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(xreadme) DOS Extensions for Professionals is a Unified Package of file utilities bringing to the PC the power, functionality, and increased personal productivity usually associated only with minicomputer-based software. Designed to meet the processing needs of the corporate community as well as of demanding home users, these utilities feature designed-in robustness, flexibility, and generality leading to predictable results in the most trying and unusual situations. Quick Start: The fastest way to get an overview of the capabilities of this program is to print this 12 page file and, while it is printing, run the Ten Minute XDEMO. The simplist way to run the demonstrations and install this product is to make a temporary copy of the distribution disk on your hard disk. (The demonstrations require extra free space for the creation of temporary subdirectories. Documentation and installation procedures, which are compressed on 360K disks, must also be expanded.) Create a temporary directory of any name and copy the contents of the distribution disk to it. Assuming your current drive is your hard disk and drive A: contains the distribution disk: mkdir \DOSX cd \DOSX copy A:*.* copy XREADME prn (or print XREADME) XDEMO XDEMO gives a live overview of the utilities found in "DOS Extensions for Professionals". XDEMO_AD gives a more detailed look at some of the capabilities of "DOS Extensions for Professionals". Execute it when you feel the need for more complicated examples. The temporary directory you just created can be removed after "DOS Extensions for Professionals" has been fully installed and after you have run both demonstrations. Contents of Disk: The shareware distribution disk contains the following files: xreadme general information and instructions xinstall.bat installation batch file xdemo.bat introductory demo program xdemo_ad.bat advanced demo program register.doc shareware registration form * xmanual.doc a high-level manual of commands vendor.doc distributor information & product description rev22.old demo text rev22.new altered demo text diff.exe dump.exe search.exe split.exe sub.exe xdel.exe xdir.exe xhelp.exe * add2dos5.bat DOS 5 supplementary installation procedure addhelp.exe updates doshelp.hlp * xdosshel.scr edlin commands for updating dosshell.ini * xdosshel.add text for updating dosshell.ini * xdoshelp.ad? text for updating doshelp.hlp * On smaller distribution disks, these files have been imploded into the self-extracting file XMANUAL.EXE. Installation Instructions: Copy the .EXE's and Set the Path: Many users store their DOS executable images under the \DOS directory on their hard drive. They often keep utility programs in a separate directory. XINSTALL, which installs "DOS Extensions for Professionals" on your system, must be called with the target drive/directory path as its first argument and must be run from your distribution disk (or from the directory to which you copied it on your hard disk.) The example outlined below assumes that you've copied your distribution disk to the directory \DOSX on your hard drive, that drive C: is your target hard drive, and that you've chosen \UTIL as the directory for your utilities. cd \DOSX XINSTALL C:\UTIL DOS's search path dictates which directories, in addition to the current directory, will be searched for executable and batch files. Assuming you have already set the path for your \DOS directory, the following command, which already has been executed from within XINSTALL.BAT, adds \UTIL to it. path=c:\util;c:\dos Note that \UTIL will be searched before \DOS. This is important if you want to replace standard DOS commands with your own variants. You don't actually have to delete the DOS version if the \UTIL directory is searched first. Update Autoexec.bat: To make the above path change permanent, you must include it in C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT, the file that is executed each time your system is booted. Use your favorite editor. Expand Compressed Files: The shareware version of "DOS Extensions for Professionals" does not fit on one 360K diskette. If you have XMANUAL.EXE rather than XMANUAL.DOC, you must expand compressed files to read the manual and to integrate with DOS 5. To expand, you must copy the contents of the distribution disk to your hard drive - outlined in the Quick Start section above. (If you don't have a hard drive, copy XMANUAL.EXE to an empty diskette.) Execute the self-extracting file XMANUAL.EXE from your hard drive. cd \DOSX XMANUAL The file XMANUAL.DOC and a number of files required for the next step are created. Integrate with DOS 5: To fully integrate "DOS Extensions for Professionals" into systems running DOS 5, you must run the batch file ADD2DOS5 from the distribution disk (or from your distribution directory on your hard disk.) Make the drive/directory containing the (expanded) distribution disk your current drive and directory. Run ADD2DOS5 with the path of the directory containing your DOS 5 system as its first argument. cd \DOSX ADD2DOS5 C:\DOS This procedure works only if you are running a DOS 5 system. The batch file does two things: it updates the file DOSHELP.HLP, a text file containing high level documentation for each system command, and it adds the new Group "DOS Extensions for Pros" and new Programs Items reflecting the utilities found in "DOS Extensions for Professionals" to the system file DOSSHELL.INI. You will notice the new Group and Program Items when you are in the dosshell environment. These additions have been placed there for your convenience. Feel free to modify or change them as you wish. The original system files are preserved as DOSHELP.BAK and DOSSHELL.BAK in case you want to restore them. Rename them to more permanent names, perhaps ending in .V1 for "version 1" for safe keeping. C:> ren C:\DOS\DOSHELP.BAK DOSHELP.V1 C:> ren C:\DOS\DOSSHELL.BAK DOSSHELL.V1 Note: Addition of the new Group and Program Items to the system file DOSSHELL.INI uses the system program EDLIN by redirecting a simple command script to its standard