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1990-10-24
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S C A N L O N E N T E R P R I S E S
B A T C H F I L E U T I L I T I E S
Version 2.2 (SEBFU)
(C) 1989
U S E R S M A N U A L
Don't forget to register SEBFU, just print the REG.DOC file. To
print the file, enter TYPE REG.DOC > PRN or COPY REG.DOC PRN
at your DOS prompt. Alternately, you can print it using any text
or wordprocessor.
SEBFU may be run on any single user system, or in Network systems
with less than 4 users, without obtaining a site license. Site
licenses are available at reasonable rates, just call (805) 272-
4827 or write us at 38354 17th St. E #D, Palmdale, CA 93550.
SEBFU is a series of small utilities which when combined, offer
an improvement over the stand alone Dos environment, in running
batch files. These utilities will allow the user to detect and
react to many different system types, in creating batch files and
menu systems. To get an idea of how to use the utilities
together, just run our demo (by entering GO at the Dos prompt).
SEBFU is for any user of IBM and compatibles who wishes to make
their system easier to use, for system integrators and for
software distributors. System integrators will find creating
batch files and menus easy and convenient. Software distributors
will want to make batch files to help the end users with
installation and automate backups'.
SEBFU (version 2.2) has over 100 commands, which will enhance and
add power to batch files. These utilities allow for the creation
and maintenance of menus, retrieval of single or multiple key
strokes in response to questions or menu queries, check for many
system drivers (such as the mouse driver), complete control over
the cursor and screen colors, checking the disk drives and
printer, get and display directory listings and files, much more.
GETTING STARTED:
To print this document, just enter GO at the Dos prompt, and
select print manual at the menu.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
IBM or compatible with 1 disk drive and 128K ram. These
utilities will work with monochrome or color systems, including
EGA and VGA, excepting the use of color commands on monochrome
systems.
D O S
DOS is the operating system of your IBM or compatible, whether it
be PC-Dos or MS-Dos. Both Dos systems are made by Microsoft and
for our purposes are identical. DOS stands for Disk Operating
System, allows execution of applications such as wordprocessors
and spreadsheets. Most users don't see or interact directly with
Dos, but only with the command interpreter which is supplied with
it. The command interpreter is a file called COMMAND.COM . This
is the program which we as users, see each time we boot up our
systems and eventually see the Dos prompt.
COMMAND.COM is often called a SHELL. What this means, is that it
hides the rest of Dos from us, and allows us to communicate with
our computers in a language which is easier to understand.
DOS offers us a medium for interfacing and controlling our system
environment such that files are stored in a logical and
meaningful fashion on disks. Without this interface,
applications would be placing files almost anywhere on the disk
drive, thus possibly overwriting another applications file. This
Dos environment also offers us a common medium to communicate
with the IBM components such as the monitor, keyboard and
printers.
COMMAND.COM allows us to enter the name of some application, at
the Dos prompt, then will execute that application, by parsing
the name to Dos, which then causes the execution of the
application. While our application, COMMAND.COM is out of the
picture (except for a very small part which stays in ram), and
the application corresponds directly with Dos, to perform all of
the necessary tasks.
What can COMMAND.COM do ? COMMAND.COM can act as an interface
between you and many of the utilities (such as FORMAT) which are
provided along with Dos. For example, when you want to format a
disk, you simply enter FORMAT at the Dos prompt, followed by the
drive letter of the drive to format. Another useful Dos utility
is the COPY command, which copies files from one disk to another.
What about the directory command DIR ? Another well used Dos
utility, which will display one or more files, giving you
information about the file(s), such as size and time and date of
creation.
Each IBM or compatible may have one or more disk drives, and each
drive may have one or more directories. As you know, a disk
drive is a device to store many bytes (thousands of bytes) of
information or programs. A directory is one of the ways Dos has
of letting us name files. Without directories, hard disk systems
would soon become cluttered with hundreds of files in one
directory, and we would become confused as to what file were for
what. Not only that, but with the 8 character limit imposed on
us by Dos, we would soon be having trouble making up names.
D I R E C T O R I E S
A directory is much like a file cabinet, which contains drawers,
except, that each drawer may contain additional drawers. The
root directory is much like the office which contains the file
cabinet, and can contain many such file cabinets. We can of
course clutter our office with files, but we could loose them, or
accidentally throw it away (erase it). Thus not only do
directories offer us storage, but helps us keep from accidentally
erasing the files. Just like a real filing cabinet, these
directories help us organize, and keep different types of data
separate.
DOS can be considered somewhat like an office worker, who must
find files for the boss (you). If the files were just strewn
across the office, they would be harder to find, so just like a
secretary, we keep our files in directories in some recognizable
format, so we and Dos can find them faster.
Another reason, to have directories, is because Dos simply will
not allow you more than 112 files in the root directory,
including directory names. On a floppy, this limitation is not
so bad, but with hard disks, this can really be a problem. As
you may already know, Dos does allow more than 112 files in the
root directory of a hard disk. The maximum number of files
allowed on a hard disk is usually 500, but even that is too few,
once we start using our programs, such as wordprocessors,
spreadsheets and databases.
STARTING DOS
Starting Dos is usually a simple matter of placing your Dos boot
disk into your floppy drive and turning your machine on. Systems
with hard drives don't even have that requirement, simply turning
the system on causes Dos to start. For those of you who have and
know about the Dos Config file and Autoexec batch file, please
skip the rest of this section and start on page 5, SEBFU
commands.
You are presumably reading this page because you would like
information about your Dos config file and autoexec file. The
config file is the first file that is loaded after the actual Dos
operating system loads (including COMMAND.COM). This file
contains information such as the number of files a program can
open at one time, the number of file buffers, the loading of
device drivers, the number of drives on your system and finally,
the type of shell (like COMMAND.COM) to load. Here are the lines
we consider (and so do many other vendors) important to have in
your config file :
FILES=20 {Maximum files a program can open}
BUFFERS=10 {Number of file buffers}
LASTDRIVE=F {Last available drive in your system}
SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM /P /E:1000
Notice the last line above, this is what starts COMMAND.COM the
Dos shell. Here, we have specified that 1000 bytes be set aside
for the Dos environment, which is a set of variables that Dos and
applications can share, to pass information back and forth. The
'/P' specifies that this shell will remain resident without
returning to another level. This line only functions in Dos
versions 3.0 and greater.
A common AUTOEXEC batch file would look like this.
