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- BD/PATCH Release 1.0 Quick Documentation
-
- OVERVIEW
- ========
- BD/Patch is a versatile new utility from Breakthrough Designs for
- viewing or editing files, and other file-like objects such as disk drives,
- directories and memory. Patch supports various display formats to help
- interpret the data being edited, but removes the usual restrictions on file
- and disk manipulation usually imposed by DOS or applications programs. For
- this reason it is both a powerful and useful tool, and a good way to mess
- up data if you're not sure what you're doing. This program is a tool for
- patching files and data; the intelligence for what you are accomplishing is
- provided by you. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, ONLY PATCH A FILE FOR WHICH A BACKUP
- EXISTS.
- Patch is also a useful file or object viewer, to examine the structure
- of files or other data without making changes, and provides a good tool for
- seeing "what's inside" the data you examine.
- This program was created to fill several utility needs, and while this
- is the first commercial version of this program, it is the fifth major
- revision of a program which has been used profitably and powerfully by a
- number of people for over six years. Hopefully you will find BD/Patch a
- useful utility for your work as well.
-
- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- ====== ============
- BD/Patch requires an IBM-compatible computer running MS-DOS or PC-DOS
- version 2.0 or higher. Version 3.0 or higher is recommended. Patch
- utilizes as much base memory as is available, but requires at least 220K of
- free memory to operate. Any standard video display will work with Patch,
- although Patch has certain optional features which require an EGA or higher
- display. Also, Patch makes use of the extended keyboards (twelve function
- keys across the top) if you have one (and your system supports it).
-
- INSTALLATION
- ============
- The programs and files of Patch all fit, uncompressed, on a single low-
- density floppy disk, and require less than 300K if installed on a hard
- disk. Simply copy the files from the Patch disk to a new floppy, or to a
- hard disk subdirectory.
- While the Patch files take up little space on a hard disk, you may
- wish to eliminate some files if you are adding Patch to a "utilities" disk.
- Only the PATCH.EXE file is required for operation. The following list
- describes the other files on the Patch disk, and what they are for:
- PATCH.HLP - the on-line help text. If removed, no help is available.
- PATCH.PRF - these are your preferences, if you have set any. If you
- remove this file, the factory defaults will be used.
- *.FS - any .FS file adds file system drivers. If these are removed,
- Patch will only have FILE, SUBDIR, LDRIVE and PDRIVE.
- *.CTL - any .CTL file adds display format drivers. If these are re-
- moved, Patch will only have HEX, TEXT, SUBDIR and LDRIVE.
- *.PRN - any .PRN file adds printer drivers. If these are removed,
- Patch will only have SIMPLE as a printer choice.
- QUICKREF.TXT - this document.
- README.TXT - quick description of the program and how to register.
- PATCH.PIF, PATCH.ICO - these are used by Microsoft Windows for infor-
- mation about this program, but are not required.
-
- RUNNING PATCH
- ======= =====
- To start the Patch program, if you are in the directory where the Patch
- program is located, just type "patch" and press the ENTER key. Or, if you
- have from one to four files you would like to patch directly from the DOS
- prompt, type the names of these files after "patch," such as:
- C:\PATCH>patch \mainmenu.mdf a:\sample.dat
- If you want to patch a command from another file system, the format is the
- same but the name is preceded by the file system and a colon, like this:
- C:\PATCH>patch mem:286 subdir:a:\temp
- The number of files to patch you type specifies the number of windows which
- will be opened. If you start Patch without any named files, a single
- window appears with the "Opening Menu" displayed; choose options from that
- by pressing the desired letter, or use the pull-down menus instead.
- MS-DOS version 3.0 or higher is recommended if you run Patch from a
- different directory than you are working in, which is often the case. In
- MS-DOS version 2, Patch can locate the supplemental files if Patch was
- located in a directory specified by the path, and is still called
- "PATCH.EXE." But in MS-DOS version 3 or higher, Patch can locate the
- supplemental files based on how the command was started, regardless of what
- drive or directory the files are on, or what the Patch command is called.
- For example, if you had the Patch files on a floppy disk, you could type:
- C:\DOS>a:patch share.exe
- Patch would run, and find all its files on the floppy disk, but only if the
- DOS version is 3.0 or higher. Under DOS 2.x, you would have to make the
- floppy drive the active drive and run from there, like this:
- C:\DOS>a:
- A:\>cd patch
- A:\PATCH>patch c:\dos\share.exe
-
- BASIC OPERATIONS IN PATCH
- ===== ========== == =====
- Patch was written to view and edit a variety of files, and file-like
- objects, in a consistent and editor-like way. There are two overlapping
- methods for controlling Patch, one based upon the WordStar editor, and the
- other based on cursor and function keys and pull-down menus, which have
- become customary elements in PC software.