input. This process obviously can't work if EDLIN is unavailable on your system. Use your favorite editor to insert XDOSSHEL.ADD into DOSSHELL.INI after the first occurrence of the text "program =", near line 39. In the unlikely event that EDLIN is available but your system hangs without exiting the EDLIN command (a TSR problem?), reboot and run EDLIN manually typing the three commands found in the script file XDOSSHEL.SCR. Its surprisingly easy! Having taken the preceding steps, "DOS Extensions for Professionals" is completely installed. Execution of the individual programs is available from anywhere on your system. System Requirements: Exact system requirements vary from program to program. Most need minimal memory: less than 160KB free, although some, like XDEL, can require considerably more depending upon the extent of the particular task being performed. DOS version 3 or later on any IBM compatible provides a satisfactory operating environment. A hard disk is recommended for practicality. Elements Common to All Programs: Programs in "DOS Extensions for Professionals" share a common command line interface and are bound together several common threads. 1. Recursive Notation The recursive (tree) notation "..." is supported by those commands for which it makes sense. XDIR ... gives a listing of all files falling in the current directory and in directories under it. 2. Truncatable Command Modifiers Command Modifiers are truncatable. You don't have to enter the entire modifier, just enough to let the computer know what you want. If you want a directory listing sorted by date, you could enter XDIR /byda and the program knows you mean XDIR /bydate 3. Explanatory Error Messages If you don't enter enough letters to be unambiguous, the program will list all possibilities. XDIR /by Ambiguous Command Modifier "/by" /bydate /bysize 4. Built-in Help On-line help is always available by entering -HELP or /? on the command line. e.g. XDIR -HELP or XDIR /? The four different levels of built-in help are discussed in the next section. Built-In Help: Built-in help for each command is one of the more important aspects of "DOS Extensions for Professionals". There are four levels of help. The first is the top level, and is accessed by entering a Command followed by -HELP or /?. SEARCH /? or SEARCH -HELP or SEARCH -H or SEARCH -HE etc gives you a list of the Command Modifiers for the SEARCH command: /before /case /context /numbers /pause /since followed by a list of help topics associated with this command: -ALL -HELP -VERSION The second level of help explains command detail and may, therefore, be the most important. You can access it by inserting /?, -HELP, or any other topic preceded by a "-" on the command line with any Command Modifiers you may wish to learn about. SEARCH /numbers -HELP outputs the detailed description /numbers /nonumbers (d) /Numbers prepends each matched line with its line number in that file. /Nonumbers, the default, outputs only the line and not its number. These first two levels of help embody the essence of the help philosphy of "DOS Extensions for Professionals". The top level list of Command Modifiers reminds us of all that a command does while the second level reveals the details. Built-in help is also a great way to learn as you compute. No need to master the details of all commands at once. As you have time, scan the top level helps to learn new Command Modifiers or to reacquaint yourself with options that have slipped your mind. In case you can't remember the name of a command or want a more detailed discussion of the design criteria of a command, there are two similar levels of help available from XHELP. Entering XHELP or XHELP -HELP gives you a list of all the commands found within "DOS Extensions for Professionals" plus several topics which refer to all commands: -BUG_REPORTING -LICENSE -MODIFIERS -WILDCARDS (You may want to review these on-line background topics before delving into specific programs in depth.) You get the more detailed overview and discussion of each command by entering XHELP followed by a command or a general topic. For example, XHELP SEARCH lists SEARCH's Command Modifiers, examples of its use, and any notes pertaining to the command. In review, the four levels of help are: Command -HELP (You know the command's name but not all the Command Modifiers.) Command /Command_modifier -HELP (You know the command but want details about one or more Command Modifiers.) XHELP (You want a list of all commands.) XHELP command (You want an overview, examples, or design information about a command.) If all else fails, all you have to remember is "XHELP". Complete help from any program can always be redirected to the printer or to a file for later printing by entering command -ALL /nopause > prn or command -ALL /nopause > file (/Nopause inhibits the normal pause after each screen full of information.) DOS 5 Compatible Help: The "DOS Extensions for Professionals" utilities also support the "/?" help notation used in DOS 5. This notation behaves exactly as the "-HELP" notation. You are free, for example, to type either "XDEL -h" or "XDEL /?" for high level command help and "XDEL /secure -h" or "XDEL /secure /?" for detailed command help. The DOS 5 command HELP gives one line explanations of all functions including the "DOS Extensions for Professionals" utilities. XHELP gives one line explanations only for DOSX utilities. The support of the "/?" notation enables users to type "HELP XDEL" and receive single-page high-level command help for a DOSX utility just as they would for any system function. Entering "XHELP XDEL" gives examples and more detailed utility information in a multi-page format. DOS 5 Marco Command Redefinitions: DOS 5's macro support is a handy way to define or redefine your favorite "DOS Extensions for Professionals" commands, or any other command for that matter. If, for instance, you prefer XDIR's /FULL option, you could replace it with DIR by defining the macro C:> doskey dir=xdir /full either at the command line or in your AUTOEXEC.BAT startup batch file. Then when you type