ECHO OFF {disable command echoing}
CLS {clear the monitor}
PROMPT=$P$G {set the Dos prompt to display drive
and directory}
PATH=A:\ {tell Dos to look at the root directory
of drive A for commands it can't find
on the current drive and directory}
TIMER {Sets the Dos time and Date on XT's
which have a real time clock}
This last line above requires a file called TIMER.COM, not
supplied with Dos, or you may substitute your own driver name.
If you have more commands than the above in your config or
autoexec files, don't worry, there are many more commands which
can be included, we have just placed the minimum lines required
for good Dos operation, and use of our batch file utilities. If
both these files exist on your system, and these lines don't
exist in them, you can add these lines by using any text editor
or most wordprocessors. If you have any doubts, consult your
system or Dos manual, or call your dealer.
SEBFU COMMANDS
ADD Syntax : ADD var v
Where 'var' is any legal Dos variable, previously assigned at
least zero (set var=0) and 'v' is the amount to add to 'var', and
is in the range of 0 thru 9, with a default value of 1, if 'v' is
not specified.
This command enhances the use of batch files by allowing loop
control. The variable specified in the add (after previously
being assigned by the Dos SET function), can be tested by the Dos
IF function as follows :
IF var==v command
Where 'var' is the variable, 'v' the the value sought and command
is any legal Dos command, including the SEBFU utilities.
EXAMPLE :
ECHO OFF
CLS
SET ADD=0
:LP
IF %ADD%==5 GOTO DONE
ADD ADD
ECHO Loop %ADD%
GOTO LP
:DONE
ECHO Process complete
In the above example, we start off with by turning echo mode off,
then clearing the display and finally setting the initial value
of ADD (required) to 0. The label LP starts our loop, where we
first check our current value, with the Dos IF function, for a
value of 5, and if the value is 5, the we jump to the label DONE.
Notice that this test is made by using a double equal sign
following the IF function. This is required by Dos, to
distinguish it from the set function, which we used on line 3.
The line after the IF increments the ADD variable by 1 (the
default value). The ECHO line displays the message about which
loop we are in and the GOTO loops the batch file execution back
to the LP label. If the test made in the IF line is true (ADD is
equal to 5) then the batch file branches to the label DONE, and
then on to the last ECHO line which declares the batch file is
completed. Notice that labels are prefixed with a colon, this is
required by Dos, and is the only way the label can be
distinguished from a command. This short batch file is on our
disk and is called ADD.BAT .
BEEP Syntax : BEEP [n] [P] [K]
Where 'n' specifies the number of beeps, 'P' causes the beeps to
occur every second (instead of right away) and 'K' causes the
beeps to occur every second until a key is pressed.
EXAMPLE :
ECHO OFF
CLS
ECHO We will beep 5 beeps rapidly
BEEP 5
ECHO Now we will beep 5 beeps at 1 second intervals
BEEP 5 P
ECHO Finally we will beep until you press any key
BEEP K
ECHO Beep demonstration complete.
This short batch file goes thru each possible option, displaying
a message announcing each test. The last test requires the user
to press any key to stop the beeping. NOTE, entering BEEP on a
line by itself (no parameters), causes one single beep.
BIGLTR Syntax : BIGLTR message, bc fc
Where 'message' is any 10 alpha numeric characters (ascii values
in the range of 0 thru 255), 'bc' is the background color and
'fc' the foreground color. This command will display, starting
at the current row and column, any text included in 'message', as
long as you do not exceed the 10 character limit. If 'message'
is longer than 10 characters, then 'message' will be truncated at
the tenth character. The characters so displayed will be large
characters of 9 rows by 8 columns.
CDCK Syntax : CDCK
Simply returns an errorlevel of 1 if the CD-Rom driver is
present, else returns an errorlevel of 0.
EXAMPLE :
CDCK
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 ECHO CD-ROM driver installed
CDD Syntax : CDD n
Where 'n' is the number of directory levels to move toward the
root directory.
Assume your are on drive C and in the directory \A\B\G\Y\TUG
Then execution of this line :
CDD 3
Would place you in the directory \A\B
CGABORDR Syntax : CGABORDR n
Changes the CGA border color to the selected value of 'n'.
Example :
CGABORDR 1
Will produce a blue border. Colors are in the range of 0 thru
15, see your Dos or Basic manual for more information on colors.
CHGC Syntax : CHGC sr sc er ec bc fc
Changes the screen colors, without affecting the screen
characters, for the selected screen range.
Where 'sr' is the start row, 'sc' the start column, 'er' the
ending row, 'ec' the ending column, 'bc' the background color and
'fc' the foreground color.
EXAMPLE :
CHGC 5 5 20 75 1 7
Will change the screen colors starting at row 5, column 5 thru
row 20, column 75 to white on blue.
CHGLOCK Syntax : CHGLOCK [C] [N] [S]
Toggles the existing state of the selected lock key, where,
C=caps lock, N=num lock and S=Scroll lock. CHGLOCK without any
parameters causes all current settings to reverse (toggle).
EXAMPLE 1 :
CHGLOCK C
Will just toggle the caps lock. If caps lock was on, then caps
lock will be toggle off.
EXAMPLE 2 :
CHGLOCK NC
Will toggle both caps lock and num lock. Both locks will be the
reverse of what they were prior to executing CHGLOCK.
EXAMPLE 3 :
CHGLOCK
This will toggle all 3 locks.
CHKSUM Syntax : CHKSUM fname n
Where 'fname' is the file to get a check sum for, and 'n' is an
optional checksum value to compare the calculated one with.
EXAMPLE 1 :
CHKSUM fname
Displays the checksum for file 'fname'
EXAMPLE 2 :
CHKSUM fname 123
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if the checksum of 'fname' matches the
value 123, else will return an error level of 1.
CK101
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if a 101 type keyboard is attached,
providing the Rom Bios supports this mode, else returns an
errorlevel of 1.
CKCLK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if Dos reports the year 1980 else
returns an errorlevel of 0. Use this as a first guess that the
Dos time and date has been set.
CLR sr sc er ec bc fc
Clears the screen starting at the specified row 'sr' and column
'sc' thru row 'er' and column 'ec' using the specified colors
'bc' (background) and 'fc' (foreground).
EXAMPLE 1:
CLR 1 1 25 80
Clears lines 1 thru 25, columns 1 thru 80 using what ever color
exists at the current cursor location.
EXAMPLE 2:
CLR 1 1 25 80 1 7
Same as example 1, but uses the selected color of white on blue.
