, Type: /H and then press the Execute Input key. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 18 5.8 The /L Command The /L (Level) command requests a new display level be created or the previous, next or specific existing display level be displayed. A maximum of ten (10) display levels may be active at any one time. NOTE: New levels start with ALL files within the DEFAULT path of the DEFAULT drive, and combine that with the file selection criteria contained within the /L command. The format of the /L command is depicted in Figure 5.8. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /L{ n | - | + } | | | | OR | | | | /L [d:][path]filename[.ext] | | | | [/D] | | | +- Figure 5.8: /L Command Format --------------------------+ The operands which may appear with the /L command are: n | - | + Provides the specific active level to be displayed where n is between 0 and 9, inclusive. - indicates the previous active level is to be displayed. The previous level is determined by searching from the current level downward to 0 then from 9 until a valid level is located. + indicates the next active level is to be displayed. The next level is determined by searching from the current level upward to 9 then from 0 until a valid level is located. [d:][path]filename[.ext] Provides the file selection criteria to be used in creating the new display level. The DOS "wild card" characters * and ? may be used with filename and .ext. The PC-FLIST Functions may also be used. /D Indicates only directories are to be considered when creating the file list. For example, to select display level 5, Type: /L5 and then press the Execute Input key. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 19 5.9 The /O Command The /O (Omit) command requests the associated DOS command NOT have the file specification appended. However, the PC-FLIST /, /D, /E, /N or /P functions may still be requested within the DOS command. The format of the /O command is depicted in Figure 5.9. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /O [command] | | | +- Figure 5.9: /O Command Format --------------------------+ The operands which may appear with the /O command are: command Provides the DOS command to be executed. For example, to omit the file specification from a DOS PATH command, Type: /O PATH A:\;B:\;C:\; and then press the Execute Input key. 5.10 The /Q Command The /Q (Quit) command requests the termination of the current display level WITHOUT executing any other PC-FLIST or DOS commands. If another display level exists, it will be re-created, otherwise control is returned to DOS. NOTE: If the re-creation of another display level fails due to a "Drive Not Ready" or similar error, the current display level is NOT terminated and an error message is displayed. Correct the error and re-issue the /Q command. The format of the /Q command is depicted in Figure 5.10. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /Q | | | +- Figure 5.10: /Q Command Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /Q command. For example, to terminate the current display level, Type: /Q and then press the Execute Input key. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 20 5.11 The /R Command The /R (Read) command requests the file list be replaced with a new, or updated, list using new, or existing, selection criteria. If no operands appear with the /R command, the entire file list is refreshed, including any appended drives. The format of the /R command is depicted in Figure 5.11. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /R | | | | OR | | | | /R [d:][path]filename[.ext] | | | | [/D] | | | +- Figure 5.11: /R Command Format -------------------------+ The operands which may appear with the /R command are: [d:][path]filename[.ext] Provides the file selection criteria to be used in developing the file list. The DOS "wild card" characters * and ? may be used within filename and .ext. The PC-FLIST Functions may be used. /D Indicates only directories are to be considered when creating the file list. For example, to create a file list of all .EXE files on drive B, Type: /R B:*.EXE and then press the Execute Input key. 5.12 The /Sx Command The /Sx (Sort) command requests the file list be sorted by Date/Time, Extension, Name or Size based upon x. If x is D, the file list will be sorted by Date/Time (descending), Name, Drive and Extension (ascending). If x is E, the file list will be sorted by Extension, Name and Drive (ascending). If x is N, the file list will be sorted by Name, Drive and Extension (ascending). If x is S, the file list will be sorted by Size (descending), Name, Drive and Extension (ascending). The sort sequence will always be preserved by future /A and/or /R commands. The format of the /Sx command is depicted in Figure 5.12. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 21 +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /SD | | | | OR | | | | /SE | | | | OR | | | | /SN | | | | OR | | | | /SS | | | +- Figure 5.12: /Sx Command Format ------------------------+ No operands are required with the /Sx command. For example, to sort the file list by Date/Time, Type: /SD and then press the Execute Input key. 5.13 The /T Command The /T (Top) command requests the first page of the file list be displayed. The Ctrl-Home (Top) keys may also be used to view the first page of the file list. The format of the /T command is depicted in Figure 5.13. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /T | | | +- Figure 5.13: /T Command Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /T command. For example, to position the display to the first page, Type: /T and then press the Execute Input key. 5.14 The /X Command The /X (eXecute) command requests ALL commands within the Command Input Area be executed. The Grey + (Execute Input) key may also be used to execute Command Input Area commands. The format of the /X command is depicted in Figure 5.14. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 22 +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /X | | | +- Figure 5.14: /X Command Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /X command. For example, to execute the Command Input Area, press the Execute Input key. 5.15 The = Command The = (repeat) command requests the last DOS command be repeated for this file. CAUTION: The = command can be very dangerous if you forget the last DOS command you executed was an ERASE or COPY. When in doubt, use the ? command described in 5.16 The ? Command. The format of the = command is depicted in Figure 5.15. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | = | | | +- Figure 5.15: = Command Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the = command. For example, to repeat a DOS ERASE command for three files, Type: ERASE = = and then press the Execute Input key. 5.16 The ? Command The ? (recall) command requests the last DOS command be recalled to the Command Input Area. The format of the ? command is depicted in Figure 5.16. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | ? | | | +- Figure 5.16: ? Command Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the ? command. For example, to recall the last DOS command, Type: ? and then press the Execute Input key. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 23 5.17 The * Command The * (comment) command requests this command NOT be processed. The format of the * command is depicted in Figure 5.17. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | * | | | +- Figure 5.17: * Command Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the * command. For example, to have a DOS FORMAT command NOT processed, Type: *FORMAT A: PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 24 6.0 PC-FLIST Functions PC-FLIST supports a variety of file specification manipulation functions. These functions may appear within: * An EXECUTE command within the Profile. * A DEFINE command within the Profile. * The Command Input Area of the file list. The PC-FLIST functions are identified by the PC-FLIST Command Character. This character may be changed with a CHAR command within the Profile. For the following, it will be assumed the Command Character is /, the default. The following are PC-FLIST functions: / Insert complete file specification. /D Insert d: of file list entry. /E Insert .ext of file list entry. /N Insert filename of file list entry. /P Insert path of display level. By default, PC-FLIST will append the complete file specification to the end of a DOS command UNLESS the /O command OR any of the PC-FLIST functions listed above were already processed within the command text. 6.1 The / Function The / (fileid) function requests the complete file specification, as defined by the FILEID command, be inserted at the present location within the command text. The format of the / function is depicted in Figure 6.1. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | / | | | +- Figure 6.1: / Function Format --------------------------+ No operands are required with the / function. For example, to construct a DOS COPY command of the current file to drive B, Type: COPY / B: 6.2 The /D Function The /D (Drive) function requests d: of the file list entry be inserted at the present location within the command text. The format of the /D function is depicted in Figure 6.2. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 25 +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /D | | | +- Figure 6.2: /D Function Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /D function. For example, to construct a DOS FORMAT command for the drive on which the current file resides, Type: FORMAT /D 6.3 The /E Function The /E (Extension) function requests .ext of the file list entry be inserted at the present location within the command text. The format of the /E function is depicted in Figure 6.3. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /E | | | +- Figure 6.3: /E Function Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /E function. For example, to construct a DOS RENAME command for the current file while retaining the current extension, Type: RENAME / NEWNAME/E 6.4 The /N Function The /N (Name) function requests filename of the file list entry be inserted at the present location within the command text. The format of the /N function is depicted in Figure 6.4. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /N | | | +- Figure 6.4: /N Function Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /N function. For example, to construct a DOS BASICA command for the current filename, Type: BASICA /N PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 26 6.5 The /P Function The /P (Path) function requests the path of the display level be inserted at the present location within the command text. The format of the /P function is depicted in Figure 6.5. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | /P | | | +- Figure 6.5: /P Function Format -------------------------+ No operands are required with the /P function. For example, to construct a DOS CHDIR command to the current path, Type: CHDIR /P 6.6 Combining PC-FLIST Functions The PC-FLIST functions may be combined into one token, if desired, as shown below: /DPNE OR /D/PNE OR /D/P/NE OR /D/P/N/E However, if any character within the token is not an PC-FLIST function, that character and those following until the end of the token or the Command Character are treated as literal text. For example: /DPME would result in d: and path followed by ME being inserted in the command text. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 27 7.0 PC-FLIST Profile PC-FLIST utilizes a Profile for user customization. The default file specification for the Profile is "PC-FLIST.PRO". This default may be overridden using the P option when PC-FLIST is invoked. The commands which may appear within the Profile are: ATTR Define display attributes. CHAR Define PC-FLIST command character. DEFINE Define function key command text. EXECUTE Execute DOS or PC-FLIST command. FILEID Define default fileid components. MACRO Define macro key text. OPTION Select processing options. SYNONYM Define DOS command name aliases. 7.1 The ATTR Command The ATTR command specifies which display attributes are to be used by PC-FLIST. There are eight (8) attribute specifications which effect each display area. All attribute specifications should be entered as one or more hexadecimal digits or * if the default attribute is desired. Attribute specifications are processed modulo 256 (hexadecimal 100). The format of the ATTR command is depicted in Figure 7.1. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | ATTR { title | * } | | | | { border | * } | | | | { file | * } | | | | { input | * } | | | | { message | * } | | | | { key | * } | | | | { name | * } | | | | { clear | * } | | | +- Figure 7.1: ATTR Command Format ------------------------+ The operands which may appear with the ATTR command are: PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 28 title | * Provides the attribute for titles within the Title Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. border | * Provides the attribute for borders between each Display Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. file | * Provides the attribute for both the Name and Statistics Areas as well as the file selection criteria within the Title Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. input | * Provides the attribute for the Command Input Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. message | * Provides the attribute for messages which will appear within the Command Input Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. key | * Provides the attribute for the Fnn> literals within the Function Key Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. name | * Provides the attribute for the names of keys within the Function Key Area. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. clear | * Provides the attribute for clearing the display prior to DOS command execution as well as PC-FLIST program termination. * specifies the default attribute is to be used. For example, to change the file attribute to RED, the following command could be used: ATTR * * 04 7.2 The CHAR Command The CHAR command specifies which character will identify PC-FLIST Commands and Functions. The character must be a punctuation character which does not conflict with any PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 29 PC-FLIST or DOS reserved character. The character may be used literally within a command by repeating; i.e. if / is the command character, // will yield / within the command provided to DOS. The format of the CHAR command is depicted in Figure 7.2. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | CHAR { char | * } | | | +- Figure 7.2: CHAR Command Format ------------------------+ The operands which may appear with the CHAR command are: char | * Provides the character which will identify PC-FLIST Commands and Functions. * specifies the default command character is to be used. For example, to change the character to $, the following command could be used: CHAR $ 7.3 The DEFINE Command The DEFINE command specifies the name and command to be associated to a particular function key. Forty (40) function keys are supported by PC-FLIST named F1 thru F10, a-F1 thru a-F10, c-F1 thru c-F10 and s-F1 thru a-F10. If a function key has no command associated with it, it will be ignored when depressed by the user. The format of the DEFINE command is depicted in Figure 7.3. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | DEFINE key | | | | = | | | | [[name]] | | | | [command] | | | +- Figure 7.3: DEFINE Command Format ----------------------+ The operands which may appear with the DEFINE command are: key Provides the function key to be defined as F1 thru F10, a-F1 thru a-F10, c-F1 thru c-F10 or s-F1 thru s-F10. = Indicates the assignment follows. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 30 [name] Provides the name to be associated with this function key. This name will be displayed within the Function Key Area. This name must be enclosed within square brackets ([]). Names exceeding 12 characters in length are truncated to 12 characters. command Provides the command text to be associated with this function key. This command may be an PC-FLIST or DOS command. Commands exceeding 60 characters in length are truncated to 60 characters. For example, to define function key F4 as the DOS TYPE command, the following command could be used: DEFINE F4 = [Type] TYPE 7.4 The EXECUTE Command The EXECUTE command specifies an PC-FLIST or DOS command to be executed during PC-FLIST initialization. This command can be used to sort the file list into a desired sequence rather than DOS directory sequence. The format of the EXECUTE command is depicted in Figure 7.4. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXECUTE [command] | | | +- Figure 7.4: EXECUTE Command Format ---------------------+ The operands which may appear with the EXECUTE command are: command Provides the command to be executed. NOTE: Any DOS commands will be associated with the FIRST file within the file list. Use the PC-FLIST /O command to omit the file specification from the command. For example, To execute the PC-FLIST /SD command during initialization, the following command could be used: EXECUTE /SD 7.5 The FILEID Command The FILEID command specifies the components to be used when creating a file specification. Since some applications in the PC world do not support paths within file specifications, it may be desirable to omit the path from default file specifications built by PC-FLIST. The format of the FILEID command is depicted in Figure 7.5. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 31 +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | FILEID [D][P][N][E] | | | +- Figure 7.5: FILEID Command Format ----------------------+ The operands which may appear with the FILEID command are: [D][P][N][E] Indicates the file specification components to be used when creating a complete file specification. The characters D, P, N and E represent d:, path, filename and .ext, respectively. The value specified may not exceed 4 characters in length. For example, to create default file specifications containing only name and extension, the following command could be used: FILEID NE 7.6 The MACRO Command The MACRO command specifies the text to be associated to a particular macro key. Thirty-six (36) macro keys are supported by PC-FLIST named a-A thru a-Z and a-1 thru a-0. If a macro key has no text associated with it, it will be ignored when depressed by the user. The format of the MACRO command is depicted in Figure 7.6. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | MACRO key | | | | = | | | | [text] | | | +- Figure 7.6: MACRO Command Format -----------------------+ The operands which may appear with the MACRO command are: key Provides the macro key to be defined as a-A thru a-Z or a-1 thru a-0. = Indicates the assignment follows. text Provides the text to be associated with this macro key. Text exceeding 60 characters in length are truncated to 60 characters. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 32 For example, to define macro key a-T as the DOS TYPE command piped to the DOS MORE filter, the following command could be used: MACRO a-T = TYPE / | MORE 7.7 The OPTION Command The OPTION command specifies the PC-FLIST processing options to be used. The format of the OPTION command is depicted in Figure 7.7. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | OPTION { CHDIR | NOCHDIR } | | | | { ECHO | NOECHO } | | | | { HOLD | NOHOLD } | | | | { PAUSE | NOPAUSE } | | | | { RETRACE | NORETRACE } | | | +- Figure 7.7: OPTION Command Format ----------------------+ The operands which may appear with the OPTION command are: CHDIR | NOCHDIR Indicates the current path IS|IS NOT to be saved, changed to the path of the display level and restored for each command to be executed by DOS. ECHO | NOECHO Indicates each command IS|IS NOT to be displayed prior to its execution by DOS. HOLD | NOHOLD Indicates a pause WILL|WILL NOT be taken after all commands have been executed by DOS. This pause would be necessary to read any output from the DOS commands as it will be overlaid by the file list display. NOTE: The pause will be taken only if output has been displayed. Any key stroke will terminate the pause. PAUSE | NOPAUSE Indicates each command IS|IS NEITHER to be displayed AND|NOR a pause taken prior to its execution by DOS. If Esc is depressed, the command WILL NOT be executed by DOS, however, PC-FLIST will continue processing the Command Input Area. Any other key stroke will terminate the pause. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 33 RETRACE | NORETRACE Indicates video memory accesses ARE|ARE NOT to be synchronized with the horizontal retrace signal from the video controller. This is necessary on Standard Color Graphics video controllers to prevent flicker. For example, to disable video retrace synchronization, the following command could be used: OPTION NORETRACE 7.8 The SYNONYM Command The SYNONYM command specifies alias names for true name DOS commands. A maximum of twenty-five (25) SYNONYM commands may be specified, after which subsequent SYNONYM commands will be ignored. The format of the SYNONYM command is depicted in Figure 7.8. +----------------------------------------------------------+ | | | SYNONYM aliasname | | | | truename | | | +- Figure 7.8: SYNONYM Command Format ---------------------+ The operands which may appear with the SYNONYM command are: aliasname Provides the alias name to be associated with the true name. Alias names exceeding 8 characters in length are truncated to 8 characters. truename Provides the true name for the DOS command represented by the alias name. True names exceeding 8 characters in length are truncated to 8 characters. For example, to define C as an alias of the DOS COPY command, the following command could be used: SYNONYM C COPY 7.9 Profile Performance The processing of the Profile can account for a significant portion of the time required for initialization. The default profile contains many comments and examples and therefore requires more time to process. To achieve the best possible initialization time, remove all extraneous comments and unnecessary commands; i.e. defining a function key as null, from the Profile. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 34 7.10 Profile Errors If errors are detected within the Profile, PC-FLIST will display a message in the first Command Input Area line, and continue processing. If the errors prevented the definition of an PC-FLIST /Q or /C command function key, depressing Ctrl-Break three (3) times without any intervening keystrokes OR typing /Q or /C followed by the Execute Input key will terminate PC-FLIST allowing corrections to be made to the Profile. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 35 8.0 PC-FLIST Messages PC-FLIST produces messages when errors or unexpected conditions arise during processing. The messages, listed in alphabetic sequence by the text of the message, are: ????????.??? Not Found This message is issued when no entries from the current file list entry to the end of the file list match the file search criteria "????????.???". [^C] This message is issued as a result of a DOS command being terminated due to Ctrl-Break. NOTE: DOS is not very consistent in returning this indication, so you may not see this message in all cases. [nnn] This message is issued as a result of a DOS command returning the non-zero return code nnn. The meaning of a non-zero return code depends entirely upon the DOS command being executed. [ERR] This message is issued as a result of a DOS command being terminated due to a critical device error. NOTE: DOS is not very consistent in returning this indication, so you may not see this message in all cases. Access Denied This message is issued as a result of DOS returning an error code 5 during DOS command execution which indicates the desired command file is LOCKed by file sharing. Command Not Found This message is issued as a result of a command or batch file not being found. Disk I/O Error This message is issued when a critical device error, other than Not Ready, is detected during I/O processing to a drive. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 36 Drive Already In File List This message is issued when a /A command is executed specifying a drive which is already contained in the current file list. Drive Missing Or Invalid This message is issued when a /A PC-FLIST command is executed without specifying a drive or when the drive specified is invalid. Drive Not Ready This message is issued when a Not Ready error is detected during I/O processing to a drive. Error(s) In Profile This message is issued when one or more error(s) is detected during Profile processing. Only those Profile commands in error are ignored. Filespec Missing Or Invalid This message is issued when a command is executed without specifying a filespec or when the filespec specified is invalid. Helpfile Not Found This message is issued when "PC-FLIST.HLP" or user specified Helpfile file specification could not be found. The H option of the PC-FLIST command may be used to provide the file specification for the Helpfile if it does not reside in the DOS search path. Holding ... This message is issued when the PC-FLIST display will overlay data currently visible on the display screen. Pressing any key indicates processing may continue. Insufficient Memory This message is issued when no more memory is available. If this message appears as a result of executing a DOS command, the command was too large to fit in the memory available. If this message appears after initialization or an PC-FLIST command, the file list is too large to fit in the memory available. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 37 Invalid Environment This message is issued as a result of DOS returning an error code 10 during DOS command execution indicating the current DOS environment is invalid for the desired command. Invalid Format This message is issued as a result of DOS returning an error code 11 during DOS command execution indicating the desired command file is not valid .EXE or .COM format. Level Not Active Or Invalid This message is issued when an invalid or inactive level number is specified on a /L PC-FLIST command. Maximum Levels Active This message is issued when attempting to create a new display level, but ten (10) levels are currently active. More ... This message is issued when a complete PC-FLIST Helpfile display page is currently visible on the display screen. Pressing the Esc key indicates the /H command is to be terminated. Pressing any other key indicates processing may continue. No Files Selected This message is issued when no files matched the specified selection criteria. Not Executed Due To ESC This message is issued when Esc was pressed during PAUSE processing indicating this command line was NOT executed. Execution of the remainder of the Command Input Area continues. Path Missing Or Invalid This message is issued when a command is executed without specifying a path or when the path specified is invalid. PC-FLIST - Version 1.10 Page 38 Pausing ... This message is issued when a DOS command is about to be executed. Pressing the Esc key indicates the DOS command is NOT to be executed. Pressing any other key indicates the DOS command is to be executed. Profile Not Found This message is issued when "PC-FLIST.PRO" or user specified Profile file specification could not be found. The P option of the PC-FLIST command may be used to provide the file specification for the Profile if it does not reside in the DOS search path. Target Missing Or Invalid This message is issued when the file list search criteria on a /F PC-FLIST command is missing or invalid. Only filename and extension are permitted as search criteria. Unexpected DOS Error This message is issued when a DOS error code is returned which cannot be corrected by PC-FLIST. Unknown PC-FLIST Command This message is issued when the Command Character appears as the first character within a command line and is followed by a character(s) which do not represent a valid PC-FLIST command or function.