- The cursor keys on your keyboard do pretty much what you would expect.
- The function keys are labeled at the bottom of the Patch screen by default
- (you can remove the labels if you wish). The pull-down menus are operated
- by pressing the ALT key and the first letter of the menu you want (these
- are displayed across the top line of the screen), and then selecting an
- option from the menu with the cursor keys and pressing ENTER on the one you
- want. Menu options may also be chosen by typing the capitalized letter on
- the option you want.
- The WordStar codes are faster to use and harder to learn. They all
- require a control code (press the CTRL key and the letter you want), many
- commands also requiring a second character which need not be a control
- code. The commands are represented with a carat (^) symbol to indicate a
- control code, so "^KX" means press Ctrl-K, and then X (which can be upper
- or lower case, or even Ctrl-X). If you are already familiar with the
- WordStar editor many of the commands will be familiar to you. If not, but
- you wish to learn them, the command reference in this document provides a
- list, or you can turn on WordStar menus by setting the help level to 3;
- this can be done with the command ^JJ3.
- Patch can edit up to four files at one time; each appears in its own
- "window" (a group of screen lines independent from the others). Only one
- window can be edited at one time, but the other windows continue to show
- what you are working on. The F10 key jumps between windows.
- Several commands for patching a file use "blocks," meaning a section
- of the file which you define and use as a single item for this command. In
- WordStar commands, you mark the block with the ^KB and ^KK commands, and
- then use a command to do something with that block. In the pull-down
- menus, on the other hand, you choose the command, and Patch prompts you to
- mark the length of the block (and, for some commands, where you want to use
- the block as well). For this reason the two sets of block commands are
- similar but not the same.
- Patch has a number of built-in display formats, and some standard add-
- on display formats. Built-in formats include HEX (displaying hexadecimal
- bytes and ASCII equivalences; this is the default), TEXT (a simple text
- editor screen, but awkward if your file isn't text), SUBDIR (the format for
- subdirectory data) and LDRIVE (the format for a logical drive). The file
- PATCH.CTL currently adds the DEC and OCT formats, which are similar to HEX
- but use decimal or octal, respectively.
- Patch has a number of built-in file systems, and some standard add-on
- file systems. Built-in systems include FILE (normal DOS files; this is the
- default), SUBDIR (DOS subdirectories), LDRIVE (a logical drive, named by
- its drive letter) and PDRIVE (a physical drive, named by its unit number).
- The file PATCH.FS currently adds the MEM file system, which patches the
- "files" BASE (1M of system base memory), 286 (16M of memory on a 286 or
- higher processor), 386 (4G of memory on a 386 or higher processor), and
- CMOS (the battery-backed real time clock and config memory in most AT
- compatibles).
- For printing, Patch can support several printer types, which are
- loaded from the file PATCH.PRN. Without the .PRN file(s), Patch only
- supports the SIMPLE printer type, which works suitably on any printer but
- doesn't make the same data distinctions one of the named printer types can.
- Other file systems, display formats and printer drivers can be added
- to your Patch program by simply adding the appropriate .FS, .CTL or .PRN
- files to the location of your existing Patch files.
- You can change many of the default options in Patch to suit your own
- preferences, and to configure Patch to your display if your computer will
- support 132-column text modes. These settings are all accomplished via the
- "Prefer" pull-down menu, and can be saved to the file PATCH.PRF to become
- your new defaults.
- PATCH PLUS Release 1.0 Command Reference
-
- Conventions: WordStar control codes are shown in "carat" notation, as in
- "^KX". Keyboard keys are shown in all caps, like "RIGHT" or "F10". Pull-
- down menu options are shown by their displayed names, inside angle braces,
- like "<File,Save>". For more help on any of these commands, invoke the
- Help system (F1, or ^Jc where c is a WordStar command).
-
- FUNCTION/CURSOR KEYS
- ======== ====== ====
- F1 (HELP) - Invokes help for this screen or general help index
- F2 (GOTO) - Direct jump to location, same as ^QI or <Move,Absolute>
- F3 (FIND) - Search for string or bytes, same as ^QF or <Move,Search>
- F4 (PREV) - Jump to previous location, same as ^QP
- F5 (HEADR) - Toggle window header between display modes
- F6 (RSIZE) - Select record size, start offset, same as ^OR
- F7 (CHECK) - Re-examine file for changes, same as ^KL or <File,Look>
- F8 (UNDO) - Discard unwritten (highlighted) changes, same as ^U
- F9 (SAVE) - Write unwritten changes, same as ^KS or <File,Save>
- F10 (delta-WIN) - Change to next window, same as <Window,neXt>, like ^OK
- F11 (CLOSE) - Closes window, saving changes, same as ^KD or <File,Close>
- F12 (EXIT) - Return to DOS, same as ^KX or <File,eXit>
- SHIFT+F1 - Same as F11, for older keyboards
- SHIFT+F2 - Same as F12, for older keyboards
- LEFT - Cursor left, same as ^S
- CTRL+LEFT - "Word" left, same as ^A
- ALT+LEFT - All the way left, same as ^QS
- RIGHT - Cursor right, same as ^D
- CTRL+RIGHT - "Word" right, same as ^F
- ALT+RIGHT - All the way right, same as ^QD
- UP - Cursor up, same as ^E
- CTRL+UP - Scroll up, same as ^W
- DOWN - Cursor down, same as ^X
- CTRL+DOWN - Scroll down, same as ^Z
- PGUP - Cursor up one windowfull, same as ^R
- CTRL+PGUP - Up one logical record, same as ^Q-
- ALT+PGUP - Previous window
- PGDN - Cursor down one windowfull, same as ^C
- CTRL+PGDN - Down one logical record, same as ^Q+
- ALT+PGDN - Next window, same as F10 or <Window,neXt>
- HOME - Cursor to top left of window, same as ^QE
- CTRL+HOME - Cursor to top of file, same as ^QR
- ALT+HOME - Select top window
- END - Cursor to bottom right of window, same as ^QX
- CTRL+END - Cursor to bottom of file, same as ^QC
- ALT+END - Select bottom window
- INS - Toggle insert mode between "Ovr," "InsB" and "Ins," same as ^V
- DEL - Delete a character, if insert mode active, same as ^G
- TAB - In HEX, DEC or OCT displays, toggles to/from text section
- + - On numeric data, increments value
- - - On numeric data, decrements value
-
-
- WORDSTAR STYLE COMMANDS
- ======== ===== ========
- ^A - "Word" left, same as Ctrl-LEFT
- ^B - Accept next character as literal and set high bit
- ^C - Page down, same as PGDN
- ^D - Cursor right, same as RIGHT
- ^E - Cursor up, same as UP
- ^F - "Word" right, same as Ctrl-RIGHT
- ^G - Delete a character, if insert mode active, same as DEL
- ^H - Backspace, generally same as ^S or LEFT
- ^I - In HEX, DEC or OCT, toggles to/from text, same as TAB
- ^J - WordStar help screen
- ^Jc (c is any WordStar command) - Display help for command
- ^JJn (n is 0-3) - Set help level to n, similar to <Help,Level>
- ^K - Block/file operations menu
- ^KB - Mark beginning of block for WordStar block commands
- ^KC - Copy marked block to this location, similar to <Edit,Copy block>
- ^KD - Save changes and close window, same as <File,Close>
- ^KF - Run DOS command (if typed) or DOS shell, same as <File,Run cmd>
- ^KH - Toggle display of blocks and place markers
- ^KK - Mark end of block for WordStar block commands
- ^KL - Re-examine file for changes, same as F7
- ^KP - Print block, if marked, or file, similar to <File,Print>
- ^KQ - Abandon changes and close window, same as <File,Abandon>
- ^KR - Read in or insert external file, same as <Edit,Read block>
- ^KS - Save changes and continue editing, same as <File,Save> or F9
- ^KV - Move marked block to this location, similar to <Edit,Move block>
- ^KW - Write marked block to a file, similar to <Edit,Write block>
- ^KX - Return to DOS, same as <File,eXit> or F12
- ^KY - Delete marked block, similar to <Edit,Delete block>
- ^Kn (n is 0-9) - set place marker n, similar to <Move,Place marker>
- ^K= - Fills marked block with value, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Fill>
- ^K+ - Adds value to block bytes, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Add>
- ^K- - Subtracts value from block bytes, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Subtract>
- ^K* - Multiplies block bytes by value, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Multiply>
- ^K/ - Divides block bytes by value, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Divide>
- ^K& - Logical-AND block bytes with value, similar to <Edit,mOdify,aNd>
- ^K| - Logical-OR block bytes with value, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Or>
- ^K^ - Logical-XOR block bytes with value, similar to <Edit,mOdify,eXclusive>
- ^K' - Converts block to lowercase, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Lowercase>
- ^K" - Converts block to uppercase, similar to <Edit,mOdify,Uppercase>
- ^K! - Locks marked block, similar to <Edit,Locking,Lock>
