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44 44 44 OOOOO SSSSSS 222222 44 OOOOOOO SSSSSSSS 22222222 44 44 OO OO SS 22 22 44 44 OO OO SS 22 44 44 OO OO SSSSSS 222 444444444 OO OO SSSSSS 222 44444444 OO OO SS 222 44 OO OO SS 222 44 OOOOOOO SSSSSSSS 222222222 44 OOOOO SSSSSS 222222222 Version 1.00 Developed By Rex Conn and Tom Rawson Documentation By Hardin Brothers, Tom Rawson, and Rex Conn Published By JP Software Inc. P.O. Box 1470 East Arlington, MA 02174 USA (617) 646-3975 fax (617) 646-0904 Program and Documentation Copyright 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, Rex C. Conn and JP Software Inc., All Rights Reserved. 4OS2 is a trademark and 4DOS (R) is a registered trademark of JP Software Inc. OS/2 (R) is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. Other product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We couldn't produce a product like 4OS2 without the dedication and quality work of many people. Our thanks to: JP Software Staff: Mike Bessy, Kevin Cocilo, Helen Coyne, Hayyim Feldman, Henry Harvey, Ellen Stone, Misty White. Beta Test Support: David Moskowitz, Guy Scharf, Larry Finkelstein, and Martin Schiff, of CompuServe's CONSULT forum. Online Support: Brian Miller and Tess Heder of Channel 1 BBS; Don Watkins of CompuServe's IBMNET. Beta Testers: We can't list all of our beta testers here. A special thanks to all of you who helped make 4OS2 elegant, reliable, and friendly! Help Text Conversion: Matthew J. Palcic. SHRALIAS Program: Bill Hinkle. The following tools are used in creating and maintaining 4OS2 and the 4OS2 Help: Compilers: Microsoft C 6.0 and Macro Assembler 5.1 and 6.0 Libraries: Spontaneous Assembly (Base Two Development) Editors: Edix (Emerging Technology), Brief (Borland), QEdit (SemWare) Version Control: PVCS (Intersolv) Help Compiler: IBM Information Presentation Facility Documentation: Microsoft Word for Windows with Adobe Type Manager CONTENTS ___________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS Introduction.............................................1 How to Use This Manual..............................2 Chapter 1 / Installation.................................4 Installing 4DOS for OS/2 DOS Sessions...............4 Installing 4OS2.....................................4 Automated 4OS2 Installation.........................5 Manual 4OS2 Installation............................6 Manual Installation for OS/2 Version 1.x.......7 Manual Installation for OS/2 Version 2.0.......7 4OS2 Files and Directories.....................8 Uninstalling 4OS2...................................9 Chapter 2 / General Concepts.............................10 Terminology.........................................10 OS/2 Sessions and Applications......................10 Sessions and Session Types.....................11 Applications and Application Types.............13 Starting Sessions and Applications.............14 Creating and Configuring Icons......................15 OS/2 Version 1.x Icons.........................15 OS/2 Version 2.0 Icons.........................16 Primary and Secondary Shells........................17 High Performance File System (HPFS).................17 Extended Attributes.................................18 Chapter 3 / Using 4OS2...................................20 At the Command Line.................................20 4OS2 HELP......................................20 Shared History and Alias Lists.................21 Special Characters.............................22 Executable File Names...............................23 Redirection.........................................23 Piping..............................................24 4OS2 Internal Variables.............................25 4OS2 Variable Functions.............................26 Batch Files.........................................27 4OS2 Startup and Exit Files.........................28 Using STARTUP.CMD..............................28 Using 4START and 4EXIT.........................29 REXX Support........................................29 EXTPROC Support.....................................30 Chapter 4 / Configuration and Tuning.....................32 Creating and Configuring 4OS2 Icons.................32 ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / i CONTENTS ___________________________________________________________________ 4OS2 Command Line Options...........................33 Using 4OS2.INI......................................35 4OS2.INI Directives............................35 Configuring 4OS2 Help...............................36 Using 4DOS with OS/2................................37 Changing the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS File..............38 Using 4DOS with OS/2 Version 1.x...............39 Using 4DOS with OS/2 Version 2.0...............40 4DOS.INI for OS/2 Version 2.0 DOS Sessions.....42 Startup Files for OS/2 Version 2.0 DOS Sessions43 "Temporary" VDMs...............................44 Configuring 4DOS for Dual Boot and Boot Manager44 Chapter 5 / Command Reference Guide......................48 DETACH..............................................49 DIR.................................................50 DPATH...............................................51 HELP................................................52 KEYS................................................53 SETDOS..............................................54 START...............................................55 ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / ii INTRODUCTION ___________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Welcome, and thanks for purchasing 4OS2! We developed 4OS2 to bring the power and convenience of our popular 4DOS program to users of the OS/2 operating system. Whether you are a computer novice or an experienced user, we think that 4OS2 will help you get the most out of your OS/2 system. 4OS2, like its cousin 4DOS, is a command interpreter or "shell." We have designed 4OS2 to be compatible with both 4DOS and with OS/2's normal shell program, which is called CMD.EXE. If you are familiar with 4DOS or with the OS/2 command prompt, you won't have to change your computing habits or unlearn anything to use 4OS2. If you know how to use commands to display a directory, copy a file, or start an application program, you already know how to use 4OS2. And if you are a 4DOS user, you already know how to use most of the advanced features that we have built into 4OS2. You can even use many of your 4DOS batch files with 4OS2 without changing them at all (see pages 23 and 27 for tips about making the batch files work properly in both environments). Once you have 4OS2 installed, you can learn its new features at your own pace. Relax, enjoy 4OS2's power, and browse through the manuals occasionally. Press the F1 key whenever you need help. 4OS2 will soon become an essential part of your computer, and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. This version of 4OS2 is designed for and has been tested with OS/2 versions 1.2, 1.21, 1.3, and 2.0. You must have one of these versions of OS/2 operating on your computer to be able to install and use 4OS2. Throughout this manual, we refer to versions 1.2, 1.21, and 1.3 as "version 1.x." We are constantly working to improve 4OS2. If you have suggestions for features or commands that we should include in the next version, or any other way we could improve our product, please let us know. Many of the features in this version of 4OS2 were suggested by our users and beta testers. We can't promise to include every suggestion, but we really do appreciate and pay attention to your comments. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 1 INTRODUCTION ___________________________________________________________________ How to Use This Manual Because 4OS2 is almost identical to 4DOS in operation, nearly everything in the 4DOS Reference Manual applies to 4OS2 as well. Therefore, we supply both this manual and the 4DOS Reference Manual with every copy of 4OS2. Use the 4DOS Reference Manual as your main 4OS2 manual; this booklet is a supplement that explains the added features in 4OS2 and the occasional differences between the two products. We publish the manuals in this form because most 4OS2 customers also use 4DOS. This supplement helps focus attention on the few differences between 4OS2 and 4DOS; two completely separate manuals would make those differences more difficult to pinpoint and to remember. If you aren't already familiar with 4DOS, we urge you to install it for use in your OS/2 DOS sessions. Because 4DOS and 4OS2 are so similar, you can install 4DOS first and take the 4DOS Guided Tour (see Chapter 3 of the 4DOS Reference Manual) to familiarize yourself with both products. If you prefer to work in OS/2, or if you don't have 4DOS, you can install 4OS2 without 4DOS and look through the Guided Tour and other parts of the 4DOS manual to gain a feel for how 4OS2 works. Then return to this manual, especially Chapter 3, for a discussion of the differences between 4DOS and 4OS2. Installation instructions for both products are in the next chapter, and detailed installation instructions for 4DOS are in Chapter 1 of the 4DOS manual. If you are familiar with 4DOS, you may want to read quickly through this manual to get a general feeling for the few differences between the two products. Then you can install 4OS2 on your computer and study the differences that affect your computing habits in detail. There are five chapters in this manual. Here is what you'll find in each: Chapter 1 / Installation This chapter explains how to install 4OS2. Because the installation instructions vary depending on the version of OS/2 that you are using, everyone should read this short chapter. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 2 INTRODUCTION ___________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2 / General Concepts OS/2 is a rich operating system with a wide range of features. We don't have space for a complete OS/2 tutorial, but some of the concepts and terms you need to configure and make full use of 4OS2 are explained in this chapter. Even if you are an experienced OS/2 user, we encourage you to read Chapter 2 before using 4OS2 extensively. Chapter 3 / Using 4OS2 This chapter explains the differences between 4DOS and 4OS2. It is a supplement to Chapter 5 / Using 4DOS in the 4DOS Reference Manual. Chapter 4 / Options and Tuning This chapter discusses how to configure 4OS2. It also explains how to configure 4DOS to run most efficiently as the command processor for DOS sessions under OS/2. Chapter 5 / Command Reference The final chapter provides details about the commands that are new in 4OS2 and about those which differ from 4DOS. It is a supplement to Chapter 8 / Command Reference Guide in the 4DOS Reference Manual. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 3 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION Before you install 4OS2 (or any other software, for that matter), you should make a bootable system diskette so you can recover in case of a power failure or other interruption during the installation process. The easiest way to do so is to create a bootable DOS system disk (see page 13 of the 4DOS reference manual). If necessary, you can use your OS/2 installation disks to boot your system, then exit the installation program at the first opportunity and return to an OS/2 (CMD.EXE) command prompt. Installing 4DOS for OS/2 DOS Sessions 4DOS and 4OS2 must be installed separately even if you obtained them at the same time. The easiest way to install 4DOS is to boot your computer with DOS and follow the installation instructions in the 4DOS Reference Manual. If your computer is set up to boot OS/2 only, you can still install 4DOS easily. Start a DOS session and then install 4DOS from within the DOS session. Put all of your 4DOS files in a separate directory, not in the 4OS2 directory. Try the 4DOS Guided Tour (Chapter 3 of the 4DOS Reference Manual) to make sure that 4DOS has been installed properly. After you have used one of these methods to install 4DOS on your hard drive, turn to pages 37 - 44 for information about configuring 4DOS to work properly with OS/2. That section also explains how to modify your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file if you are installing 4DOS manually, or if you installed OS/2 after 4DOS. Installing 4OS2 See the sections below for specific instructions on installing 4OS2 automatically, manually under OS/2 version 1.x, or manually under OS/2 version 2.0. Once you have 4OS2 installed, the standard "OS/2 Window" and "OS/2 Full Screen" selections in your Group-Main window (OS/2 version 1.x) or Command Prompts folder (OS/2 version 2.0) will start 4OS2 instead of CMD.EXE (unless they have been changed from their default configuration). You may wish to change the names of these selections to "4OS2 Window" and "4OS2 Full Screen". ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 4 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________ If you have a STARTUP.CMD batch file, it will run just as it did before you installed 4OS2. OS/2 will create a 4OS2 session at boot time and pass the STARTUP.CMD command to that session, just as it did with CMD.EXE. For information about creating additional 4OS2 icons, configuring 4OS2, and setting up startup batch files for specific 4OS2 sessions, see pages 15 and 32. Automated 4OS2 Installation If you downloaded 4OS2, see the section on manual installation below. Automated installation is only available if you have the version of 4OS2 distributed on a diskette. When you are ready to install 4OS2, put the distribution diskette into drive A (you may use drive B if you prefer). Open an OS/2 windowed or full-screen session, then log into drive A by typing: a: and pressing Enter. One of the files on the distribution diskette, README.1ST, contains information that you should read before you install 4OS2 on your computer. Type: type readme.1st | more to view the file. If you want to print a copy of the file, type: copy readme.1st prn Now you can start the installation process. Type: install Once the installation program has started, just follow the instructions on the screen and 4OS2 will install itself on your system. The installation program will ask whether you want to perform a full installation or a partial installation. If you want to install 4OS2 automatically, choose a full installation. The program will not make any changes to your CONFIG.SYS or other system files unless you give it permission to do so. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 5 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________ Once the installation process is complete, shut down OS/2 and reboot your computer. You will then have all the power of 4OS2 available to you. Manual 4OS2 Installation If you downloaded 4OS2, simply extract the downloaded files into their own directory (do not put them in the same directory as your 4DOS files). Then skip the next two paragraphs related to diskette copies of 4OS2, and proceed with the remainder of the manual installation instructions. If you have a diskette copy of 4OS2, the 4OS2 files are contained in a special library file on the diskette. You cannot simply copy the files from the diskette onto your system. You must use the installation program to extract and decompress the 4OS2 files if you want to perform a manual installation, or if you need to replace a damaged 4OS2 file on your hard disk. If you want to install 4OS2 manually, first start the automatic installation program using the instructions above. Select the Extract all files option and extract the 4OS2 files onto your hard disk. Place the files in their own directory. Do not put them in the same directory as your 4DOS files. In the examples below, we have assumed that the 4OS2 files are in the C:\4OS2 directory. Once you have extracted the files, you can test drive 4OS2 before completing the installation. To do so, start an OS/2 windowed or full-screen session from the Presentation Manager desktop. At the CMD.EXE prompt, change to the directory where 4OS2 is installed, and enter the command 4OS2. When run in this mode, 4OS2's HELP command and F1 key, along with the "/?" option for 4OS2 commands, may not work if the required files are not accessible. You can activate these features during your test drive by following the instructions for 4OS2.INF and 4OS2H.MSG in the 4OS2 Files and Directories section below. When you're ready to finish the installation process, follow the instructions in the appropriate sections below. Before you modify CONFIG.SYS, be sure you have a bootable floppy disk as discussed above. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 6 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________ Manual Installation for OS/2 Version 1.x Use an ASCII-format text editor to load and edit your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file. In the file, you will find a line that begins with the word PROTSHELL and another that begins with the words SET COMSPEC. The lines should look something like this, but they may not be adjacent in the file (the PROTSHELL command is all on one line): PROTSHELL=C:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE C:\OS2\OS2.INI C:\OS2\OS2SYS.INI C:\OS2\CMD.EXE SET COMSPEC=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE Change the last item on the PROTSHELL line, the item that includes the filename CMD.EXE, to point to 4OS2.EXE. Be sure to include the full path for 4OS2.EXE. The changed PROTSHELL line should look something like this (it should all be on one line): PROTSHELL=C:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE C:\OS2\OS2.INI C:\OS2\OS2SYS.INI C:\4OS2\4OS2.EXE Do not change PMSHELL.EXE to 4OS2.EXE. Change only the name and path of CMD.EXE. Now change the SET COMSPEC line so that it also contains the full path of 4OS2.EXE. The completed line should look like this: SET COMSPEC=C:\4OS2\4OS2.EXE Verify that the changes have been made correctly and then save the CONFIG.SYS file. Exit from your editor, shut down OS/2, and reboot your system. Manual Installation for OS/2 Version 2.0 Use an ASCII-format editor to load and edit your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file. In the file, you will find a line that begins with the words SET OS2_SHELL and another that begins with the words SET COMSPEC. The lines should look something like this, but they may not be adjacent in the file: SET OS2_SHELL=D:\OS2\CMD.EXE SET COMSPEC=D:\OS2\CMD.EXE ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 7 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________ Change both of these lines so that they to point to 4OS2.EXE, including its path, instead of to the CMD.EXE file. When you are done, the lines should look something like this: SET OS2_SHELL=C:\4OS2\4OS2.EXE SET COMSPEC=C:\4OS2\4OS2.EXE Verify that the changes have been made correctly and then save the CONFIG.SYS file. Exit from your editor, shut down OS/2, and reboot your system. 4OS2 Files and Directories The automated installation procedure places all 4OS2 files in a single directory. You may move the files to different directories, if you wish. But you do have to make sure that the files can be found by the programs that need to use them. The following information will help you set up your system correctly if you are performing a manual installation: 4OS2.EXE is the 4OS2 program file. It must be in the directory specified in the PROTSHELL= (OS/2 version 1.x), SET OS2_SHELL= (OS/2 version 2.0), and SET COMSPEC= lines in your CONFIG.SYS file as explained above. 4OS2.INF contains the text for the 4OS2 HELP command and F1 key. For HELP to work properly, the directory containing this file must be included in the BOOKSHELF environment variable, which is usually set with a SET BOOKSHELF= command in CONFIG.SYS. If you prefer, you can move this file into the standard OS/2 bookshelf directory, \OS2\BOOK. 4OS2H.MSG contains the help text for the "/?" option available as part of each 4OS2 internal command. For this feature to work properly, the directory containing this file must be included in the DPATH environment variable, which is usually set with a SET DPATH command in CONFIG.SYS. If you prefer, you can move this file into the standard OS/2 directory for such files, \OS2\SYSTEM. SHRALIAS.EXE is a small utility that saves the shared alias and history list between 4OS2 sessions. The directory containing this file should be listed in your PATH statement. If it is not, you will have to specify ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 8 CHAPTER 1 / INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________ the full path name to load SHRALIAS.EXE each time you want to use it. Uninstalling 4OS2 In the extremely unlikely event that you have trouble with your computer after you install 4OS2, you can remove it quite easily. We don't expect you to have any trouble, but we know some people feel more secure knowing how to uninstall a product as well as install it. Or, you may need to remove 4OS2 from one system if you are moving it to another system. To remove 4OS2 from your system temporarily, use an ASCII editor to edit your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file. You will need to edit both the SET COMSPEC line (all versions of OS/2) and either the PROTSHELL line (OS/2 version 1.x) or SET OS2_SHELL line (OS/2 version 2.0). In all cases, change the reference to 4OS2.EXE to the complete path and filename of CMD.EXE. Save the file, exit from your editor, shut down OS/2, and reboot your system. OS/2 will boot using CMD.EXE as its command processor. To remove 4OS2 permanently, follow the instructions above. You will also want to change or delete any Group Main selections (in OS/2 version 1.x) or icons (in OS/2 version 2.0) that refer directly to 4OS2.EXE. Then delete all 4OS2 files on your hard drive to completely uninstall 4OS2. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 9 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS This chapter contains information about OS/2 and 4OS2. Some of the information is general and introductory in nature; other parts of this chapter are fairly detailed and technical. We encourage you to at least scan through this chapter to see what is here and to study the sections that appear to have relevance to your way of using 4OS2 and OS/2. Terminology Throughout this manual, the term "desktop" refers to the Presentation Manager in OS/2 version 1.x or the Workplace Shell in OS/2 version 2.0. The term "icon" refers to a selectable item on your desktop, whether or not the corresponding icon is actually visible (you may have chosen to configure the desktop with only session names visible, rather than the icons themselves). For example, the standard desktop for all versions of OS/2 includes icons titled "OS/2 Window" and "OS/2 Full Screen." The term "session" refers to the OS/2 session created by selecting an icon on the desktop. Sessions run a program or sequence of programs. See below for more information on sessions and session types. When you double-click on an icon or select it with the keyboard and press Enter, a new session is started. The term "process" refers to a single invocation of a particular program within a session. Many sessions run only a single process. However, multiple processes can run simultaneously within the same session. For example, in a 4OS2 session which is running a character-mode text editor, two processes are running: 4OS2 and the text editor. OS/2 Sessions and Applications OS/2 supports several different types of applications and many methods for starting them. Most of the time, you don't need to worry about these differences because 4OS2 and OS/2 cooperate to take care of them for you. You may, however, find this general discussion of applications and sessions useful to understand what happens when you run an application ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 10 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ or other external program. If you need more details, see the OS/2 online reference information. Technical experts will recognize that these explanations are not precise, but they should serve as a useful introduction for many users. (For example, this introduction does not explore the distinction between sessions and screen groups.) Sessions and Session Types OS/2 programs are run in "sessions" which are programs or groups of programs whose output typically appears in specific windowed display areas on the desktop ("windowed" sessions) or takes up the whole screen ("full-screen" sessions). A windowed session runs on the desktop in a graphical window whose size you (or an OS/2 application) can change. As a result, portions of the session's display area may be covered or invisible at any given time. The "active" session, or the session that receives keystrokes, is always shown with a highlighted title bar. Full-screen sessions run on a standard text mode display, generally 80 characters by 25 lines. When such a session is active, its full display area is visible and it hides all other sessions and the desktop itself. You can use the Alt- Esc key to switch back to the desktop from a full-screen session. OS/2 supports ten different types of sessions: OS/2 Presentation Manager (PM) session: A PM session runs in graphics mode on the desktop. PM sessions are always windowed. Their output is graphical and may include pictures and a variety of fonts within the same window. Examples of PM sessions include those started to view the OS/2 Command Reference, or to run the System Editor distributed with OS/2. OS/2 character mode, full-screen session: This session type displays only text in character mode, like a standard DOS application. It uses the entire screen, almost always in standard 80 x 25 text mode. Examples include a 4OS2 or CMD.EXE full-screen session. OS/2 character mode, windowed session: This session type is just like the character mode full-screen session except that it runs in a window. It uses the same text ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 11 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ font over the entire window and does not display graphics. Examples include a 4OS2 or CMD.EXE windowed session. DOS full-screen session: A DOS session runs DOS within OS/2. A special version of DOS, designed to run in such a session, is supplied with OS/2 and is generally compatible with MS-DOS 4.0 (in OS/2 version 1.x) or MS- DOS 5.0 (in OS/2 version 2.0). A DOS full-screen session has full control of the screen (including the ability to switch it into graphics and non-standard text modes). In OS/2 version 1.x, you can start exactly one DOS session, called the DOS Compatibility Box. Once this session is started, it cannot be closed (although you can switch back to the desktop with Alt-Esc). In OS/2 version 2.0, you can start many such sessions, which are called Virtual DOS Machines (VDMs). VDMs can normally be terminated with the EXIT command. You can switch a full- screen DOS session into windowed mode by pressing Alt- Home. One example of a DOS full-screen session is the session started by the default "DOS full-screen" icon which is installed automatically with OS/2. DOS windowed session: Available only in OS/2 version 2.0, this session is similar to a DOS full-screen session, but runs in a window on the desktop. Such a session always runs as a VDM and can normally be terminated with the EXIT command. You can switch a windowed DOS session into full-screen mode by pressing Alt-Home. A DOS windowed session can run all text-mode DOS applications, and applications that display graphics in standard graphics video modes. Native DOS full-screen session: Native DOS sessions are only available in OS/2 version 2.0. They are similar to the DOS sessions described above, but load a specific version of DOS (for example, MS-DOS 3.3) into a VDM, rather than the version of DOS shipped with OS/2 version 2.0. Like normal DOS sessions, native DOS sessions can be switched between full-screen and windowed mode by pressing Alt-Home. Once a native DOS session is started, it cannot be terminated with the EXIT command. The only way to terminate such a session is to switch it to windowed mode, bring up the system menu for the window, click Close, and then click Yes to the following prompt. For more information on native DOS sessions, see the command VMDISK and the topic "Starting a Specific Version of DOS" in the on-line Command Reference for OS/2 version 2.0. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 12 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ Native DOS windowed session: This session is similar to a native DOS full-screen session, but it runs in a window on the desktop instead of in full-screen mode. Windows full-screen session: This session type is available only in OS/2 version 2.0. A Windows full- screen session is essentially a DOS full-screen session that is running the special version of Microsoft Windows that is supplied with OS/2 version 2.0. It has the standard Windows display, the Program Manager and Control Panel, etc., and can run Windows applications, but it cannot start OS/2 or DOS applications. WIN-OS/2 full-screen session: This session type is available only in OS/2 version 2.0. It is similar to a Windows full-screen session, but runs only a single application. Internally, it starts a DOS session, tells DOS to load the special version of Windows that comes with OS/2, and tells Windows to load the application. However, no DOS character-mode window is opened for this session -- only a full-screen window for the Windows application. WIN-OS/2 windowed session: This session type is available only in OS/2 version 2.0. It allows a single Windows application to run inside a window on the Workplace Shell desktop. Internally, it loads the application just like a WIN-OS/2 full-screen session. However, the window it opens is a graphical Presentation Manager window for the Windows application. This session type is sometimes called a "seamless Windows" session. Applications and Application Types OS/2 and 4OS2 support six different types of applications. Application types are related to the type of session in which the application can run. They are similar to, but not the same as, session types. The type of an application is determined by the programmer who creates the program. Information about the application type is embedded in the application itself. The application types are: OS/2 Presentation Manager application: Runs in a PM session only. Examples include the OS/2 online help ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 13 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ program VIEW.EXE and the System Editor distributed with OS/2. OS/2 character mode, full-screen application: Runs in a full-screen OS/2 session only. Applications of this type are very rare. OS/2 character mode, window-compatible application: Runs in a full-screen or windowed OS/2 session. Most OS/2 character-mode applications -- including 4OS2 -- are in this category. This and the previous type are sometimes called "VIO" or "AVIO" applications. DOS application: Runs in a DOS session only. Examples include all .COM and .EXE files designed to run under DOS, such as those for your DOS communications program or word processor. Virtually all DOS application programs that use text displays will run in either a full-screen or windowed DOS session. Many DOS applications that use graphics will run properly only in a full-screen DOS session. 4OS2 also recognizes DOS batch files with a .BAT extension as DOS applications. "Bound application" or "Family-mode application": Runs in an OS/2 or a DOS character mode session from the same .EXE file. Bound applications are primarily used in compilers and installation programs to allow the same file to run under both DOS and OS/2. Windows application: Runs only in a Windows session. Examples include applications like Word for Windows and Corel Draw. Most Windows applications will run properly in either a Windows full-screen session, or a WIN-OS/2 full-screen or windowed session. Starting Sessions and Applications Before you can start an application program to do some work, you must have a session in which to execute it. Every icon on the OS/2 desktop represents a potential session: if you double-click the icon or select it and press Enter, OS/2 starts a new session with the parameters that have been set up for that icon. The parameters for the icon may cause the session to run an OS/2 application program, load the OS/2 command processor (CMD.EXE by default, or 4OS2 if you have it installed) and display a prompt, run a batch file that could in turn start ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 14 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ other sessions, or start DOS, Windows, or a Windows application. To start 4OS2, you must define an icon for an OS/2 character mode session, either full-screen or windowed. To do so, see Chapter 4 / Options and Tuning (page 32) for full instructions. Briefly, after you have installed 4OS2 and defined it as your shell in your CONFIG.SYS file, you merely have to place an asterisk [*] in the field for the program name. (If CONFIG.SYS has not yet been set up for 4OS2, you must explicitly specify the full path and name of 4OS2.EXE instead of using the [*].) Once 4OS2 has started, you can start applications or other sessions from the 4OS2 prompt. When you start an application, 4OS2 checks its type. If the type is the same as that of the session in which 4OS2 is running (which will only happen for OS/2 character-mode applications), the application will run in the same session as 4OS2. 4OS2 will wait for the application to complete before displaying a new prompt. This is analogous to how applications are run in DOS. If the application type is different from the 4OS2 session type, 4OS2 will start a new session to run the application. Then 4OS2 will wait for that session to signal completion before returning to the prompt. If 4OS2 is running in a window, the 4OS2 window will be minimized while the new session is running, and restored to its original state when the new session finishes. You can also force 4OS2 to start a new session and not wait for it to complete by using the START command (see page 55). Creating and Configuring Icons This section gives you basic information which you will need to create and configure 4OS2 and 4DOS icons on your OS/2 desktop. For complete details on creating and configuring icons, see your OS/2 documentation. For details on the appropriate properties or settings to use for 4OS2 and 4DOS icons see pages 33 (4OS2) and 37 (4DOS). OS/2 Version 1.x Icons In OS/2 version 1.x, icons are displayed within groups on the desktop. For example, the "OS/2 Full Screen" icon normally appears in Group-Main. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 15 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ To create a new icon, switch to the group where you want the icon to appear and choose the New selection on the File menu. Then adjust the icon's properties. To adjust the properties of an icon, first select it (click on the icon once, or use the arrow keys on the keyboard), then open the File Properties menu from the menu bar. From within this menu you can modify the program name, startup directory, command line parameters, and other configuration data for the icon. OS/2 Version 2.0 Icons In OS/2 version 2.0, icons may appear on the desktop itself or within folders. For example, the "OS/2 Full Screen" icon normally appears in the "Command Prompts" folder. To create a new icon, switch to the folder where you want the icon to appear and either copy an existing icon (use either the Copy or Create Another selection on the icon's popup menu) or drag a Program Template in from the Templates folder. Depending on the copying method you choose, the Settings notebook may open automatically. To adjust the properties of an icon, you must open its Settings notebook. To do so, click the right mouse button in the icon. When the popup menu appears, click the left mouse button on the small arrow to the right of the Open selection, then again on the Settings selection on the submenu. Once the Settings notebook is open, use the Program page to modify the program name, startup directory, and command line parameters. The Session page lets you set the session type. Other pages let you adjust other configuration data for the icon. The contents of the Settings notebook will vary depending on the type of icon and the session type set on the Session page. For example, DOS and Windows sessions allow control of a wide variety of DOS parameters (such as available XMS and EMS memory, whether DOS is loaded high, and the maximum number of open files) using the "DOS Settings" or "Windows Settings" button on the Session page. However, this button cannot be used for Presentation Manager or OS/2 character-mode sessions. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 16 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ Primary and Secondary Shells Primary and secondary shells are used a little differently under OS/2 than you may be used to under DOS. In particular, primary shells are more common in OS/2 and secondary shells are less common. When you boot DOS, there is only one primary shell: the one loaded when your system boots. Under OS/2, a new primary shell starts whenever a new character-mode session is started. If the session is an OS/2 session, a 4OS2 (or CMD.EXE) primary shell is used. If it is a DOS or Windows session, a 4DOS (or COMMAND.COM) primary shell is used. Secondary shells are used most often under DOS for "shelling to DOS" from an application, and for starting DOS sessions under multitaskers or task switchers like Back & Forth, DESQview, or Microsoft Windows. Most OS/2 applications don't offer a "shell to OS/2" capability, and new sessions create primary, not secondary shells. As a result, 4OS2 secondary shells are generally created only for pipes (see page 24), or if you start a second copy of 4OS2 directly from the command prompt. High Performance File System (HPFS) OS/2 version 2.0 includes support for two different file systems. The first is the traditional DOS file system that is based on a file allocation table (FAT) and has file names that are composed of 8 characters plus a 3-character extension. The second file system is called the High Performance File System or HPFS. In this system, file names can be a maximum of 255 characters. The names may include spaces and other characters that are not allowed in the FAT file system. The file system type (FAT or HPFS) is determined when a hard disk partition is formatted, and applies to the entire partition. For example, you might have a 200 MB hard disk divided into four 50 MB partitions, with the first three partitions (C:, D:, and E:) formatted for the FAT file system and the fourth (F:) formatted for HPFS. Partition F: would then be available only from OS/2 sessions (including DOS sessions running under OS/2). It would not be visible from a DOS boot outside of OS/2. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 17 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ 4OS2 is compatible with both file systems. Any command that accepts file names will accept both FAT-compatible names and HPFS-compatible names. If an HPFS-compatible name includes spaces or other characters that would not be allowed in a FAT name, you must place double quotes around the entire name. For example, suppose you have a file named LET3 on a FAT partition, and you want to copy it to the LETTERS directory on drive F:, an HPFS partition, and give it the name LETTER TO SARA. To do so, use either of these commands: [c:\wp] copy let3 f:\"letter to sara" [c:\wp] copy let3 "f:\letter to sara" Note that the quotes can include the filename only, or the entire path. As long as the portion of the filename that includes spaces or other similar separator characters is quoted, the filename will be interpreted properly. You can use the DESCRIBE command to add descriptions to files on an HPFS partition, just as you can on a FAT partition. This may mean you use two sets of quotes in the DESCRIBE command, for example (enter this command on one line): [c:\wp] describe "f:\letter to sara" "letter to sara rimaldi about purchases" If quotes are required to delimit the HPFS file name, 4OS2 will include them in the DESCRIPT.ION file. This keeps the file name and description properly separated from each other. 4DOS will not display or modify descriptions for files with quoted HPFS names, but will not disturb the descriptions 4OS2 creates for these files. HPFS is called an "installable file system" (installed with the IFS= directive in CONFIG.SYS). OS/2 supports additional installable file systems. 4OS2 will work properly with any installable file system which supports standard OS/2 file access calls. Extended Attributes DOS allows you to define a limited set of attributes for files, for example whether the file is Read-Only, Hidden, or System (for more information see pages 47 - 48 of the 4DOS manual). OS/2 supports a new type of information about files called "Extended Attributes" or "EAs". ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 18 CHAPTER 2 / GENERAL CONCEPTS ___________________________________________________________________ The Extended Attributes for a file provide additional information which is not part of the file's actual contents. This information might include the icon to be displayed for the file on the OS/2 desktop or the type of data contained in the file. OS/2 supports Extended Attributes on both FAT and HPFS partitions. EAs for the files on a FAT partition are stored in the file "EA DATA. SF" in the partition's root directory. Like CMD.EXE, 4OS2 preserves a file's EAs when copying or moving the file, and makes the appropriate adjustments to EAs when a file is deleted or renamed. If you boot in DOS mode (as opposed to a DOS session under OS/2) and delete or otherwise manipulate files that have Extended Attributes, you can face several unexpected problems when you next boot under OS/2 because the EAs and directories will be out of sync. If you must manipulate files with Extended Attributes during a DOS boot, make sure you run OS/2's CHKDSK program the next time you boot OS/2. For more information on Extended Attributes, see your OS/2 documentation. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 19 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 In use, 4OS2 is nearly identical to 4DOS. The few differences are explained in this chapter. We have assumed in this chapter that you have the 4DOS Reference Manual available and that you have some familiarity with the corresponding 4DOS features. If a section of this chapter seems completely unfamiliar to you, it is probably discussing a feature of 4DOS and 4OS2 that you are not using. Feel free to read only the sections of this chapter that are relevant to the way that you use your computer and 4OS2. At the Command Line [see page 55 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] The 4OS2 command line will hold a maximum of 511 characters, instead of the 255 characters available at the 4DOS command line. All other command line editing features work the same under 4OS2 as they do under 4DOS. The default 4OS2 prompt is [$p] on hard disk partitions and [$n] on floppy disks, rather than the corresponding defaults of $p$g and $n$g in 4DOS. This default is compatible with CMD.EXE, and encloses the current path or drive in square brackets. When OS/2 is installed, it inserts a SET PROMPT statement in CONFIG.SYS to set the prompt to $i[$p]. This prompt will override 4OS2's default (it will not affect 4DOS). The $i adds a header line to the default prompt, to remind you of certain OS/2 keystrokes. You can modify or delete the SET PROMPT line in CONFIG.SYS if you want to use a different prompt for your 4OS2 sessions. For compatibility with CMD.EXE, 4OS2 will prompt for additional command line text when you include a caret [^] as the very last character of a typed command line. For example: [c:\] echo The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy^ More? sleeping dog. > alphabet 4OS2 HELP Complete on-line help for all 4OS2 commands and features is provided with 4OS2. As in 4DOS, help is invoked with the HELP command or the F1 key. 4OS2's help text does not cover the OS/2 external commands because they are included in OS/2's ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 20 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ built-in Command Reference. The OS/2 Command Reference is normally displayed along with 4OS2's help when the HELP command or F1 key is used. You can also use the 4OS2 HELP command for explanations of OS/2 error messages (see page 52). When you start the 4OS2 Help system, 4OS2 opens a new OS/2 Presentation Manager session to run VIEW.EXE, the standard help program supplied with OS/2. VIEW displays the 4OS2 Help and OS/2 Command Reference information and lets you browse through it. If you invoke VIEW from a windowed 4OS2 session, you will be returned to that session when you are done with VIEW. If you invoke VIEW from a full-screen session, you must manually return to that session using standard OS/2 methods for switching between sessions (this is due to the design of OS/2, and is not a limitation within 4OS2). You can also keep the VIEW help window on the screen and return to the 4OS2 session, switching between the two sessions as needed. This may be useful when you are writing a batch file, working on a complex command, or experimenting with 4OS2. 4OS2 also supports the /? switch to display help for any command. For more information see your 4DOS reference manual and the information on the 4OS2H.MSG file on page 8 of this manual. See page 36 for information about configuring 4OS2 help. Shared History and Alias Lists [see pages 57 and 94 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] By default, 4OS2 will use the same history list and alias list in all sessions and in both primary and secondary 4OS2 shells. It keeps these lists in shared memory segments. This means that the aliases that you define in one session will be available immediately in copies of 4OS2 that are running in other sessions. In addition, the history list, which is used to record the commands that you type, is updated in all 4OS2 sessions whenever you type a command at any 4OS2 prompt. If you want to start a 4OS2 shell or session with unique alias and history lists, use the LocalAliases and LocalHistory directives in the 4OS2.INI file (see page 35) or on the 4OS2 command line (see page 33). Using the 4OS2.INI directive is the best choice if you want to have separate alias and history lists for all 4OS2 sessions. You might prefer using the ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 21 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ command line directive if you want to create a separate list just for one particular session or shell. The memory segments that contain the shared history and alias lists are retained as long as there is at least one copy of 4OS2 running that supports shared lists. When all such copies of 4OS2 end, the shared history and alias lists are discarded. A utility program called SHRALIAS.EXE is included on the 4OS2 distribution diskette. It will keep these lists open until your computer is rebooted. To use this program, include the following line in your STARTUP.CMD, 4START, or 4OS2 session startup batch file: [d:\path\]shralias Once SHRALIAS is started, it will remain active until your computer is turned off or rebooted, even if the session from which it was started is terminated. To deactivate SHRALIAS, enter this command at any 4OS2 prompt: [d:\path]shralias /u Special Characters To maintain compatibility with CMD.EXE, the default values for three special characters are different in 4OS2 than in 4DOS. If you want to share batch (.BTM) files or aliases between 4OS2 and 4DOS, you will probably want to select a common set of characters for both environments. You can do so with directives in 4OS2.INI or 4DOS.INI, or by using the SETDOS command. By default, the command separator is an ampersand [&] in 4OS2 and a caret [^] in 4DOS (see page 62 in the 4DOS Reference Manual). You can select a common command separator character with the CommandSep directive or the SETDOS /C command. The default escape character is a caret [^] in 4OS2 and Ctrl-X in 4DOS (see page 91 in the 4DOS Reference Manual). You can select a common escape character with the EscapeChar directive or the SETDOS /E command. 4OS2 batch files and aliases recognize the dollar sign [$] to mean all or all remaining replaceable parameters (e.g., %$ or %2$). The corresponding symbol in 4DOS is the ampersand [&] (see pages 44 and 75 in the 4DOS Reference Manual). You can ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 22 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ select a common symbol with the ParameterChar directive or the SETDOS /P command. Executable File Names [see pages 44 and 75 in the 4DOS reference manual] 4OS2 is similar to 4DOS in the way it executes programs and batch files. It searches for .COM, .EXE, .BTM, and .CMD files, and files with executable extensions, in the current directory and then in each directory in the PATH. In addition, 4OS2 will execute any file which contains an executable application program even if it does not have the standard .COM or .EXE extension. Such a file will be found only if you give its extension explicitly. For example, if you had an executable file in the current directory called WORKOUT.PGM you could run it by typing that name (with the extension), but not by simply typing WORKOUT. Redirection [see page 66 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] In addition to the extended 4DOS redirection options, 4OS2 also supports the OS/2 (CMD.EXE) syntax n>file and n>&m where [n] and [m] are digits between 0 and 9. You may not put any spaces between the n and the >, or between the & and the m in the second form. The digits represent file handles; OS/2 interprets "0" as STDIN (standard input), "1" as STDOUT (standard output), and "2" as STDERR (standard error). Handles 3 to 9 will probably not be useful unless you have an application which uses those handles for a specific, documented purpose. The n>file syntax redirects output from handle n to a file. You can use this form to redirect two handles to different places. For example, [c:\] dir >outfile 2>errfile ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 23 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ sends normal output to a file called OUTFILE and any error messages to a file called ERRFILE. The n>&m syntax redirects handle n to the same location as the previously assigned handle m. For example, to send STDERR to the same file as STDOUT, you could use this command: [c:\] dir >outfile 2>&1 Notice that you can perform the same operations by using 4OS2's enhanced redirection features. The two examples above could be written as [c:\] dir >outfile >&>errfile and [c:\] dir >&outfile Piping [see page 68 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] A pipe takes the standard output of one program (the sending program) and uses it as the standard input of a second program (the receiving program). Because of the limitations of MS- DOS, 4DOS implements pipes by creating a temporary file to collect the output from the sending program. Once that program is done, 4DOS starts the receiving program and sends it the contents of the temporary file as its input. When the receiving program ends, 4DOS deletes the temporary file. The flexibility of OS/2 lets 4OS2 implement pipes by starting a new process for the receiving program. The sending and receiving programs run simultaneously; the sending program writes to the pipe and the receiving program reads from the pipe. When both programs finish, the process for the receiving program is ended automatically. If you are used to using pipes under 4DOS, you normally will not see any difference with a 4OS2 pipe except perhaps less disk activity. But you may not get the results you expect from 4OS2 if you use a pipe command like: [c:\] echo test | input %%var ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 24 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ In 4DOS, this pipe will create an environment variable called VAR and set its value as "test." You will be able to see the new variable by typing SET at the 4DOS command. In 4OS2, VAR will be set in the environment that belongs to the receiving program. But that environment will be discarded when the pipe has been emptied and the process ends. You will never see VAR in the environment even though 4OS2 and OS/2 are both operating correctly. The same cautions apply to the "pipe-fitting" commands, TEE and Y. When you use pipes with 4OS2, make sure you think about any possible consequences that can occur from using a separate process to run the receiving program. Because 4OS2 does not use temporary files for pipes, the TEMP and TEMP4DOS environment variables do not affect pipes in 4OS2 as they do in 4DOS. 4OS2 Internal Variables [see page 79 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] The following internal variables are unique to 4OS2: _PID is the current process ID number. _PPID is the process ID number of the parent process. _SID is the session ID number. _PTYPE is the current OS/2 process type: AVIO Character mode, windowed DT Detached (no screen in use) FS Character mode, full-screen PM Presentation Manager The following 4DOS internal variables are not available in 4OS2: _ALIAS (because 4OS2 dynamically sizes the alias list). _DV (because DESQView does not run under OS/2). _ENV (because 4OS2 dynamically sizes the environment). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 25 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ _WIN (because Windows does not run in the OS/2 character- mode sessions used to run 4OS2). One 4DOS internal variable has additional options in 4OS2: %_VIDEO returns two additional video adapter types not detectable under DOS: "IA/A" for the IBM PS/2 Image Adapter/A, and "XGA" for IBM the PS/2 XGA. 4OS2 Variable Functions [see page 83 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] The following variable functions are available only in 4OS2: @EXETYPE[filename]: Returns the application type as a string: DOS DOS .COM, .EXE, or .BAT file (OS/2 2.0 only) AVIO OS/2 Character mode, windowed FS OS/2 Character mode, full-screen PM OS/2 Presentation Manager WIN Windows 3 (OS/2 2.0 only) @FSTYPE[d:]: Returns the file system type for the specified drive. Normally, it will return "FAT" for a DOS-compatible drive with a file allocation table or "HPFS" for a drive that uses OS/2's high performance file system. Other values may be returned by any additional file systems installed with the IFS= directive in CONFIG.SYS. The following 4DOS variable functions are not available in 4OS2: @EMS (because OS/2 does not recognize nor use expanded memory). @EXTENDED (because OS/2 does not recognize extended memory as a special memory type). @LPT (because there is no feasible way to read printer status information directly under OS/2). @REMOVABLE (because there is no feasible way to detect removable drives under OS/2) ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 26 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ @TRUENAME (because there is no feasible way to detect true names under OS/2). @XMS (because OS/2 does not recognize nor use XMS memory). Also, in 4OS2 the @DOSMEM function returns the size of the largest block of free memory, not the total amount of free memory (because total free memory is not an available or meaningful value under OS/2). Batch Files 4OS2 can execute two kinds of batch files: files with an extension of .CMD and those with an extension of .BTM. The former are traditional OS/2 batch files; the latter can be run by 4OS2 and by 4DOS running either under DOS or in a DOS session under OS/2. If you run the same .BTM files with 4OS2 and 4DOS, you should encounter few difficulties. However, 4OS2 and 4DOS by default use a different command separator, a different escape character, and a different character for all remaining parameters on a batch file or alias command line. You may want to use the CommandSep, EscapeChar, and ParameterChar directives in either 4OS2.INI or 4DOS.INI, or the corresponding SETDOS switches, to set the same characters in both products (see page 23). Inside a .BTM file, you may need to determine whether the file is being executed by 4OS2, by 4DOS running under DOS, or by 4DOS in an OS/2 DOS session. You may also want the file to do different things in primary and secondary shells. The template on the following page should help you write .BTM files that can run successfully in each possible environment. It includes detection of several different environments but does not cover all possibilities. The basic rule is to use the internal variable %_DOS to determine the operating system, %_DOSVER to determine the operating system version, and %_SHELL to determine the shell level. Note that in a DOS session, %_DOSVER returns 3.3, 5.0, etc. for the corresponding MS-DOS versions, 10.2 or 10.3 for the OS/2 version 1.2 or 1.3 DOS Compatibility Box, and 20.0 for an OS/2 version 2.0 VDM. In an OS/2 session, %_DOSVER returns the true OS/2 version (e.g., 1.2 or 2.0). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 27 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ [commands here for both 4OS2 and 4DOS] iff "%_DOS" == "DOS" then [commands here for all 4DOS shells] iff %_DOSVER == 20.0 [commands here for OS/2 2.0 VDMs] endiff iff %_SHELL == 0 [commands here for 4DOS primary shells] endiff else [commands here for all 4OS2 shells] iff %_DOSVER == 1.3 [commands here for 4OS2 under OS/2 1.3] elseiff %_DOSVER == 2.0 [commands here for 4OS2 under OS/2 2.0] endiff iff %_SHELL ne 0 [commands here for all 4OS2 secondary shells] endiff endiff 4OS2 Startup and Exit Files 4OS2 uses three startup or exit batch files: STARTUP.CMD, 4START, and 4EXIT. STARTUP.CMD is run automatically whenever OS/2 starts. 4START is run whenever 4OS2 starts, and 4EXIT is run whenever 4OS2 exits. 4START and 4EXIT can be either .CMD or .BTM files. If they have the extension .BTM and are in a directory where 4DOS can find them, they will also run whenever 4DOS starts and exits. Using STARTUP.CMD If you have a STARTUP.CMD file in the root directory of your OS/2 boot drive, OS/2 will automatically create a windowed 4OS2 session when the system boots and will tell that session to execute STARTUP.CMD. (This is a feature of OS/2 and does not depend on 4OS2. If CMD.EXE is your OS/2 command processor it will be used to run STARTUP.CMD.) You can use STARTUP.CMD to start other sessions, to set up a global alias list, start SHRALIAS, etc., just as you might use AUTOEXEC.BAT under DOS. STARTUP.CMD will be executed once, when your system boots, not every time a 4OS2 session is started. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 28 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ If you place the command EXIT at the end of STARTUP.CMD, the session created to run STARTUP.CMD will end when that command is executed, and any global alias list will be discarded if no other 4OS2 session has been started and SHRALIAS has not been loaded (see page 22). If you don't include an EXIT, the session will remain open and can be used as a normal windowed 4OS2 session. Using 4START and 4EXIT If you create a 4START.BTM and 4EXIT.BTM file, you can use them for both 4OS2 and 4DOS. The template above shows how to include commands that are specific to each operating system. If you prefer to use different files for 4OS2 and 4DOS, you can use 4START.CMD for 4OS2 and 4START.BAT for 4DOS. You could name your 4EXIT files similarly. You can also keep the 4START and 4EXIT files separate by placing the files for 4OS2 in the 4OS2 directory and the files for 4DOS in the 4DOS directory. If you prefer, you can create a file with a name other than 4START (for example, STARTOS2.CMD) and put its name in the Parameters field for any 4OS2 icon (see page 32). Doing so has two advantages. The file will only be started when a primary 4OS2 shell is started, not under a secondary shell or under 4DOS. Also, you can then use different startup files for different 4OS2 sessions. Note that this file will not be run by the "automatic" session that OS/2 starts at boot time to run STARTUP.CMD. If you want it to run at that time also, you will have to CALL it from STARTUP.CMD. REXX Support REXX is a file and text processing language developed by IBM and included within OS/2. REXX files have a .CMD extension, just like normal batch files, but the first two characters in the file are always [/*], which indicate the beginning of a REXX comment. 4OS2 checks to see if the first two characters on the first line of a .CMD file are [/*]. If so, it passes the file to OS/2's built-in REXX facility for processing. Any commands in the file that are not recognized by REXX will be passed back to 4OS2. This allows you to embed any valid 4OS2 command (including internal commands and aliases) within a REXX file ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 29 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ which is started from 4OS2. You can also force REXX to pass commands to 4OS2 by enclosing those commands in single quotation marks. For more information on REXX see your OS/2 documentation. EXTPROC Support OS/2 also offers an external processor (EXTPROC) option for batch files that lets you define an external program to process a particular .CMD file. 4OS2 supports EXTPROC in the same way as CMD.EXE. To identify a .CMD file to be used with an external processor, place the string "EXTPROC" as the first word on the first line of the file followed by the name of the external program that should be called. 4OS2 will start the program and pass it the name of the .CMD file and any command line arguments that were entered. 4OS2 will look for the external processor in the current directory and then in each directory in the PATH. 4OS2 will start the external processor in the current session, if possible, and wait for it to finish. If the external processor's application type is incompatible with the current session, 4OS2 will begin a new session for it and wait until that session ends before returning to the command prompt. For example, suppose GETDATA.CMD contains the following lines: EXTPROC D:\DATAACQ\DATALOAD.EXE OPEN PORT1 READ 4000 DISKWRITE D:\DATAACQ\PORT1\RAW Then if you entered the command: [d:\dataacq>] getdata p17 4OS2 would read the GETDATA.CMD file, determine that it began with an EXTPROC command, read the name of the processor program, and then execute the command: D:\DATAACQ\DATALOAD.EXE D:\DATAACQ\GETDATA.CMD p17 The hypothetical DATALOAD.EXE program would then be responsible for reopening the GETDATA.CMD file, ignoring the EXTPROC line at the start, and interpreting the other instructions in the file. It would also have to respond appropriately to the command line parameter entered (p17). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 30 CHAPTER 3 / USING 4OS2 ___________________________________________________________________ For more information on external batch file processors see your OS/2 documentation. Do not try to run 4OS2 or CMD.EXE as an external processor with EXTPROC. Both programs will interpret the EXTPROC line as a command to re-open themselves. The result will be an infinite loop that will continue until the computer runs out of resources and locks up. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 31 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING [see page 107 in the 4DOS Reference Manual] 4OS2 can be configured in three different ways: with command-line options, through its initialization file, and via the SETDOS command. The SETDOS command is described on page 54 of this manual and page 280 of the 4DOS Reference Manual. Command line options and the initialization file are described in this chapter. This chapter also discusses how to configure the 4OS2 help system and how to use 4DOS effectively in DOS sessions. In this chapter, we assume that 4OS2 is set up as the default OS/2 command processor in your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file. This is normally done when you install 4OS2. See pages 7 and 7 for information on making these changes to CONFIG.SYS manually. Creating and Configuring 4OS2 Icons You can create as many 4OS2 icons as you wish on the OS/2 desktop. Different icons can be used to start 4OS2 in different modes, with different startup commands or options, or to run different batch files or other commands. You can use these icons to run commonly-used commands and batch files directly from the OS/2 desktop. Each icon represents a different 4OS2 session and you can set up any of these sessions to run in windowed or full-screen mode. You can also set any necessary command line parameters for 4OS2 such as a command to be executed, any desired switches, and the name and path for 4OS2.INI. More information on command line switches and options for 4OS2, and on 4OS2.INI, is included later in this section. For general information on creating and configuring icons, see page 15 and your OS/2 documentation. When you configure a 4OS2 icon, place command line parameters that you want passed to 4OS2 (e.g., @ininame) into the Parameters field for the icon. To run a startup batch file for a particular 4OS2 session, include its name (with a path, if the batch file is not in the session's startup directory) as the last item in the Parameters field. That batch file will be executed after any 4START file but before the first prompt is displayed. You can use the batch file to set environment variables and execute ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 32 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ any other 4OS2 commands. You can also execute any internal 4OS2 command, external command, or alias by placing its name in the Parameters field. When you set up a batch file or other command to run in this way you are using the command option (see below). To execute an internal or external command, an alias, or a batch file and then exit (return to the desktop) when it is done, place /C command (rather than just command) as the last item in the Parameters field. 4OS2 Command Line Options The 4OS2 command line does not need to contain any information. When invoked with an empty command line, 4OS2 will configure itself from the 4OS2.INI file, run 4START, and then display a prompt and wait for you to type a command. However, you may add information to the 4OS2 command line that will affect the way it operates. Command line options for primary shells are set in the Parameters field of the 4OS2 icon. If you need help finding and setting the Parameters field for your version of OS/2, see page 15. Command line options for secondary shells can be set using 4OS2.INI directives, or typed on the command line itself following the program name if the shell is started from a prompt. 4OS2 recognizes six optional fields on the command line. If you use more than one of these fields, their order is important. The syntax for these options is (all options go on one line): [d:\path] [@d:\path\inifile] [/S] [//iniline]... [/C | /K] [command] In this syntax statement, items in square brackets are optional. The //iniline option may be repeated. In the descriptions below, d: means a drive letter and \path means a subdirectory name. d:\path 4OS2 will use this directory and path to set the COMSPEC environment variable for this session. If this option is not used, COMSPEC is set from the location of 4OS2.EXE. Since 4OS2 always knows what drive and directory it was started from, there is little reason to use this option. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 33 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ It is included only for compatibility with OS/2's default shell program, CMD.EXE. This option cannot be used for secondary shells. @d:\path\inifile This option sets the path and name of the 4OS2.INI file, which is discussed below. You do not need this option if you aren't using a 4OS2.INI file. Nor do you need this option if the file is named 4OS2.INI and it is in the same subdirectory as 4OS2.EXE or in the root directory of the boot drive. Otherwise, this option must be included. This option is most useful if you want to start a 4OS2 session with a specific and unique INI file. /S This option tells 4OS2 that you do not want it to set up a Ctrl-C / Ctrl-Break handler. It is included for compatibility with CMD.EXE, but it may cause the system to operate incorrectly if you use this option without other software to handle Ctrl-C and Ctrl-Break. This option should be avoided by most users. //iniline This option tells 4OS2 to treat the text appearing between the // and the next space or tab as a 4OS2.INI directive (see below for a discussion of 4OS2.INI). The directive should be in the same format as a line in 4OS2.INI, but it may not contain spaces, tabs, or comments. This option overrides any corresponding directive in your 4OS2.INI file. This option is a convenient way to send 4OS2 one or two simple directives without modifying or creating a new 4OS2.INI file. [/C | /K] command This option tells 4OS2 to run a command when it starts. The command will be run after 4START has been executed and before any command prompt is displayed. It can be any valid internal or external command, batch file, or alias, and you may include multiple commands by using the command separator. All other startup options must be placed before the command, because 4OS2 will treat characters after the command as part of the command and not as additional startup options. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 34 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ When the command is preceded by a /C, 4OS2 will execute the command and then exit and return to the parent program or the OS/2 desktop, without displaying a prompt. The /K switch has no effect; using it is the same as placing the command (without a /C or /K) at the end of the startup command line. It is included only for compatibility with CMD.EXE. Using 4OS2.INI 4OS2 uses a file of initialization information called the 4OS2.INI file. You can add to and edit this file with any ASCII text editor to set 4OS2 options and alter the way that 4OS2 works. Most of this section explains the options available through 4OS2.INI. You only need to include entries in 4OS2.INI for any settings that you want to change from their default values. If you are happy with all of the default values, you don't need a 4OS2.INI file at all. Some settings in 4OS2.INI are initialized when you install 4OS2, so you may have a 4OS2.INI file even if you didn't create one yourself. You should not delete this file unless you've checked carefully to be sure that you don't need any of the settings the initialization program put there. In general, the 4OS2.INI file works the same as the 4DOS.INI file described on page 116 of the 4DOS Reference Manual. The following paragraphs only describe the differences between the two files and the way they are processed. 4OS2.INI Directives The following directives are used only in 4OS2: HelpBook = string (4OS2+CMDREF): Sets the names of the "books" to be loaded when 4OS2 help is invoked with the HELP command or the F1 key. The default is 4OS2+CMDREF which loads the 4OS2 help and the OS/2 command reference. See the next section for details about this directive. LocalAliases = Yes | NO: Normally, 4OS2 shares one alias list among all running shells. "Yes" forces 4OS2 to use a local alias list for the affected session(s) instead of a shared global list. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 35 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ LocalHistory = Yes | NO: Normally, 4OS2 shares one history list among all running shells. "Yes" forces 4OS2 to use a local history list for the affected session(s) instead of a shared global list. WindowState = STANDARD | Maximize | Minimize: Sets the state of the 4OS2 window in a windowed session. "Standard" leaves the window where OS/2 puts it and is the default. "Maximize" maximizes the window; "Minimize" minimizes it. If WindowState is set to Maximize or Minimize, you will see OS/2 briefly display the window at the default size and position, then 4OS2 will change it to the state you specify. This behavior is a limitation of OS/2, not 4OS2. (To create a 4OS2 window without seeing the window state change on the screen, use the START command with the /POS, /MIN, or /MAX switch.) The following 4DOS.INI directives may not be used in a 4OS2.INI file. These directives are specific to 4DOS, or to DOS or features or limitations that do not exist in OS/2: Alias FullINT2E StackSize ANSI HelpOptions Swapping AutoExecPath HelpPath SwapReopen DiskReset LineInput UMBEnvironment DVCleanup MessageServer UMBLoad EnvFree NetwareNames UniqueSwapName Environment Reduce FineSwap ReserveTPA Configuring 4OS2 Help In order for the 4OS2 help system to work properly, both VIEW.EXE and the help text file, 4OS2.INF, must be in their proper locations. VIEW.EXE is normally stored in the \OS2 directory. This directory must be included in your PATH (as it normally is) so that 4OS2 can find and start VIEW. During automated installation, 4OS2.INF is copied to your 4OS2 installation directory. You can make the 4OS2 help text available to VIEW by either moving 4OS2.INF to the standard "book" directory shown on the SET BOOKSHELF line in CONFIG.SYS (normally \OS2\BOOK), or by adding the 4OS2 directory to the BOOKSHELF setting (BOOKSHELF, like PATH, contains a list of directory names, separated by semicolons). The latter method is the one used by 4OS2's automated installation program. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 36 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ OS/2 includes a complete reference to all internal and external commands in the reference book named CMDREF. This book is stored in the file \OS2\BOOK\CMDREF.INF. 4OS2 normally passes the help file name "4OS2+CMDREF" to VIEW, which then opens the 4OS2 help text and the OS/2 command reference. However, you can specify a different set of "books" to be opened when HELP or F1 is invoked. To do so, use the HelpBook directive in 4OS2.INI (see page 35). For example, to set up 4OS2 so that only 4OS2 help is displayed (without the CMDREF book) when F1 is pressed, you would include the following directive in 4OS2.INI: HelpBook=4OS2 When more than one book is listed in the HelpBook setting, VIEW will see the combined group as a single book. The Table of Contents displayed by VIEW will include the tables of contents from all the listed books, concatenated together as one group of topics with no divisions to show where one book ends and the next begins. If you wish, you can set up a separate icon for 4OS2 help which can be invoked from your desktop. To do so, create an icon with VIEW.EXE as the program name and 4OS2 in the parameter field (use 4OS2+CMDREF to show both books when the icon is selected). Using 4DOS with OS/2 The combination of 4OS2 and 4DOS gives you a consistent user interface whether you boot your computer with OS/2 or DOS, and whether you are in OS/2 character mode or running an OS/2 DOS session. However, to use DOS, 4DOS, and OS/2 successfully requires some planning if you want to get all the power possible out of each operating environment. This section explains some of the planning you should do and some of the techniques you can use to get everything working together correctly. It covers: * Setting up your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file to use 4DOS as the command processor for OS/2 DOS sessions in all versions of OS/2 (see page 38). * Configuring OS/2 version 2.0 DOS sessions (Virtual DOS Machines) to get the most out of 4DOS (see page 40). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 37 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ * Arranging your 4DOS.INI, 4START, 4EXIT, and AUTOEXEC.BAT files for use in the multiple DOS sessions available under OS/2 2.0 (see page 42). * Setting up temporary DOS sessions in OS/2 2.0 to run a single DOS command or application (see page 44). * Adjusting 4DOS.INI, 4START, 4EXIT, and AUTOEXEC.BAT when you have the ability to boot your computer under either DOS or OS/2 using OS/2's Dual Boot or Boot Manager features (see page 44). Throughout this section, we assume that you want to use 4DOS as your command processor in all of these situations, and that you are using 4OS2 as your command processor in OS/2 character mode sessions. Also, we assume that you have installed 4DOS in the C:\4DOS\ directory. If your system has a DOS boot capability (separate from OS/2), we suggest that you first make sure you have 4DOS set up to run properly under a standard DOS boot. Use the 4DOS Reference Manual and the 4DOS installation program to set your DOS-based CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files the way you want them. To set up 4DOS for use with OS/2 you may need some background information on 4DOS installation and configuration options. We've included only what's necessary here; if you want more detail or need to refresh your memory, see Chapters 2 and 6 of the 4DOS manual. If you are using OS/2's Dual Boot or Boot Manager, you will have (at least) two copies of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT on your computer, one for booting OS/2 and OS/2 DOS sessions, and the other for booting DOS without OS/2. See the section on Dual Boot and Boot Manager on page 44 for details on where these two sets of files are stored. Unless otherwise specified, references in this section to CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT refer to the OS/2 versions of these files. Changing the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS File Before you make any changes to CONFIG.SYS, make sure that you have a bootable floppy disk or your OS/2 installation disks, so that an error won't leave your system unbootable. You're not likely to create such an error, especially under OS/2, but this is always a wise precaution. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 38 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ To install 4DOS as your default shell for OS/2 DOS sessions, look for a SHELL= command in CONFIG.SYS. It will look something like this: SHELL=C:\OS2\MDOS\COMMAND.COM C:\OS2\MDOS /P Change the line to refer to 4DOS rather than COMMAND.COM: SHELL=c:\4dos\4dos.com c:\4dos [options] The first part of that statement simply sets 4DOS.COM as your shell program for DOS sessions. The second part specifies the directory where 4DOS.COM is stored, which is called the COMSPEC setting. You must include the COMSPEC setting or your OS/2 DOS sessions may not start or work properly. In an OS/2 DOS session, 4DOS cannot determine the COMSPEC setting automatically unless 4DOS.COM is stored in the root directory of the boot drive. You may want to add other 4DOS options to the command line as well; see page 108 in the 4DOS Reference Manual. After you have modified CONFIG.SYS, you must shut down OS/2 and reboot in order for your changes to take effect. But before you do, read through the remainder of this section to see if you need to make any other configuration changes. Using 4DOS with OS/2 Version 1.x Under OS/2 version 1.x, you can install 4DOS simply by setting the SHELL= command in CONFIG.SYS. This command determines how 4DOS starts when you invoke the DOS Compatibility Box from the OS/2 desktop. You can use the [options] portion of the SHELL command to select a special 4DOS.INI file and to set any other 4DOS command line options you choose. In essence, you can set up 4DOS just as you would if you installed it on a DOS system without OS/2. You can skip the sections below which explain how to configure DOS sessions under OS/2 version 2.0. However, if you are using the OS/2 version 1.x Dual Boot capability, you should read the section on Dual Boot and Boot Manager (page 44). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 39 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ Using 4DOS with OS/2 Version 2.0 Under OS/2 version 2.0, you can have multiple icons for DOS sessions or Virtual DOS Machines (VDMs). These may include icons in the Command Prompts window, icons for "migrated applications," icons for DOS and Windows applications, and icons for batch files. Assuming you set up your VDM icons as described here, each time a DOS session starts 4DOS is loaded as a primary shell. 4DOS will process 4DOS.INI, execute your 4START file if you have one, and execute AUTOEXEC.BAT. When the session is closed with the EXIT command, 4DOS will run your 4EXIT file if you have one. You can start any number of DOS sessions and (within the limits of system resources) have as many running simultaneously as you like. This is fundamentally different from what happens when you boot your computer under DOS or OS/2 1.x, where there is only one 4DOS primary shell, AUTOEXEC.BAT is only executed once each time you boot, and so on. OS/2 version 2.0 gives you a lot more flexibility, but that flexibility requires planning to get the most out of 4DOS. For example, you can have all your DOS sessions use the same AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or you can have different versions of AUTOEXEC.BAT for different sessions. The same is true of the other startup and exit files (4DOS.INI, 4START, and 4EXIT). This section and the sections below discuss how to set up icons for your DOS sessions, and how to arrange your startup and exit files so that 4DOS will do just what you want it to in each DOS session. Each VDM icon contains its own information about how to start DOS for that session. In essence, each icon has its own CONFIG.SYS file built into it. When you create a new icon from OS/2's default Program template, this DOS configuration information is initialized based on your CONFIG.SYS file, or taken from standard OS/2 DOS defaults (for settings which have no corresponding command in CONFIG.SYS). If you create a new icon by Copying an existing icon, the existing icon's information will be used in the new icon. Once an icon has been created, you can modify the DOS configuration information by using the DOS Settings button on the Session page in the icon's Settings notebook (see page 15 for more details on modifying the settings for an icon). Any ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 40 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ modifications you make will apply only to that icon (and others created from it with the Copy option on the icon's popup menu). You can return any DOS setting for a VDM icon to its default value by selecting the setting and clicking on the Default button. This replaces the value of the setting with the value that OS/2 read from CONFIG.SYS when you last booted, or with the value from OS/2's standard defaults. Changes that you make in CONFIG.SYS will then be reflected in the setting for that icon each time you boot OS/2. However once you modify a setting in a particular icon any link to the corresponding default value in CONFIG.SYS is removed, and further changes in CONFIG.SYS will not be reflected in the setting for that icon. The setting labeled DOS_SHELL determines what command processor OS/2 will load when the icon is used to start a session. It is formatted just like the SHELL= line in CONFIG.SYS (but without the characters "SHELL="). The DOS_SHELL setting should always include the COMSPEC path. For example, you might set DOS_SHELL to: c:\4dos\4dos.com c:\4dos Once you've set up CONFIG.SYS as described above and rebooted, any new VDM icons you create from the default Program template will automatically use 4DOS. However, VDM icons which existed before you modified CONFIG.SYS may list COMMAND.COM in the DOS_SHELL setting. To correct the setting so that 4DOS is used for these icons, modify DOS_SHELL in each icon to point to 4DOS, as shown in the example above, or select the Default button for DOS_SHELL after you have modified the SHELL= line in CONFIG.SYS and rebooted. Once you have the DOS settings correct, you can create a VDM icon that gives you a standard 4DOS prompt by simply placing a [*] in the Program Name field (on the Program page in the icon's Settings notebook). This tells OS/2 to load the DOS command processor and go to a prompt instead of running a specific DOS application. Then go back to the Session page and set the session type to DOS Full Screen or DOS Window. The session type should be set after the Program Name field is filled in. You may, of course, customize any icon with optional 4DOS command line switches, such as "@" followed by a custom INI file name, or "//" followed by an INI file command (see page 108 of your 4DOS manual for more details). These switches can ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 41 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ be placed at the end of the DOS_SHELL setting, or in the Parameters field in the Program window. For example, your Program page might have the following settings for a standard 4DOS prompt, using a special INI file for this session: Program Name: * Parameters: @D:\4DOS\OS2VDM.INI Working Directory: C:\ You can run any internal command, DOS application, batch file, or alias directly from a 4DOS VDM icon. To do so, place the command to be executed as the last item in the Parameters field for the icon. 4DOS will execute the command and then display a prompt. 4DOS will execute the command after it processes your 4START file (if any) and AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you precede the command name with /C, 4DOS will exit and return to the OS/2 desktop when the command is finished. This is a "temporary" VDM, described in more detail on page 44. You can also make 4DOS exit when the command is complete by invoking a batch file or alias which ends with the EXIT command. You can also run a DOS program by placing its name in the icon's Program Name field. When you select the icon, OS/2 will automatically run a temporary VDM to load 4DOS, execute the command, and then return to the OS/2 desktop. To use this capability, you must include the full path name for the program. For example: Program Name: E:\WORDPROC\WP.EXE Parameters: [blank] Working Directory: D:\LETTERS 4DOS.INI for OS/2 Version 2.0 DOS Sessions Each time you start a DOS session, 4DOS will search for 4DOS.INI in the directory where 4DOS.COM is stored, then in the root directory of that drive, and finally in the root directory of the boot drive. In most cases, the best strategy is to put 4DOS.INI in the same directory as 4DOS.COM and make sure your COMSPEC setting is correct as described above. 