CLRKEY
Clears the type ahead buffer. Prevents the user from entering
responses in advance of the questions or prompts.
COFF
Toggles the cursor off on most MGA and CGA systems, but will NOT
always work on MGA systems, and won't work on EGA or VGA systems.
COLOR bc fc
Sets the screen colors, providing that ANSI.SYS or other ANSI
driver has been installed. The colors are set to the selected
background 'bc' and foreground 'fc' color. Prior to using this,
use our DETANSI function to check for the existence of the driver
CR [T]
Waits for the ENTER key to be pressed. All key strokes simply
cause the speaker to beep. Or optionally by entering the T switch
on the command line, will exit with an errorlevel of 1 if control
C is pressed.
CT
Toggles the cursor on or off, depending upon which state it is
currently in. CT does NOT work on all systems.
CUON
Makes the cursor visible.
CURKEY
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 4 depending upon which of the
four cursor control keys is pressed. The four values are :
1 = up arrow 2 = down arrow
3 = left arrow 4 = right arrow
If the enter key is pressed or escape keys are pressed, the an
errorlevel of 0 is returned, any other key press will result in
the speaker beeping.
DAYOFMO
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 31 for the current day of the
month as reported by Dos. Dos must have the correct time and
date for this to function properly. To determine if the Dos time
and Date are set, use our CKCLK function.
DAYOFWK [mm-dd-yy] [D]
In the functions basic format, returns an errorlevel representing
the day of week (Sunday = 1 .... Saturday = 7). In the second
format, the user specifies the date to return the day of week for
in the format 'mm-dd-yy' and finally the last format returns the
day of month, by appending the letter 'D' (upper or lower case)
after the function name.
{DAYOFWK} continued
EXAMPLE 1:
DAYOFWK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 7 for the day of week, as
reported by Dos, where Sunday is 1 and Saturday is a 7.
EXAMPLE 2:
DAYOFWK 01-23-87
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 7 for the day of week for the
selected date of Jan. 23rd, 1987, where 1 is Sunday and 7 is
Saturday.
EXAMPLE 3:
DAYOFWK D
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 31 for the day of the month, for
the month and year as reported by Dos.
DBLBOX sr sc er ec bc fc Pp
Draws a double line graphics box starting at row 'sr', column
'sc' and ending at row 'er' column 'ec', using the background
color 'bc' and foreground color 'fc' on page 'p' (prefixed by the
P {upper or lower case}).
EXAMPLE 1:
DBLBOX 5 5 10 25
Places a double box starting on row 5 column 5 and ending at row
10 column 25, using the colors as existing at row 5, column 5.
EXAMPLE 2:
DBLBOX 5 5 10 25 1 7
Same as above, but uses the selected colors of white on blue.
EXAMPLE 3:
DBLBOX 5 5 10 25 1 7 P2
Same as example 3, but puts the box on video page 2, which may or
may not be the active video page.
DETANSI
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if an ansi device drive is installed,
a 0 if an ansi driver is not installed, or a 2 if the video mode
is graphics.
DFREE d: [vname]
Returns an errorlevel in K bytes for bytes available on a
selected drive 'd:', or places the exact value in a selected
variable 'vname'. The selected drive letter may be upper or lower
case, and must be prefixed with the colon. Alternately, will
return an errorlevel of 0 if an incorrect drive is specified and
the variable is not specified, or a 1 if the variable is
specified and the selected drive is not available.
EXAMPLE 1:
DFREE A:
Returns an error of 0 thru 255 for the amount of available space
on drive A.
EXAMPLE 2:
DFREE A: AFREE
Returns the exact amount of unused disk space in variable AFREE
or an errorlevel of 1 if the drive is unavailable (no disk, not
formatted, etc...).
DLINE sr sc l bc fc p S
DLINE Pp l S
Draws a double or single line, using double or single line
graphics on the video or sends the line to the selected printer,
using length 'l', starting on row 'sr' column 'sc' (video), using
the background color 'bc' and foreground color 'fc' on page 'p'.
EXAMPLE 1:
DLINE sr sc l
Draws a double line using double line graphics, on line 'sr', at
starting at column 'sc' and of length 'l'. This method also uses
the existing screen colors as exist at location 'sr','sc', and
defaults to the active video page.
{DLINE} continued
EXAMPLE 2:
DLINE 5 5 20 1 7
Draws a double line as in example 1 on row 5, starting on column
5, with a length of 20, using the selected colors of white on
blue.
EXAMPLE 3:
DLINE 5 5 20 1 7 2
Draws the double line as in example 2, but on video page 2, which
may or may not be active.
EXAMPLE 4:
DLINE 5 5 20 1 7 2 S
Draws a line as in example 3, but uses single line graphics.
EXAMPLE 5:
DLINE P1 20
Draws a line to the first printer, using double line graphics, of
length 20.
EXAMPLE 6:
DLINE P1 20 S
Same as example 5, except uses single line graphics.
DLST ftype [/Ln] [/Rn] [/Bn] [/Tn] [/E list]
[/I list] [/X] [/D] [/Z]
Displays a list of files in the current directory, where :
ftype is the type of file(s) to display, and can use the Dos
wildcards (*.*, ???.???).
/Ln = Left margin of 'n' /Rn = Right margin of 'n'
/Bn = Last margin 'n' to use /Tn = First line to use 'n'
/E list = exclude list /I list = include list
/X = no extensions shown /D = show directories
/Z = stop listing at line 'Bn'
Under normal execution (without the /Z option), if the list is
longer than rows Tn thru Bn then the function halts, waiting for
the user to press enter to continue.
{DLST} continued
EXAMPLE 1:
DLST *.DOC
Displays a list of DOC files using all of the available video,
pausing after filling the display.
EXAMPLE 2:
DLST *.DOC /L5 /R5
Displays a list of DOC files as example 1, but limits the output
to columns 5 thru 75 (80-5).
EXAMPLE 3:
DLST *.DOC /L5 /R5 /B20 /T5
Displays a list of DOC files as example 2, but limits the output
to lines 5 thru 20.
EXAMPLE 4:
DLST *.* /L5 /R5 /B20 /T5 /E COM EXE
Displays all files, limited to row 5 thru 20, and column 5 thru
75 and excluding extensions of COM and EXE.
EXAMPLE 5:
DLST *.DOC /L5 /R5 /B20 /T5 /I COM EXE
Same as example 3, but includes file types of COM and EXE .
EXAMPLE 6:
DLST *.DOS /L5 /R5 /B20 /T5 /X
Same as example 3, but does NOT show extensions.
EXAMPLE 7:
DLST *.DOS /L5 /R5 /B20 /T5 /D
Same as example 3, but shows directories as well.
EXAMPLE 8:
DLST *.DOS /L5 /R5 /B20 /T5 /Z
Same as example 3, but only shows number of files which can fit
onto lines 5 thru 20.
DRVCK d:
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if the specified drive exists, a 1 if
the drive does not, or 2 if the drive was not specified. This
does not check to see if a drive is installed, only if the drive
is a valid drive.
DRVLST var
Places a list of drives available into the Dos variable 'var'.
If for instance, you have 2 floppies and a hard drive, the
entering this function, would return 'ABC' in the selected var.
If you have set up a ram drive or used SUBST, then this function
will also place those additional drive names into the list. IE..
if your ram drive is D then the list returned in the varible
would be 'ABCD'.
DSKRDY d:
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if the drive is ready, with a
formatted disk, an errorlevel of 1 if the drive exists, but is
not ready, 2 if the drive has an unformatted disk installed, and
3 if the drive does not exist.
EXAMPLE 1:
DSKRDY A:
IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO NXIST
IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO FMT
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO BAD
ECHO Drive is formatted
GOTO XIT
:NXIST
ECHO Drive does not exist
GOTO XIT
:BAD
ECHO Drive is not ready (no disk installed)
GOTO XIT
:FMT
ECHO Format disk in drive A ?
YN
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO XIT
FORMAT A
:XIT
{BLANK LINE}
{DSKRDY continued}
In the above example, we display a message for each case, and if
the user wants, we will format a blank unformatted disk. The
line containing YN is another function we have, which simply
waits for a key press of y or n (upper or lower case).
ENVSIZE [TL] [L] [T] [TS] [TK] [B] [K] [V] [R]
Returns an errorlevel based upon the amount of Dos environment
space left or the total environment space size.
EXAMPLE 1:
ENVSIZE
Returns an errorlevel of 0 - 255 for each 256 bytes of free
space (IE... 1=256, 2=512, etc...).
EXAMPLE 2:
ENVIZE TL
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if less than 256, 1 if less than 4096
and 2 if greater than 4096 (total environment space)
{ENVSIZE continued}
EXAMPLE 3:
ENVSIZE L
Same as example 2, except that it's for environment space left.
EXAMPLE 4:
ENVSIZE T
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 for the amount of environment
space left, in units of 256 bytes.
EXAMPLE 5:
ENVSIZE TS
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 for the amount of environment
space left, in bytes.
EXAMPLE 6:
ENVSIZE TK
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 for the amount of
environspace left, in k bytes.
{ENVSIZE continued}
EXAMPLE 7:
ENVSIZE B
Returns an errorlevel of 0 to 255 for the amount of environment
space left, in bytes.
EXAMPLE 8:
ENVSIZE K
Returns an errorlevel of 0 to 255 for the amount of environment
space left in k bytes.
EXAMPLE 9:
ENVSIZE V
Places the total amount of environment space into the variable
ESIZE.
EXAMPLE 10:
ENVSIZE VR
Places the amount of environment space left into the variable
ESIZE.
FCHR sr sc er ec bc fc p c
Fills the selected video area with the selected character, where:
sr = start row sc = start column
er = ending row ec = ending column
bc = background color fc = foreground color
p = video page c = fill character
Any single character entered for 'c' results in that character
being used as the fill pattern, if two or more characters are in
the 'c' position, then it is assumed you want to use a decimal
value, and may be from 2 to 3 decimal digits (0-9) ranging in
value from 0 to 255. For characters with values less than 10,
prefix the value with a zero.
EXAMPLE 1:
FCHR 5 5 10 75 1 7 0 A
Fills the video area from row 5 column 5 thru row 10 column 75
with A's using white on blue on video page 0.
EXAMPLE 2:
FCHR 5 5 10 75 0 7 0 65
Same as example 1.
EXAMPLE 3:
FCHR 5 5 10 75 1 7 1 65
Same as example 1, except that video page 1 is used.
(NOTE) video pages 0 and 1 are identical to this function.
FILES ftype vname /E list /I list
Returns an errorlevel equal to the number of files of the type
'type'. User may specify additional file types by using the /I
followed by a list (of up to 10) additional extension types, or
may exclude file types from a listing when using the "*" wild
card, by entering a /E followed by up to 10 extension types.
Alternately, the number of files will be returned in a selected
variable.
EXAMPLE 1:
FILES *.DOC
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 depending upon the number of
DOC files in the current directory.
EXAMPLE 2:
FILES *.DOC DOCS
Returns the number of DOC files in the variable DOCS.
EXAMPLE 3:
FILES *.DOC /I EXE
Same as example 1, except value includes EXE files as well.
EXAMPLE 4:
FILES *.DOC DOCS /I EXE
Same as example 2, except value includes EXE files.
EXAMPLE 5:
FILES *.* /E EXE COM
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 for the number of files,
except for those with extensions of EXE and COM.
{FILES continued}
EXAMPLE 6:
FILES *.* FILES /E EXE COM
Same as example 5, except the number of files is returned in the
variable FILES instead of an errorlevel.
FNDHID fname
Displays a bit representation of the selected file 'fname' at-
tribs, where the output is an 8 digit decimal display of 1's and
0's. The output is interpreted as follows when the bits are set:
Bit 1 = Read Only, Bit 2 = Hidden, Bit 3 = System
Bit 4 = Volume lable, Bit 5 = Directory name, Bit 6 = Archived
Bit 7 & 8 = Reserved
FREEM [var][/E]
Displays the amount of system ram available.
Or alternately sets the variable 'var' equal to this value.
Using the switch '/E', we can set the errorlevel equal to the
amount of system ram available divided by 4K.
EXAMPLE 1:
FREEM
Simply displays the amount of system ram available
EXAMPLE 2:
FREEM MEM
Sets the Dos variable MEM equal to the amount of system ram left
EXAMPLE 3:
FREEM /E
Sets the Dos errorlevel equal to the amount of system ram divided
by 4K (IE...64K=16).
{FREEM continued}
EXAMPLE 4:
FREEM MEM /E
Sets the Dos variable MEM equal to the system ram left divided by
4K .
FSIZE fname vname
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 for the size of the file
'fname', or alternately places the size (in K bytes) into the
variable 'vname'.
EXAMPLE 1:
FSIZE FSIZE.COM
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 255 for the size of FSIZE in k
bytes.
EXAMPLE 2:
FSIZE FSIZE.COM SIZE
Same as example 1, except the size is returned in the variable
SIZE.
FUNKEY
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 10 for the 10 function keys, all
other key presses cause the speaker to beep.
GALF
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 26 for any alpha key pressed,
upper or lower case, all other key presses causes the speaker to
beep.
GCURS [R] [Rv] [C] [Cv] [V]
Returns an errorlevel for either the row or column position of
the cursor, or alternately places the row / column information
into the variables ROW and COL.
{GCURS continued}
EXAMPLE 1:
GCURS R
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current row.
EXAMPLE 2:
GCURS R5
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if the value 5 and the current row are
equal, a 1 if the row is greater than 5 and 2 if the row is less
than 5.
{GCURS} continued
EXAMPLE 3:
GCURS C
Same as example 1, except that the errorlevel is for the column.
EXAMPLE 4:
GCURS C5
Same as example 2, except that the ERRORLEVEL is for columns.
EXAMPLE 5:
GCURS V
Places the current row and column into the two variables ROW and
COL .
GDIR
Sets the Dos variable DIR to the current directory path.
Example use:
GDIR
CD \GAMES
GAME
CD\%DIR%
In the above batch file, the current directory would be saved in
the variable DIR, then we change to the new directory games,
execute some game, and finally return back to the original
directory via the CD\%DIR% .
GDRIVE
Returns an errorlevel from 0 thru 255 for the current active
drive, where 0=A, 1=B, etc...
GETCC [V]
Returns an errorlevel equal to the cursor column number, or
alternately places the value into a DOS variable CC, if the
switch V is included on the command line
GETCOLR [F] [B]
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current screen colors.
EXAMPLE 1:
GETCOLR
Returns an errorlevel equal to both foreground and background
colors (combined).
EXAMPLE 2:
GETCOLR F
Returns an errorlevel equal to the foreground color.
EXAMPLE 3:
GETCOLR B
Returns an errorlevel equal to the background color.
GETCR [V]
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current cursor row, or returns
the value in the variable CR, if the switch V is included on the
command line.
GETMCB
Displays a list, showing the current memory usage.
GETNUM [n....]
Returns an errorlevel equal to the value of the numeric key
pressed, or sounds the speaker if any other key is pressed.
Alternately, the user may specify which numeric keys are
acceptable.
EXAMPLE 1:
GETNUM
Accepts all numeric keys for input, returning the value as an
errorlevel (IE.... 0=0, 1=1, etc....).
EXAMPLE 2:
GETNUM 123
Accepts only numeric keys 1 thru 3, return errorlevels for the
numeric key pressed of 1 thru 3.
The second variation of this function is useful for batch files
used in menus, Example :
:MENU
ECHO Menu
ECHO
ECHO (1) Games
ECHO (2) Format disk
ECHO (3) Dos
ECHO
ECHO Your choice (1-3) ?
GETNUM 123
IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO XIT
IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO FMT
GAME
GOTO MENU
:FMT
FORMAT A:
GOTO MENU
:XIT
{BLANK LINE}
The above batch file would either start a game, format a disk, or
place the user at the Dos prompt.
GETPG
Returns an errorlevel equal to the active video page. For CGA
systems, this is usually a value between 1 and 4.
GETVER [M] [V]
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current Dos version (0 if Dos
version 1.x) or alternately can set the Dos variable VER to the
version number.
The following examples assume a Dos version of 3.2.
EXAMPLE 1:
GETVER
Returns an errorlevel of 3 (major version)
EXAMPLE 2:
GETVER M
Returns an errorlevel of 2 (minor version)
EXAMPLE 3:
GETVER V
Sets the variable VER to 3.2 .
GMEN [B] [s] [V]
Returns an errorlevel equal to the amount of ram left for use in
the system.
EXAMPLE 1:
GMEN
Returns an errorlevel equal to the ram size in K bytes.
EXAMPLE 2:
GMEN B
Returns an errorlevel equal to the ram size in 4K byte chunks,
IE... 4K = 1, 8K = 2, etc....
EXAMPLE 3:
GMEN 4000
Compares the value 4000 against your actual ram size, returning
an errorlevel of 0 if equal, 1 if greater, and 2 if less.
EXAMPLE 4:
GMEN V
Sets the Dos variable MEM equal to the ram size.
GMODE
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current video mode, where :
0 = CGA 40x25 black & white
1 = CGA 40x25 color
2 = CGA 80x25 black & white
3 = CGA 80x25 color
4 = 320x200 4 color graphics mode
5 = 320x200 4 color graphics mode (color burst off)
6 = 640x200 2 color graphics mode
7 = 80x25 Monochrome adapter
8 = 160x200 16 color graphics mode (PCjr)
9 = 320x200 16 color graphics mode (PCjr)
10 = 640x200 4 color graphics mode (PCjr)
11 = ?
12 = ?
13 = 320x200 16 color graphics mode (EGA)
14 = 640x200 16 color graphics mode (EGA)
15 = 640x350 monochrome graphics mode (EGA)
16 = 640x350 4 color graphics mode (EGA)
INKEY {key_val},/EAZXScCbc,fc
Retrieves single keystrokes, setting the errorlevel to the ascii
value of the keystroke, or alternately allows assigning values to
specific keys, where :
E = echo mode on (echo char entered)
A = set error level to ascii if no assignment
Z = set error level to 0 if no assignment
X = respond to extended keys only
Predefined return codes for extended keys are :
UP = 1 DOWN = 2 LEFT = 3
RIGHT = 4 PAGE UP = 5 PAGE DOWN = 6
HOME = 7 END = 8 INSERT = 9
DELETE = 9
FUNCTION KEYS 1 THRU 10 = 10 THRU 19
S = set list separator (separator follows the S), default
is a comma
C = color, background color (decimal) is immediately
after the S, followed by the separator char, then the
foreground color
{INKEY} continued
EXAMPLE 1:
INKEY
Returns an errorlevel equal to the keystroke character, but
ignores any extended keystrokes (such as function keys), by
beeping the speaker.
EXAMPLE 2:
INKEY A1,B2,C3,D4,E5,F10
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 10 for the specified keystrokes
of A thru F . You may assign as many keystrokes in this manner as
may fit on a Dos command line. Notice the skip in assignments
between E and F, where E is assigned an errorcode of 5 and F an
errorcode of 10. This mode ignores any other keystroke, while
beeping the speaker for other than keystrokes of A thru F.
EXAMPLE 3:
INKEY /E
Returns an errorlevel equal to the keystroke character, ignores
extended key strokes, and echo's the keystroke.
EXAMPLE 4:
INKEY A1,B3,C5,D7,E9,/E
Returns the assigned errorlevels of 1 thru 9 for keystrokes of A
thru E, ignoring all other keystrokes by beeping the speaker, but
echo's the accepted keystroke.
EXAMPLE 5:
INKEY A1,B2,C3,D5,/A
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 5, for assigned keystrokes, all
other keystrokes, except extended ones, will return the ascii
value of the keystroke. Pressing any extended key causes the
speaker to beep.
EXAMPLE 6:
INKEY A1,B2,C3,D5,/Z
Same as example 5, except all unassigned keystrokes return an
errorlevel of 0.
{INKEY} continued
EXAMPLE 7:
INKEY /X
Returns an error for extended key strokes, see above for
errorlevels returned.
EXAMPLE 8:
INKEY /S*
Sets the command line delimiter to the "*" !
EXAMPLE 9:
INKEY A1,B2,C3,D4,E5,/C1,7
Same as example 2, except the keystroke will be echoed using the
chosen colors of white on blue.
Most of the switches may be mixed on the command line, except of
course the X switch, which is for extended keys, and the will not
display (echo).
INSTR s c vname oname [/X]
Searches for the first occurrence of 'c' starting at 's' in
variable 'vname', to output variable 'oname'. The search
character must be specified as a decimal value (IE...65=A),
unless the switch '/X' is included on the command line.
EXAMPLE 1:
INSTR 1 65 VAR1 VAR2
Where VAR1=HARRY
Outputs the string 'ARRY' to VAR2.
EXAMPLE 2:
INSTR 1 A VAR1 VAR2 /X
Same as example 1, notice that the character 'A' is now specified
by using the ascii character instead of a decimal value.
INVERT
Swaps the foreground an background colors, of the entire screen.
If the foreground color is greater than 15 then the background
color will blink on Monochrome and CGA systems.
KEYSTAT
Returns an errorlevel of 0 thru 4, where :
1 = Scroll lock on
2 = Num lock on
4 = Caps lock on
0 = All locks off
LEN vname
Returns an errorlevel equal to the length of the specified
variable 'vname', or a zero if the variable does not exist, or is
not specified.
LIMCK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if a LIM driver is detected, else
returns a zero.
LINE sr sc l [bc fc] [Pn]
Draws a line, using single line graphics, starting on row 'sr',
column 'sc'for length 'l', using optional background 'bc' and
foreground 'fc' colors on the optional page 'Pn'.
EXAMPLE 1:
LINE 5 5 30
Draws a line at row 5, column 5 of 30 characters in length, using
the existing colors as found at row 5, column 5, and the current
video page (active).
EXAMPLE 2:
LINE 5 5 30 1 7
Same as example 1, except the colors of white on blue are
specified.
EXAMPLE 3:
LINE 5 5 30 1 7 P2
Same as example 2, except that video page 2 is specified, and may
or may not be the active video page.
LOCATE sr sc p
Positions the video cursor to the location specified, where 'sr'
is the row, and 'sc' is the column. Alternately, the video page
may be specified 'p'
EXAMPLE 1:
LOCATE 5 5
Positions the cursor at row 5, column 5.
EXAMPLE 2:
LOCATE 5 5 2
Same as example 1, except the cursor on video page 2 is affected,
and may or may not be the active video page. This feature is
useful to those with systems which large amounts of video memory.
LOGON [O]
Updates a file (LOGIN.LOG), with login name, time and date, or
alternately, the logout name, time and date.
EXAMPLE 1:
LOGON
Prompts the current user for their name, then appends that name,
and time and date to the file LOGIN.LOG in the current directory.
The line appended would look like :
BUDDY LOGGED IN @ 09-23-1988 08:23:10
EXAMPLE 2:
LOGON O
Same as example 2, except the following will be appended to the
file LOGIN.LOG :
BUDDY LOGGED OUT @ 09-23-1988 08:35:15
LPT1TO2 (or PRNSWAP)
Reassigns printer port 1 as printer port 2, and printer port 2
becomes printer port 1, and may be referred to as the PRN device.
LST fname
Displays the file 'fname', one page at a time. The text file may
be scrolled by pressing either the space bar, or by pressing the
enter key. Scrolling backwards is not allowed.
The utility also returns an errorlevel of 0 if everything was ok,
and errorlevel of 1 if the file was not found, or and errorlevel
of 2 if the file was not specified.
Pressing the escape key at any time exits.
MIDSTR s l vname oname
Places a selected portion of the string 'vname' into the output
string 'oname', where 's' is the start of the string to extract
from 'vname', and 'l' is the length (number of characters) to
extract, starting at 's'.
EXAMPLE :
Assuming string 'STR1' contains "We are the people of the US".
MIDSTR 12 16 STR1 STR2
would return the string "people of the US" in variable STR2.
If 'l' is longer than the remaining characters in 'vname', then
'oname' will contain the string starting at 's' and ending at the
final character in 'vname'.
MOUSECK
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if a mouse driver is not detected, or
an errorlevel of 1 if it is.
MOVCUR [U] [D] [L] [R] [n]
Moves the cursor in the desired direction :
U = up D = down
L = left R = right
by an optional value of 'n' or the default value of 1.
{MOVCUR} continued
EXAMPLE 1:
MOVCUR U
Moves the cursor up one line (if possible).
MOVCUR D
Moves the cursor down one line.
EXAMPLE 2:
MOVCUR L 3
Moves the cursor left 3 columns if possible.
MOVCUR R 3
Moves the cursor right 3 columns.
PAGE p V
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current video page, or sets
the active video page to 'p', or returns the active video page
number in the variable PAGE, if the switch V is found on the
command line.
EXAMPLE 1:
PAGE
Returns an errorlevel of 1 thru 4 for the active page on a CGA
system, 1 for most monochrome systems, and values in access of 4
in systems with EGA or VGA .
EXAMPLE 2:
PAGE 2
Sets the active page to 2, if possible, or returns an errorlevel
of 1 if it fails.
EXAMPLE 3:
PAGE V
Sets the Dos variable PAGE to the active page number.
PASSWORD [S]
Prompts the user for a password. The entered password is hidden
by use of inverse video characters as the password is entered.
PASSWORD allows 3 attempts at the password, then locks up the
system, forcing the user to reboot. Alternately, the user may
append an 'S' after the function name, and after entering the
correct current password, will be prompted for a new password.
PATHCK name
Checks for the existence of the directory 'name' in the current
directory. If the directory 'name' exists, an errorlevel of 0 is
returned, if 'name' does not exist, then an errorlevel of 1 is
returned, and if 'name' is not specified, then an errorlevel of 2
is returned.
PFF
Sends a form feed to the PRN device (first printer - LPT1).
PRDY
Returns an errorlevel depending upon the status of the first
printer (PRN or LPT1), where :
0 = OK 1 = Timed out
2 = Gen Failure 3 = No paper
4 = Busy 5 = Off line
PRINT message
Sends the string 'message' to the PRN (LPT1) device. Accepts
only input that Dos allows on the command line. Don't use the
redirectors '<' or '>' or pipe '|', unless enclosed in
parentheses
EXAMPLE :
PRINT Hi Paul
Sends the message 'Hi Paul' to the first printer (LPT1).
PRINT "Don't use > unless it's included inside quotes"
Sends the entire message including quotes to the printer.
PRINTC n
Prints the ascii character represented by the numeric decimal
value 'n', or multiple characters separated by spaces.
EXAMPLE 1:
PRINTC 65
Prints the single ascii character 'A'.
EXAMPLE 2:
PRINTC 27 77
Sends the escape sequence for putting most printers into elite
mode .
PRINTF name
Sends any file, up to 64k bytes, to the printer. No special
controls are performed. This is only a convenience to the user,
as the Dos COPY command can just as easily be used.
PRNSET
Performs a hardware reset to the PRN device.
RESPONSE var bc fc l [N]
Sets the variable 'var' to the text entered from the keyboard,
using the optional colors for background 'bc' and foreground 'fc'
but requires the length to be specified. 'N' is a switch which
prevents keystrokes from being echoed to the display, this is
useful for use as Password entry.
EXAMPLE 1:
RESPONSE NAME 1 7 9
Sets the the variable 'NAME' equal to the next 9 keystrokes or
until the enter key is pressed, which ever is first. The
keystrokes are echoed using white on blue.
EXAMPLE 2:
RESPONSE NAME 1 7 9 N
Same as example 1, except the keystrokes are not echoed.
SAVEKEY [c] [/n]
Places characters into the typeahead buffer.
EXAMPLE 1:
SAVEKEY 123
Places the character sequence '123' into the keyboard buffer.
EXAMPLE 2:
SAVEKEY /49 50 51
Same as example 1, but the characters are entered as decimal
values.
SCROLL sr sc er ec bc fc [D]
Scrolls a selected portion of the screen up or down, using
optional colors.
EXAMPLE 1:
SCROLL 5 5 10 75 1 7
Scrolls the video area starting at row 5, column 5 thru row 10,
column 75 using colors white on blue for the last line.
Actually, lines 5 thru 10 are scrolled up one, thus losing the
original line 5, and clearing a new line 10.
EXAMPLE 2:
SCROLL 5 5 10 75 1 7 D
The inverse of example 1, where lines 5 thru 10 are scrolled down
one, losing the original line 10, and clearing a new line 5.
SCROLMSG [/bc fc l] message
Displays the string 'message' on line 25, scrolling it from right
to left, optionally, the colors and line may be set.
EXAMPLE 1:
SCROLMSG Hello there
Scrolls the message 'Hello there' on line 25 from right to left.
{SCROLMSG} continued
EXAMPLE 2:
SCROLMSG /1 7 Hello there
Same as example 1, except the message is displayed in white on
blue.
EXAMPLE 3:
SCROLMSG /1 7 12 Hello there
Same as example 2, except the message is displayed on line 12.
EXAMPLE 4:
SCROLMSG /12 Hello there
Same as example 1, except the message is displayed on line 12.
SETCUR sr er
Sets the cursor style to block, or line, by selecting the
starting 'sr' and ending 'er' rows for the cursor.
EXAMPLE :
SETCUR 3 7
Sets the cursor as a block, starting at scan line 3 and ending at
scan line 7.
SETDATE mm-dd-yyyy
Sets the Dos date to the specified date of mm-dd-yyyy, where :
mm = month in two decimal digit format, 01 thru 12
dd = day of month in two decimal digit format
yyyy = year in 4 decimal digit format
NOTE: must use hyphens to separate month and day, and day and
year.
SETERR n
Sets the batch file errorlevel between 0 and 255 (n). Great for
testing batch files or when you need to branch based on an
errorlevel.
SETIME hh:mm:ss
Sets the Dos time to that specified in the above format, where :
hh = hours in 2 digit format (00 - 24)
mm = minutes in 2 digit format
ss = seconds in 2 digit format
NOTE: must use colons to separate the units of time.
SETMODE n
Sets the video mode to value n, where :
0 = 40x25 black & white (CGA)
1 = 40x25 color (CGA)
2 = 80x25 black & white (CGA, EGA & VGA)
3 = 80x25 color (CGA, EGA & VGA)
4 = 320x200 4 color graphics
5 = 320x200 4 color graphics - color burst off
6 = 640x200 2 color graphics
7 = Monochrome adapter
8 = 160x200 16 color graphics - low resolution - PCjr
9 = 320x200 16 color graphics - med. resolution - PCjr
10 = 640x200 4 color graphics - high resolution - PCjr
13 = 320x200 16 color graphics - EGA
14 = 640x200 16 color graphics - EGA
15 = 640x350 monochrome graphics - EGA
16 = 640x350 16 color graphics - EGA
SETPG p
Sets the active video page to page 'p'. Page numbers are from 1
thru 4 for CGA systems.
SHOWVAR vname [/XNPpLcRlCbc fc]
Displays the variable 'vname'. This can be done, using the Dos
echo command, with the %vname%, but that usage includes showing
the variable name (IE... PATH=A:\), while SHOWVAR only shows the
actual variable (IE... A:\). The switches are as follows :
{SHOWVAR} continued
X = center variable on line
N = don't issue a line feed / carriage return
Pp = Page number 'p'
Lc = Left margin at column 'c'
Rl = Use line number 'l'
Cbc fc = Use background 'bc' and foreground 'fc'
colors. Separate the colors with a space.
EXAMPLE 1:
SHOWVAR PATH
Displays the PATH at the current cursor position.