- ^K. - Unlocks last lock, same as <Edit,Locking,Unlock>
- ^L - Look again, repeats last ^QF or ^QA
- ^M - Same as ENTER
- ^N - If insertion allowed, inserts carriage return/line feed
- ^O - On-screen operations menu
- ^OB - Selects on-screen treatment of bytes with high bits set
- ^OF - Selects new screen format driver
- ^OH - Selects base used for window header
- ^OK - If only one window, creates another; otherwise, next window
- ^OL - Toggles display of function key labels
- ^OM - Selects position representation used for window header
- ^OO - Toggles outlined window feature
- ^OP - "Protects" a file from accidental changes
- ^OR - Select record size and start offset, same as F6
- ^OU - Selects on-screen treatment of bytes in unprintable ASCII ranges
- ^OV - Selects the video display mode to use
- ^O[ - Defines current position as start of record 0 (sets record offset)
- ^O] - Defines current position as end of record 0 (sets record size)
- ^O. - Toggles automatic record blocking mode
- ^O= - For some display drivers, displays logical layout of file
- ^O? - Displays memory usage within Patch at this moment
- ^P - Accepts next character as literal, not command
- ^Q - "Quick" operations menu
- ^QA - Search and replace, same as <Move,Replace>
- ^QB - Jump to beginning of marked block
- ^QC - Jump to end of file, same as Ctrl-END or <Move,End>
- ^QD - Move all the way to the right, same as Alt-RIGHT
- ^QE - Move to top left corner, same as HOME
- ^QF - Search for string or bytes, same as <Move,Search>
- ^QI - Move to absolute position, same as F2
- ^QK - Jump to end of marked block
- ^QP - Jump to previous location, same as F4
- ^QR - Jump to beginning of file, same as Ctrl-HOME or <Move,Beginning>
- ^QS - Move all the way to the left, same as Alt-LEFT
- ^QX - Move to bottom right corner, same as END
- ^QY - Truncate file here, same as <Edit,Truncate file>
- ^Qn (n is 0-9) - Move to marker n, similar to <Move,to Marker>
- ^Q[ - Move to beginning of record 0
- ^Q] - Move to end of record 0
- ^Q! - Move to start of locked region, same as <Edit,Locking,Go to lock>
- ^Q+ - Advance one logical record, same as Ctrl-PGDN
- ^Q- - Back up one logical record, same as Ctrl-PGUP
- ^R - Page up, same as PGUP
- ^S - Cursor left, same as LEFT
- ^T - Delete a "word," if insert mode active
- ^U - Discard unwritten changes, same as F8
- ^V - Toggles insert modes between "Ovr," "InsB" and "Ins," same as INS
- ^W - Scroll up one line, same as Ctrl-UP
- ^X - Cursor down, same as DOWN
- ^Y - Delete a screen line, if insert mode active
- ^Z - Scroll down one line, same as Ctrl-DOWN
-
- PULL-DOWN MENU COMMANDS
- ==== ==== ==== ========
- <File,Open> - Select a file to patch (defaults: FILE, HEX, Read/Write)
- <File,View> - Select a file to patch (defaults: FILE, HEX, Read-only)
- <File,Save> - Saves changes, continues editing, same as ^KS or F9
- <File,Close> - Saves changes, closes window, same as ^KD or F11
- <File,Abandon> - Discards changes, closes window, same as ^KQ
- <File,Print> - Prints entire file, similar to ^KP
- <File,Look> - Re-examines file for changes, same as ^KL or F7
- <File,Run cmd> - Execute a DOS command, or run DOS shell, same as ^KF
- <File,eXit> - Close all windows and return to DOS, same as ^KX or F12
- <Edit,Copy block> - Prompt for block, and where to copy to, similar to ^KC
- <Edit,Move block> - Prompt for block, and where to move to, similar to ^KV
- <Edit,Delete block> - Prompt for block to delete, similar to ^KY
- <Edit,mOdify,Fill block> - Prompt for block, byte to fill with, similar to ^K=
- <Edit,mOdify,Add> - Prompt for block, byte to add, similar to ^K+
- <Edit,mOdify,Subtract> - Prompt for block, byte to subtract, similar to ^K-
- <Edit,mOdify,Multiply> - Prompt for block, byte to multiply, similar to ^K*
- <Edit,mOdify,Divide> - Prompt for block, byte to divide by, similar to ^K/
- <Edit,mOdify,Or> - Prompt for block, byte to logical-OR with, similar to ^K|
- <Edit,mOdify,aNd> - Prompt for block, byte to logical-AND with, similar to ^K&
- <Edit,mOdify,eXclusive-or> - Prompt for block, byte to XOR with, similar to ^K^
- <Edit,mOdify,Uppercase> - Prompt for block to upper-case, similar to ^K"
- <Edit,mOdify,Lowercase> - Prompt for block to lower-case, similar to ^K'
- <Edit,Write block> - Prompt for block to write to a file, similar to ^KW
- <Edit,Read block> - Read in or insert file, same as ^KR
- <Edit,Print block> - Prompt for block to print, similar to ^KP
- <Edit,Insertion,None> - Sets "Ovr" mode - no inserts/deletes allowed
- <Edit,Insertion,Block> - Sets "InsB" mode - inserts/deletes within marked block
- <Edit,Insertion,Full> - Sets "Ins" mode if allowed - full inserts/deletes
- <Edit,Locking,Lock> - Prompts for block and locks it, similar to ^K!