4DOS will use this 4DOS.INI file by default for all DOS sessions. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 42 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ To use a different INI file for sessions started from a particular icon, include an @ininame parameter on the DOS_SHELL setting for that icon. Be sure to include the full path and name of the file. To modify specific 4DOS.INI settings for sessions started from an icon, use one or more //iniline parameters on the DOS_SHELL setting for the icon. For icons with a [*] in the program name field, the @ininame or //iniline parameters may be placed at the beginning of the Parameters field if you wish, rather than in the DOS_SHELL setting. You can also use the @ininame parameter on your SHELL= line in the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file to change the default location of 4DOS.INI for all DOS sessions run under OS/2. If you do so, remember that changes made in CONFIG.SYS will only affect icons created after your next reboot, and will not affect existing icons. Startup Files for OS/2 Version 2.0 DOS Sessions Each time you start a DOS session, 4DOS will search for 4START and 4EXIT in the directory where 4DOS.COM is stored, then in the root directory of the boot drive. It will search for AUTOEXEC.BAT in the root directory of the OS/2 boot drive. Therefore, the same 4START, 4EXIT, and AUTOEXEC.BAT files will normally be used for all DOS sessions. You can override these defaults with the 4StartPath and AutoExecPath directives in 4DOS.INI. To select different 4START, 4EXIT, andAUTOEXEC.BAT files for a particular icon, place the files for that icon in a directory that is not one of the default directories described above. Then create a new 4DOS.INI file for that icon, using 4StartPath and / or AutoExecPath directives to point to the new directory, or use a //4StartPath or //AutoExecPath directive in the DOS_SHELL setting or parameters field for the icon. To disable the default 4START, 4EXIT, or AUTOEXEC.BAT files for a particular icon without selecting alternate files, use the techniques described above to tell 4DOS to load these files from a directory where they do not exist. All three files are optional, so if they do not exist in the directory specified by 4StartPath or AutoExecPath, they will not be executed. If you wish, you can then execute an alternate startup batch file for that icon by placing its name in the Parameters field for the icon, as described on page 42. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 43 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ Remember that if your 4START and 4EXIT files have the extension .BTM, they may be executed by both 4DOS and 4OS2 (see page 29). If so, you may need to customize them for DOS mode and OS/2 mode. You can use the internal variable %_DOS to separate commands for each operating system (see page 28 for a detailed example). "Temporary" VDMs So far, we have discussed starting a VDM to run 4DOS and get to the DOS prompt. OS/2 version 2.0 also lets you start a temporary VDM, for example to run a DOS application or batch file from an icon. In a temporary VDM, 4DOS is still loaded as the primary shell even though it is being invoked to run just a single command or application. This primary 4DOS shell is also a "transient" shell that exits (back to OS/2) when its job is done. Temporary VDMs are created automatically by OS/2 if you set up an icon with the Program Name set to the name of a DOS application. You can also start them yourself by using a /C in the Parameters field for a standard 4DOS icon (see page 42). You usually won't want a temporary VDM to load all the memory- resident utilities and execute all the other commands that you want when you are setting up a DOS prompt. Most often, you will want to set up a simple VDM, run the command, and exit as quickly as possible. The 4DOS internal variable %_TRANSIENT makes it easy to do just that. The beginning of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file could look like this: iff %_transient == 1 then call setpath call aliases quit endiff This fragment calls other batch files to set up the path, aliases, and the environment, but it does not load TSRs. Configuring 4DOS for Dual Boot and Boot Manager When you install OS/2, you are given a choice of making it the only operating system on your computer, or retaining a DOS boot capability as well. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 44 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ If you retain a DOS boot capability, OS/2 offers two different methods for switching between DOS and OS/2: Dual Boot (OS/2 versions 1.x and 2.0) and Boot Manager (OS/2 version 2.0 only). The way you configure 4DOS to work with OS/2 depends partly on whether you retain a DOS boot capability on your computer, and, if so, which method you choose. Dual Boot is invoked with the BOOT command (the program BOOT.COM distributed with OS/2). If you use Dual Boot, you will have one copy of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT available on your boot drive when you boot in DOS mode and another version available when you boot in OS/2 mode. BOOT.COM works by swapping the DOS and OS/2 versions of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, as well as other hidden system data, then rebooting the computer. The Boot Manager (included with OS/2 version 2.0 only) uses a different approach. It lets you install DOS on one hard drive partition and OS/2 on another partition. When you boot the computer, the Boot Manager displays a menu and lets you pick which operating system to boot. Each partition will have its own versions of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. The difference between these approaches is the location and availability of files. If you use Dual Boot, all booting is from the same drive. The CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files are switched back and forth as you boot from one operating system or the other; the set of files that is in use is stored in the root directory of the boot drive, and the set not in use at any given time is stored in the \OS2\SYSTEM directory. If you use the Boot Manager, the files for DOS reside on one drive (for example, C) and those for OS/2 are on another drive (for example, D). The files are not moved when you switch operating systems. In both cases, you can keep the startup files synchronized or independent to meet your own needs. Setting up CONFIG.SYS under these conditions is very simple. Modify your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file for 4DOS and 4OS2 as described in this manual, and modify your DOS CONFIG.SYS file for 4DOS as described in the 4DOS manual. The two files remain separate, and any changes to common items (for example the name of the directory where 4DOS is stored, used in the SHELL= command) must be made in both files. With AUTOEXEC.BAT, you have more flexibility. Whether you use Dual Boot or Boot Manager, you will have two standard ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 45 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ AUTOEXEC.BAT files: one for starting 4DOS under a DOS boot and one for OS/2 DOS sessions. If you want very different commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT for a DOS boot and OS/2 DOS sessions, you can keep the two files separate and distinct. Just make sure that both files are updated whenever you make changes to the commands they have in common. You can also CALL other batch files from each copy of AUTOEXEC.BAT to handle common commands. However, you may find that many of the commands in the two AUTOEXEC.BAT files are the same and that it is more convenient to maintain a single file. If you use the Boot Manager, you can put all of your instructions in one file and start it from the other. For example, if DOS boots from drive C: and OS/2 boots from drive D:, your AUTOEXEC.BAT on drive D: could simply be: cdd c:\ autoexec.bat On a Dual Boot system, you could accomplish the same thing by putting all of your commands into a third file (for example, C:\SYSTART.BAT) and CALLing it from both the DOS and OS/2 AUTOEXEC.BAT files. You can also use the AutoExecPath directive in 4DOS.INI to force 4DOS to look in a particular directory for AUTOEXEC.BAT regardless of whether it is started from an OS/2 DOS session or from a DOS boot, and regardless of the boot drive. If you keep commands for both boot modes in a single AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you can use the internal variable %_DOSVER to separate commands to be executed during a DOS boot from those for an OS/2 DOS session (see page 28 for a detailed example). Handling 4DOS's startup and exit files (4DOS.INI, 4START, and 4EXIT) is a little different. Unlike CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, the 4DOS files won't be swapped for you when you switch operating systems with Dual Boot, and they won't be automatically stored on separate partitions if you use the Boot Manager. 4DOS normally looks for these files in the directory where 4DOS.COM is stored, so the same files will be used for both a DOS boot and OS/2 DOS sessions. If you want separate files for these different situations, you must use 4DOS features to set them up. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 46 CHAPTER 4 / CONFIGURATION AND TUNING ___________________________________________________________________ To set up separate 4DOS.INI files for a DOS boot and OS/2 DOS sessions, use the @ininame parameter on the SHELL= line in your OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file to change the location of 4DOS.INI for DOS sessions run under OS/2. You can do the same for a DOS boot by making a similar change to your DOS CONFIG.SYS file. To select different 4START and 4EXIT files for a DOS boot and for OS/2 DOS sessions, place the files for one type of boot in a different directory (not the directory where 4DOS.COM is stored). Then either set up a different 4DOS.INI file for that boot mode as described above, using 4StartPath to point to the new directory, or use a //4StartPath directive on the SHELL= line in CONFIG.SYS for that boot mode. You can also keep commands for both boot modes in a single file, and use %_DOSVER to separate the commands to be executed during a DOS boot from those for an OS/2 DOS session. Remember that if your 4START and 4EXIT files have the extension .BTM, they may be executed not only in different boot modes, but also by both 4DOS and 4OS2 (see page 29). If so, you may need to customize them for DOS mode and OS/2 mode. You can use the internal variable %_DOS to separate commands for each operating system (see page 28 for a detailed example). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 47 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE ___________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE This chapter provides information about commands that are new in 4OS2, and commands which differ from 4DOS. For a complete reference to 4DOS and 4OS2 commands see Chapter 8 (page 157) in the 4DOS Reference Manual. The following commands are unique to 4OS2: DETACH starts an OS/2 program in detached mode. DPATH sets the search path for data files. KEYS enables, disables, or displays the history list. START starts a program in a new session. The following commands have different options in 4OS2 than they do in 4DOS: DIR can display directories in either the high performance file system (HPFS) or traditional DOS-compatible FAT format. ESET, SET, and UNSET do not have a /M(aster environment) option in 4OS2. HELP can display explanations of OS/2 system error messages and can automatically change the 4OS2 prompt. SETDOS does not have the ANSI and Line Input options that are available in 4DOS. The new commands and the changes to DIR, HELP, and SETDOS are described in detail on the following pages. The following 4DOS commands are not available in 4OS2, because they perform functions that are not meaningful and/or feasible under OS/2: BREAK LOADHIGH / LH CTTY SWAPPING KEYSTACK TRUENAME ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 48 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / DETACH ___________________________________________________________________ DETACH (Compatible) Purpose: Start an OS/2 program in detached mode. Format: DETACH command command: the name of a command to execute, including an optional drive and path specification. The name must be enclosed in quotation marks if it contains a space. See also: START Usage: When you start a program with DETACH, that program cannot use the keyboard, mouse, or video display. It is "detached" from the normal means of user input and output. However, you can redirect the program's standard I/O to other devices if necessary, using the 4OS2 redirection symbols. The command can be an internal command, external command, alias, or batch file. If you specify an internal command, alias, or batch file (either a .CMD or .BTM file) as the command, 4OS2 will detach a copy of itself to execute the command. For example, the following command will detach a copy of 4OS2 to run the batch file XYZ.BTM: [c:\] detach xyz.btm Once the program has started, 4OS2 returns to the prompt immediately. It does not wait for a detached program to finish. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 49 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / DIR ___________________________________________________________________ DIR (Enhanced) [see page 198 of the 4DOS Reference Manual] Purpose: Display information about files and subdirectories. Format: DIR [/1 /2 /4 /A[[:][-]rhsda] /B /C /F /J /K /L /M /N /O[[:][-]deginsu] /P /S /T /U /V /W /Z] [file...] file: The file, directory, or list of files or directories to display. /1 (one column) /M (suppress footer) /2 (two columns) /N (use HPFS format) /4 (four columns) /O (sort order ) /A(ttribute select) /P(ause) /B(are) /S(ubdirectories) /C(ase -- use upper case) /T (aTtribute display) /F(ull path) /U (sUmmary information) /J(ustify names) /V(ertical) /K (suppress header) /W(ide) /L(ower case) /Z (use FAT format) Usage: The DIR command is the same in 4OS2 and 4DOS, except that the /N option has a new meaning and the /Z option has been added. The 4DOS /N option, which resets DIR to default values, has no equivalent in 4OS2. Options: /N: Display the directory in OS/2 high performance file system (HPFS) format. /Z: Display the directory in DOS-compatible FAT format. Long names on an HPFS drive will be truncated to 11 characters. The name will be followed by a solid right arrow symbol [a] to show that one or more characters have been truncated. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 50 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / DPATH ___________________________________________________________________ DPATH (Compatible) Purpose: Specify the subdirectories which applications will search to find files that are not in the current directory. Format: DPATH [directory[;directory...]] directory: The full name of a directory to include in the DPATH (data path) setting. See also: PATH, SET, and ESET in the 4DOS Reference Manual. Usage: When most OS/2 applications try to open a data file, they look for the file in the current directory first. If they fail to find the file there, they search each of the directories in the DPATH setting in the order that they are included. 4OS2 internal commands like TYPE do not search the DPATH directories for files. For example, the following DPATH command directs applications to look for files in the following order: the current directory, the INIT directory on C, and the CONFIG directory on D: [c:\] dpath c:\init;d:\config The listing of directories to be searched can be set or viewed with the DPATH command. The list is stored as an environment string with the variable name DPATH, and can also be set or viewed with the SET command and edited with the ESET command. Directory names in the DPATH must be separated with semicolons [;]. 4OS2 will not shift directory names in the DPATH to upper case as it does with those in the PATH setting. If you want the names in the DPATH to be in upper case you must enter them that way. If you enter DPATH with no parameters, 4OS2 displays the current DPATH search list. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 51 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / HELP ___________________________________________________________________ HELP (Enhanced) Purpose Display help for 4OS2 commands and OS/2 system messages. Format: HELP [topic] [ON | OFF] topic: A help topic, 4OS2 internal command, or OS/2 error number. Usage: HELP works the same in 4OS2 as in 4DOS but has some additional features. When you start HELP, the text you see depends on the help "books" that 4OS2 opens. The list of books is determined by the HelpBook directive in 4OS2.INI (see pages 35 and 36 for more information). The topic may be from any book in the HelpBook list. If you type either of these commands: [c:\] help nnnn [c:\] help sysnnnn where "nnnn" is an OS/2 system error number, HELP will display an explanation of the OS/2 error. This feature works by running the OS/2 program HELPMSG.EXE which opens the file OSO001.H to get the explanation. For this feature to work, HELPMSG.EXE must be in a directory that is in your PATH setting and the data file OSO001H.MSG must be in a directory in your DPATH. If you type [c:\] help on 4OS2 will change the default prompt to $i[$p]. If you type [c:\] help off then 4OS2 will change the default prompt to [$p]. This feature is included for compatibility with OS/2's CMD.EXE. Changing the prompt is probably better accomplished by using the PROMPT command instead of HELP ON or HELP OFF. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 52 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / KEYS ___________________________________________________________________ KEYS (Compatible) Purpose: Enable, disable, or display the history list. Format: KEYS [ON | OFF | LIST] See also: HISTORY in the 4DOS Reference Manual. Usage: This command emulates the CMD.EXE KEYS command, which controls the history list. It is provided for compatibility with CMD.EXE. The same functions are available by setting the HistMin directive in 4OS2.INI and by using the HISTORY command in 4OS2. The history list collects the commands you type for later recall, editing, and viewing. You can view the contents of the list through the history list window (see page 59 in the 4DOS Reference Manual) or by typing any of the following commands: [c:\] history [c:\] history /p [c:\] keys list The first command displays the entire history list. The second displays the entire list and pauses at the end of each full screen. The third command produces the same output as the first, except that each line is numbered. You can disable the collection and storage of commands in the history list by typing [c:\] keys off Once the history has been turned off, you can turn it back on by typing [c:\] keys on If you issue the KEYS command without any parameters, 4OS2 will show you the current status of the history list. See page 21 for more information about how the history list is stored. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 53 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / SETDOS ___________________________________________________________________ SETDOS (New) [see page 280 of the 4DOS Reference Manual] Purpose: Display or set the 4OS2 configuration. Format: SETDOS [/C? /E? /I+|- command /M? /N? /P? /R? /S?:? /U? /V?] /C(ompound) /P(arameter character) /E(scape character) /R(ows) /I(nternal commands) /S(hape of cursor) /M(ode for editing) /U(pper case) /N(o clobber) /V(erbose) Usage: The SETDOS command is the same in 4OS2 as it is in 4DOS, except that two of the optional parameters are not available in 4OS2 and their values are not reported. The /A(NSI) option and the ANSI directive in 4OS2.INI are not available because 4OS2 enables ANSI support and assumes that it remains enabled. You can turn off ANSI support with OS/2's external ANSI command (ANSI.EXE). If you do, however, 4OS2 will not notice the change and will display unusual characters or ignore colors in your CLS and COLOR commands. The 4OS2 internal variable %_ANSI reflects the state of OS/2 established with ANSI.EXE. The /L(ine) option and the LineInput directive in 4OS2.INI are not available because the "line input" capability is not required for compatibility with OS/2 applications, as it may be under DOS. In all other respects, the commands are the same. See the 4DOS Reference Manual for a full description of SETDOS. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 54 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / START ___________________________________________________________________ START (Enhanced) Purpose: Start a program in another session. Format: START ["program title"] [/B[G] /DOS /C /F[G] /FS /I /ICON=filename /INV /K /L /LA /LH /MAX /MIN /N /PGM progname /PM /POS=row,col,width,height /WIN /WAIT] [command] program title: Title to appear on title bar. filename: Name of icon (.ICO) file. progname: Program name (not the session name). command: Command to be executed. /B[G] (background) /LA (local aliases) /DOS (DOS session) /LH (local history list /C(lose when done) /MAX(imized) /F[G] (foreground) /MIN(imized) /FS (full screen) /N(o command processor) /I(nherit environment) /PGM (program name) /ICON (name .ICO file) /PM (PM application) /INV(isible) /POS(ition of window) /K(eep when done) /WAIT for completion /L(ocal lists) /WIN(dowed session) See also: DETACH in this manual. Usage: START is used to begin a new session and, optionally, to run a program in that session. If you use START with no parameters, it will begin a new 4OS2 session. If you add a command, START will begin a new session and execute the command that you have specified. START determines the application type automatically and starts the session in the appropriate mode (OS/2 or DOS; full-screen, windowed, or Presentation Manager). If the program is a DOS application or .BAT file, 4OS2 will return an error message in OS/2 version 1.x. In OS/2 version 2.0, 4OS2 will start a new DOS session to run the program or batch file. The DOS session will close itself automatically as soon as the program or batch file ends. If you want the session to wait for a keystroke before it closes itself, you can use the syntax: [c:\] start /DOS progname ^^ pause ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 55 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / START ___________________________________________________________________ (Because the caret [^] is the 4OS2 escape character, two carets must be used in order to pass one on to 4DOS as a command separator.) If you want to start a DOS command-line session in OS/2 version 2.0, you can use the command: [c:\] start /DOS DOS sessions created with START use the default DOS settings in CONFIG.SYS. You cannot change the DOS settings for these sessions individually the way you can for sessions started from an icon. START gives you some flexibility in determining the session mode. For example, if the command is the name of a batch file (either a .BTM or .CMD file), you can use the /FS or /WIN options to run the batch file as part of a new 4OS2 session in either full-screen or windowed mode. However, you cannot start a session in a mode that is inappropriate for the application type. A DOS application can not be run as part of a Presentation Manager session, for example, even if you use the /PM switch. Invalid or conflicting options will be ignored. 4OS2 will always attempt to run the command in the appropriate type of session. The list below summarizes the most commonly used START options, and how you can use them to control the way a session is started: /BG and /FG allow you to start the session in the background (does not respond to keystrokes until selected) or foreground (responds to keystrokes until deselected). /FG is the default if /DOS, /FS, /WIN, or /PM is used, otherwise /BG is the default. /FS and /WIN control whether a character-mode session is started in full-screen or windowed mode. The default is to start a session of the same type as the current 4OS2 session, if the application can be run in such a session. /MAX, /MIN, and /POS allow you to start a character-mode windowed session in a maximized ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 56 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / START ___________________________________________________________________ window, a minimized window, or a window with a specified position and size. The default is to allow OS/2 to choose the position and size of the window. /C and /K allow you to close the session when the command is finished (the default for DOS and PM sessions) or keep it open and go to a prompt (the default for OS/2 character mode sessions). The program title, if it is included, will appear on the title bar and the Presentation Manager task list (OS/2 version 1.x) or window list (OS/2 version 2.0). The program title must be enclosed in quotation marks and cannot exceed 60 characters in length. If the program title is omitted, the program name will be used as the session title and on the task list. Options: /BG (BackGround session): The session is started as a background session. /BG may be abbreviated to /B. /C(lose): The session is started using 4OS2.EXE and is closed when the application ends. /DOS (DOS session): Start a DOS session in a Virtual DOS Machine (OS/2 version 2.0). This option is not available in OS/2 version 1.x, which doesn't allow multiple DOS sessions. /FG (ForeGround session): Start the session as the foreground session. /FG may be abbreviated to /F. /FS (Full Screen): Start the session as a full-screen session. /I(nherit environment): Inherit the default environment specified in CONFIG.SYS rather than the current 4OS2.EXE environment. /ICON=filename: Use the specified icon file. If you don't use /ICON, 4OS2 will look for an .ICO file with the same file name and in the same directory as the program file. /INV(isible): Start the session as invisible. No icon will appear and the session will only be accessible through the Task Manager or Window List. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 57 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / START ___________________________________________________________________ /K(eep session at end): The session is run using 4OS2.EXE, and continues after the application program ends. Use the EXIT command to end the session. /L(ocal lists): Start 4OS2.EXE with local alias and history lists. This option combines the effects of /LA and /LH. /LA (Local Alias list): Start 4OS2.EXE with a local alias list. If you don't use this option, the session will share the alias list of the current 4OS2 shell, unless a LocalAliases=No directive is used in 4OS2.INI or on the command line. /LH (Local History list): Start 4OS2.EXE with a local history list. If you don't use this option, the session will share the history list of the current 4OS2 shell, unless a LocalHistory=No directive is used in 4OS2.INI or on the command line. /MAX(imized): Start the session maximized. /MIN(imized): Start the session minimized. /N(o command processor): Run an OS/2 application directly, without loading another copy of 4OS2. This is the default for Presentation Manager applications. You cannot use /N when the command is a batch file or internal command. /PGM (ProGraM name): The string following this option is the program name. The first quoted string on the line will be used as the session and task list title only, and not as the program name. /PM (Presentation Manager): Start a PM session. /POS(ition): Start the window at the specified screen position. The full syntax is /POS=row, col, width, height where the values are specified in pels. Row and col are the bottom left corner of the window (the bottom left corner of the screen is position 0,0). ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 58 CHAPTER 5 / COMMAND REFERENCE GUIDE / START ___________________________________________________________________ /WAIT: Wait for the session to finish before returning to the prompt. This is similar to running a program directly from the prompt (without START), but allows you to use options like /MAX or /POS, which are not available when a program is run directly. /WIN(dowed): Start the session in a window. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1992, JP Software Inc. 4OS2 Reference Manual / 59