DIR, you would get XDIR /FULL. (The way to get the real DIR command is to enter " DIR".) The down side of this technique, especially when working between many machines, is that you're never sure what's which way on which computer, and you may forget the full command syntax if you never use it. Sometimes plain vanilla is simpler unless you are in a position to define strawberry to be vanilla everywhere. Program Highlights: DIFF displays the differences between two similar text files. Whether you've made minor or massive changes, DIFF displays only the differences while resyncing on identical text. DUMP displays the contents of binary files, directories, disk sectors (including an interpreted boot sector), disk FAT's, and cluster chains. Address the internals of any file by sector or byte. Search the FAT for bad clusters, see what's really in your directories, and snoop through deleted files. Learn about the details of the DOS file structure with the on-line DISK_TUTOR and BOOT_TABLE help sections. SEARCH Locates text strings in any file anywhere on your whole disk - and only tells you when they've been found! The simplicity of this favorite program belies its power and usefulness. SPLIT splits text files into pieces or segments by three methods. Specify the number of segments, the length of each segment, or that breaks be made only at lines containing specific search text. SUB substitutes characters in lines in text files. This program deletes characters, adds characters, replaces tabs with spaces, and replaces spaces with any size tabs. It strips trailing blanks from lines or pads out each line to a fixed length. SUB can also limit its operations to lines containing search strings and anchor operations to that text. This utility is useful for dynamically creating complex batch and script files based on directory contents. This is one of those utilities for which you may see no need - until you need it, and then it's indispensable. XDEL recursively deletes files and removes directories operating in either the default normal mode or in a secure overwrite mode. XDEL deletes hidden, readonly, and system files or files by date. Verification is available on the command, directory, or file levels as requested, or you can bypass all verification for batch operations. The secure overwrite mode is flexible, allowing you to specify the number of overwrites and whether they are with random data or with patterns of your own choosing. To a large extent, XDEL parallels XDIR in syntax and operation. XDIR recursively lists files in directory trees giving subtotals and grandtotals of file sizes and disk allocations. (Bottom line enthusiasts can specify totals or grandtotals only - without file detail.) Directories are displayed in UPPER CASE and regular files in lower case for easy discrimination. The default sort order is alphabetic unless you request ordering by file size or date. Searches can specify hidden, readonly, system, or modified files only, and can limit the scope of a search before or after any time and date, or use the generic keywords "yesterday" and "today". XDIR supports leading and multiple wildcards as do most "DOS Extensions for Professionals" utilities. XHELP supplements the help built into each command and becomes the first stop for those not knowing where to look. It contains a brief description of each program in "DOS Extensions for Professionals" as well as examples, notes, and discussions of features common to all commands. Legal Considerations: Copyright: The collection of software described in this file and contained on this disk is the Shareware Version of "DOS Extensions for Professionals" (the Software) and is Copyright 1991 John B. Allison. Ownership: You have purchased or otherwise obtained media containing a copy of the Shareware Version of "DOS Extensions for Professionals". The Software contained on the media and all rights pertaining thereto remain the sole property of John B. Allison. By continuing to use the Software, you indicate your acceptance of the terms and conditions outlined below. Shareware License: You are permitted to use the Software for an evaluation period of THREE WEEKS. After the evaluation period, you must either remove all copies of the Software from your computer system(s) and refrain from all additional use, or register your copy of the Software with Allison Software 166 Shady Lane Apollo, PA 15613 USA (412) 727-2198 CompuServe 72600,1200 (See the file REGISTER.DOC on the distribution disk for registration instructions.) Shareware Distribution: You may give copies of the Software IN ITS UNMODIFIED ENTIRETY to friends or to other parties. You may distribute copies of the Software IN ITS UNMODIFIED ENTIRETY on a commercial basis for a fee not to exceed SIX DOLLARS (US), or you may post the Software on electronic bulletin boards if you package the Software so that it must be downloaded as a single unit IN ITS UNMODIFIED ENTIRETY. ASP Member: This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. The OMB may be contacted by FAX by sending to the ASP FAX number: (616) 788-2765. In communi- cation with the OMB, please include a telephone number and/or FAX if available. Limited Warranty: THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFOMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE IS YOURS. SHOULD THIS SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU (AND NOT JOHN B. ALLISON, ALLISON SOFTWARE, OR AN AGENT) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. Limitation of Remedies: IN NO EVENT SHALL JOHN B. ALLISON, ALLISON SOFTWARE, OR AN AGENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO US THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF JOHN B. ALLISON OR ALLISON SOFTWARE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the applicable laws of the United States of America and shall inure to the benefit of John B. Allison dba Allison Software and any successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a Commonwealth or Federal Court of competent jurisdiction located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts.