BAKITUP.CMD

This is a FREE program.  You may use it or modify it to
you heart's content.  Just think nice thoughts about me if
you like it, and think no thoughts about me if you don't.
Needless to say, there are no warranties of any sort, and you use
it at YOUR OWN RISK.
 
Maurice Fox

This is a little REXX file to automate use of the OS/2
BACKUP program.  It can be used directly, or you could use
it as a template for other purposes.  I will admit up front that
I don't have a snazzy tape backup system, so I just use the backup
program that comes with OS/2, just as I used its DOS predecessor
for years.  The motivation for this routine is the following:

1.  Back up the files that I want to have backed up
2.  Don't back up other files
3.  Keep a log on a separate diskette, listing only the files
    backed up, without cluttering it with empty subdirectory
    names as BACKUP's /S option does
4.  Make it convenient to start over with a new set of backup
    diskettes, or to continue with one previously started

It works by searching the specified subdirectories of the 
specified disks for the files desired and running BACKUP only 
it finds matching files.  When it runs, it first prompts for
you to put the log diskette in its drive, then asks whether you
want a new set or not.  If you reply starts with the letter N
(or n) (short for NEW) the parameters for BACKUP are set to
back up all files, and the BACKUP.LOG file is deleted from the
log diskette.  Otherwise, it is set to back up only modified
files, and the BACKUP.LOG file is left intact.  As shipped, it
works for me, but you will want to customize it to your own setup.
You do that with any convenient text editor, as explained below.
If you have a lot of subdirectories, the initial start of a new
set if backup diskettes will be a bit tedious, but subsequent
runs, adding to the backup diskettes only the modified files,
will be a breeze.

INSTALLATION

Copy the file BAKITUP.CMD to a convenient directory.  The easiest
way is to use one that is on your PATH.

USE

(You need to customize it first, as described below.)

From an OS/2 command prompt, either full screen or windowed,
enter the command

   BAKITUP

and follow the prompts.  The first prompt is to put the log
diskette in a diskette drive.  The second prompt asks whether
you want to start a new set or not.  A "new set" is what you do
the first time you use BAKITUP, or when you have accumulated so
many backup diskettes you want to start over again.  The remaining
prompts all come from the system BACKUP command, and just ask you
to stick diskettes in the drive and hit Enter.  If you are as
error-prone as I am, you may wish to replace the system message
file with one that gives a better warning that a new diskette
is needed.  That file and instructions for installing it
should accompany this file.

CUSTOMIZING BAKITUP.CMD FOR YOUR OWN USE

The things you can change are the following:
1.  The directories to be searched
2.  The file specifications to be searched for
3.  The place to put the backup files
4.  The place to put the log file
5.  The command to be executed

This is sort of in order of decreasing likelihood of your 
wanting to change something.

Everything is governed by variables coded into the file, so
to change anything, you need a text editor that saves plain
ASCII files.  The system editor that comes with OS/2 will work
just fine.  If you use a word processor, be sure to have it save
the file in ASCII format.

TO CHANGE THE DIRECTORIES AND FILE SPECS

Find line 122 of the program, where you will find a set of
pairs of variables, starting with the pairs paths.0 and files.0.
There is a sequence of them, currently ten pairs.  Inspect the
values, and you can see how it works.  Each value of paths is
the starting point for a search tree.  The program inspects 
that directory and each of its subdirectories for files that
match each of the specifications contained in the corresponding
files variable.  (As currently arranged, it does not inspect hidden
directories, but you could change that by modifying the dattribs
variable, which is set on line 52.)

When you add or delete files/paths pairs, you need to change the
value of the variable limit, which is currently at line 152.  To
keep things working sensibly, be sure that you have paths and
files paired and numbered consecutively, no gaps.

TO CHANGE THE DESTINATION OF THE BACKUP FILES AND THE LOG FILE

Change the value of the two variables backupdisk
and logdisk, which are set on lines 8 and 9, respectively. 
(Clever names, hey?) BACKUP insists that they be different disks.
This arrangement puts them both on diskettes, but you could log to
a hard disk if you wanted to.

TO CHANGE THE COMMAND TO BE EXECUTED

Change the value of extcmd, located at line 14 of the file.