- <Edit,Locking,Unlock> - Releases last lock set, same as ^K.
- <Edit,Locking,Go to lock> - Moves to position of last lock set, same as ^Q!
- <Edit,Truncate file> - If possible, resets file length to location, same as ^QY
- <Move,Search> - Search for string or bytes, same as ^QF or F3
- <Move,Replace> - Search and replace, same as ^QA
- <Move,Look again> - Repeats last <Move,Search> or <Move,Replace>, same as ^L
- <Move,Absolute> - Jump to absolute location, same as ^QI or F2
- <Move,to Marker> - Move to one of up to ten place markers, similar to ^Qn
- <Move,Place marker> - Set one of up to ten place markers, similar to ^Kn
- <Move,Beginning> - Jump to start of file, same as ^QR or Ctrl-HOME
- <Move,End> - Jump to end of file, same as ^QC or Ctrl-END
- <View,Format> - Selects a new display format driver, same as ^OF
- <View,Structure,View> - For some drivers, shows file structure, same as ^O=
- <View,Structure,Records> - Set record size and start offset, same as ^OR
- <View,Header,nOne> - Display no header in this window
- <View,Header,Decimal> - Display header in decimal numbers (usually one line)
- <View,Header,Hex> - Display header in hexadecimal numbers (usually one line)
- <View,Header,Both> - Display header in hex and decimal (usually two lines)
- <View,Header,Absolute> - Display header locations as absolute byte values
- <View,Header,Record> - Display header locations as record and offset
- <View,Header,Native> - Display header locations according to file driver
- <View,Header,Custom> - Display header locations according to display driver
- <View,Unprintable,Full character set> - Unprintable ASCII shows as IBM graphic
- <View,Unprintable,Represent controls> - Unprintables show as ASCII designation
- <View,Unprintable,Dot display> - Unprintables show as a dot (".")
- <View,Unprintable,Color-code high bits> - High-bit chars are a different color
- <View,Unprintable,Ignore high bits> - High-bit chars displayed as IBM graphic
- <View,Unprintable,Strip high bits> - High-bit chars displayed as high-bit off
- <View,Display,Normal> - Display 25x80 text (works on any PC)
- <View,Display,Ega> - Display 43x80 text (works on EGA and above)
- <View,Display,Vga> - Display 50x80 text (works on VGA and above)
- <View,Display,Wide> - Display 25x132 text (on video displays supporting it)
- <View,Display,Tiny> - Display 43x132 text (on video displays supporting it)
- <View,function Keys> - Toggles the display of function key labels, same as ^OL
- <View,Boxed windows> - Toggles the display of window outlines, same as ^OO
- <View,Option> - For drivers supporting them, offers additional options
- <Window,Open> - Create another window (up to four allowed)
- <Window,Close> - Close the current window, same as F11 or ^KD
- <Window,neXt> - Switch to next window down, same as F10
- <Prefer,Colors> - Set Patch preferences for screen color usage
- <Prefer,Display> - Set Patch preferences for display characteristics
- <Prefer,Hardware> - Set hardware-specific options
- <Prefer,Printer> - Set Patch preferences for printing
- <Prefer,Options> - Set Patch preferences for option default settings
- <Prefer,Save> - Save your preferences as new defaults
- <Help,Index> - Invoke Help system, starting at front index, similar to F1
- <Help,Keyboard> - Provide help for keyboard commands
- <Help,Mouse> - Provide help for using a mouse with Patch
- <Help,meNus> - Provide help with pull-down menus
- <Help,Level> - Set help level 0-3, similar to ^JJn
- <Help,About> - Displays Patch version and copyright information
-