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- ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ E R R A T A ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ (4/4/84)
-
- Program updates are made more often than the updates to the
- user's guide can keep up with. In order to keep you better
- informed, this file contains information related to corrections
- or updates to the user's guide as well as notification of what
- problems were identified and fixed for the version of the program
- that is on this diskette.
-
- Please refer to the users guide and the BATDOC.BAT file for
- information about Extended Batch Language commands and operation.
- For an example of the capabilities of 'EBL', execute the BATDEMO.BAT
- file by just typing "BATDEMO" at the DOS prompt.
-
-
-
- USER'S GUIDE CORRECTIONS........
-
- Page 34 - 2nd paragraph.
-
- If the INKEY command senses a key pressed in the range of "!"
- to "z" (decimal 33 to 122) then a key will be saved in the
- optional variable as that single character. It WILL NOT be
- echoed to the display. If you wish it to be displayed, you must
- specifically use the TYPE command.
-
-
-
- =='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='==
- The following list of program corrections are for reference only. The
- fundamental operation of the program has not changed. Please refer to the
- manual for examples of how Extended Batch Language can be used.
- =='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='==
-
-
- PROGRAM CORRECTIONS/CHANGES (for version 2.00b) .......
-
- 1. The initial logo screen describing the user supported
- concept had a 'Press any key to continue...'. If a key was
- pressed to advance past this screen, the key was sensed only and
- not actually read in. Therefore, the key remained in the
- keyboard buffer and sometimes interfered with programs following
- BAT in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If a key is pressed, it is actually
- removed from the keyboard buffer now.
-
- 2. If the special SIZE option is used when BAT is first
- invoked, it will also signal the initial logo screen to be
- reduced in size. This initial logo screen is used to present the
- user supported concept. In addition, it will not wait for a
- key-press to continue. The SIZE option is created by making the
- first executed BAT statement:
-
- BAT * [decimal size] [comment]
-
- The [decimal size] is a number representing the amount of
- space to reserve for a keyboard stack area. The default is 512
- bytes. This is described further in section 4.1 on page 8 of the
- users guide.
-
- 3. The stack status variable %Q gave incorrect information
- as to the source of the next character. Previously, information
- was said to come from the stack if the stack was not empty. No
- attention was paid however to see if the stack was enabled
- (STACK.ON). Now, information is said to come from the stack if
- both the stack is not empty and the stack is enabled. This will
- now correctly represent the status of the SOURCE of the next
- keyboard character.
-
- 4. The READ function did not echo the keyboard characters to
- the screen if the stack was not empty and the STACK.OFF command
- was used. This is no longer the case. In all cases when the
- READ command reads characters from the keyboard, they will be
- echoed to the display. Note that the echo will still be
- suppressed if characters are read from the keyboard stack
- instead.
-
-
-
- PROGRAM CORRECTIONS/CHANGES (for version 2.01) .......
-
- 1. Added code to speed up CALL/GOTO for large files.
-
- 2. Changed stack interface to BIOS to fix bug with multimate/filecmd.
-
- 3. Fixed CLS so won't erase background color with ANSI.SYS installed.
-
- 4. Made character I/O go to directly to BIOS (not DOS) to allow attributes
- in spite of the way ANSI.SYS device driver traps and removes
- prewritten screen attributes.
-
- 5. 'Eagle' DOS 1.25 compatible now.
-
- 6. Pressing Ctrl-break will now make the stack pointer for CALL and RETURN
- commands into an empty stack condition.
-
- 7. Added attributes to help messages.
-
- 8. Fixed bug in CALL commands immediately after a DOS command in order
- to properly save the code location for a RETURN command.
-
- 9. When in TRACE.ON mode, the trace messages on a color display are
- green. Messages from program are white. Users with a monochrome
- monitor will not see any difference.
-
- 10. Message space has been optimized so that overall code size is smaller.
-
- 11. Fixed bug in stacking an F1 key by itself.
-
- 12. Protected stack further from invalid function key codes or time delay
- codes.
-
- 13. When putting screen attributes within the text under a BEGTYPE
- command, the use of ESC characters (used with ANSI.SYS) in
- the text are exclusive of the built in \0F style attribute
- codes! Do not mix, use only one.
-
- 14. Changed values of extended INT16 (kbd) functions so won't
- interfere with PROKEY. Prokey will now coexist with
- Extended Batch Language as long as the following patch
- is applied to Prokey. The following text describes the
- necessary changes.
-
- Prokey was written without regard to allow other software to access the
- keyboard interrupt chain (INT16). EBL uses it for the stack, and Prokey
- uses it to simulate keystrokes. The following patch will trick Prokey into
- thinking that no other software is using the interrupt chain. This was
- done on Prokey version 2.12. Please note that the patch location may move
- with other versions. The location that the Debug "S" (scan) command
- supplies should be the location needing patching. As always, keep a copy
- of the original before patching. If you don't understand how to use Debug,
- find a friend (maybe someone at your local PC Club) who does.
-
- A>RENAME PROKEY.EXE PROKEY.E
- A>DEBUG PROKEY.E
- -S 0L3000 5A 00 3D 00 F0
- 0908:2A60
- -E 2A60
- 0908:2A60 5A.26
- -W
- Writing 3280 bytes
- -q
- A>RENAME PROKEY.E PROKEY.EXE
- A>
-
- PLEASE NOTE: You must also use EBL version 2.01 or better. Also,
- initially as your system starts up, you MUST have EBL loaded FIRST and
- Prokey loaded SECOND in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. The following is OK:
-
- BAT * 512
- PROKEY /I
-
-
- =='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='=='==
-
- GENERAL INFORMATION .........
-
- A bug in DOS version 2.0 and 2.1 has been identified which can cause
- problems if you try to use the variables %0 to %9 in an AUTOEXEC.BAT
-
- The following AUTOEXEC.BAT file will give bad results or bomb:
- BAT * 512
- BAT %1 = ABC
- REM ABC CHARACTERS COME OUT LIKE %1
-
- By restarting the file by hand, there won't be a problem. As a fix, you
- can have EBL restart it automatically by doing the following:
- BAT * 512
- BAT IF %Q = K STACK AUTOEXEC | STACK | EXIT
- BAT STACK.PURGE
- BAT %1 = ABC
- REM ABC CHARACTERS COME OUT LIKE %1
-
- It turns out that DOS version 2 supplies invalid pointers to EBL for the
- %0-%9 variables only during an AUTOEXEC. The locations DOS supplies
- get overwritten by DOS during it's execution. In some systems, it will
- hang. Hopefully, next versions of DOS won't have this problem.
-