EXAMPLE 2:
SHOWVAR PATH /X
Displays the PATH on the current line, but centered
EXAMPLE 3:
SHOWVAR PATH /P2
Displays the PATH at the current cursor position, but on video
page 2, which may or may not be the active video page.
EXAMPLE 4:
SHOWVAR PATH /L5
Displays the PATH on the current line, starting at column 5.
EXAMPLE 5:
SHOWVAR PATH /R5
Displays the PATH on line 5, at the current column number.
EXAMPLE 6:
SHOWVAR PATH /C1 7
Displays the PATH at the cursor location, using white on blue.
NOTE: if the 'C' switch and colors are not specified, then the
colors used will be what is currently available at the specified
location or at the cursor location.
SKEY
Returns an errorlevel of 0 if no keystroke is waiting, else if
one is ready, then an errorlevel of 1 is returned.
SNGLBOX sr sc er ec bc fc
Draws a box, using single line graphics, starting at row 'sr',
column 'sc' and ending at row 'er', column 'ec', using the
optional colors 'bc' and 'fc' (background an foreground).
EXAMPLE 1:
SNGLBOX 5 5 10 30
Draws a box starting at row 5, column 5 thru row 10, column 30.
EXAMPLE 2:
SNGLBOX 5 5 10 30 1 7
Same as example 1, except the box is drawn in white on blue.
SOUND [d t]
Sounds the speaker for about 1 second, or for duration 'd' and
tone 't'.
EXAMPLE 1:
SOUND
Sounds the speaker at about 100 hz for 1 second.
EXAMPLE 2:
SOUND 10 20
Sounds the speaker for about 2 seconds at about 200 herz.
SROWS
Returns an errorlevel equal to the cursor row.
STRING r c bc fc [/P] [/Sp]
Displays or prints 'r' number of 'c' characters, where 'r' and
'c' are both decimal values. The background 'bc' and foreground
'fc' colors may be specified, and specifying '/P' will print
instead of displaying the string, while using '/Sp' will display
the string on the selected video page.
EXAMPLE 1:
STRING 5 65
Displays 5 A's at the current cursor location.
{STRING} continued
EXAMPLE 2:
STRING 5 65 1 7
Same as example 1, except the string is displayed as white on
blue characters.
EXAMPLE 3:
STRING 5 65 /P
5 A's are sent to the PRN device.
EXAMPLE 4:
STRING 5 65 /S2
Same as example 1, except that the characters are displayed on
page 2, which may or may not be the active video page.
SUB vname v
Subtracts the decimal value 'v' from the Dos variable 'vname'.
EXAMPLE :
Assume : AMNT=45, where AMNT is a Dos variable, then the
following line :
SUB AMNT 5
Would result in the variable result of AMNT=40.
NOTE: decimal value 'v' is optional, and if not specified, a
value of 1 is subtracted from 'vname'.
SWIDTH
Returns an errorlevel equal to the column width of the video
system in use. If your video system is in 80 column mode, then
this would return an errorlevel of 80.
WAIT n
Pauses the system for 'n' seconds or milliseconds. If 'n' is a
value larger than 9, then the pause is in milliseconds, while
values between 1 and 9 are in seconds.
WAITILL hh:mm:ss
Pauses the system until the specified time. The specified time
must be in the above format, including the colons. You may not
specify the time as either an hour, or hour and minutes, in other
words, the time must include hours, minutes and seconds. If the
correct time is not specified, then an errorlevel of 1 is
returned.
WAITM n
Pauses the system for 'n' minutes, where n may be a decimal value
between 1 and 9.
WHATDAY
Returns an errorlevel between 1 an 7 for the day of week, where :
1=Sunday 2=Monday
3=Tuesday 4=Wednesday
5=Thursday 6=Friday
7=Saturday
WHATHR
Returns an errorlevel equal to the hour of the day, in 24 hour
format. IE...2=2AM 14=2PM
WHATMIN
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current minute.
WHATMO
Returns an errorlevel equal to the current month, where :
1=January 2=February
3=March 4=April
5=May 6=June
7=July 8=August
9=September 10=October
11=November 12=December
WHATYR
Returns and errorlevel equal to the number of years since 1980.
If the current year is 1988, then this function will return an
errorlevel of 8.
WRITE /LcRlPpXNCbc fc,message
WRITE message /LcRlPpXNCbc fc
Displays the string 'message', using the following options :
Lc = use left margin 'c'
Rl = use line 'l'
Pp = use page 'p'
X = center on line
N = no CR/LF at end of line
Cbc fc = color, where :
bc = background
fc = foreground
Notice the comma between the message and the switch list, in the
first syntax version, this is required, only in the first syntax.
EXAMPLE 1:
WRITE
Moves the cursor down one line, and to the left column.
EXAMPLE 2:
WRITE Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" at the current column and line.
EXAMPLE 3:
WRITE /L8,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" on the current line, and at
column 8.
EXAMPLE 4:
WRITE /R5,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" on line 5, and the current
column.
{WRITE} continued
EXAMPLE 5:
WRITE /P2,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" at the current line and column on
page 2, which may or may not be the active video page.
EXAMPLE 6:
WRITE /X,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" on the current line, centered.
EXAMPLE 7:
WRITE /N,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" at the current line and column,
but leaves the cursor at the end of the line.
EXAMPLE 8:
WRITE /C1 7,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" at the current line and column,
using white on blue.
EXAMPLE 9:
WRITE /L8R5P2NC1 7,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there" on line 5, column 8, page 2,
using white on blue, and leaves the cursor at the end of the line
EXAMPLE 10:
WRITE /R5XP2C1 7,Hi there
Displays the message "Hi there", centered on line 5, using white
on blue, on video page 2.
EXAMPLE 11:
WRITE Hi there /R5XP2C1 7
Same as example 10.
WRITEF fname [/Pp]
Displays file 'fname' (max of 4 kbytes), using the current column
position as the left margin, starting at the current line number,
using any existing colors as already may be on the display. The
optional page 'p' may be specified with the '/P' switch.
EXAMPLE 1:
WRITEF MENU
Displays the file MENU.
EXAMPLE 2:
WRITEF MENU /P2
Displays the file MENU on video page 2.
XMSCK
Returns an errorlevel of 1 if an extended memory device driver
has been installed, else returns an errorlevel of 0.
YN [message]
Returns an error level of 1 if the 'n' key is depressed or a 0 if
the 'y' key is depressed. YN accepts either upper or lower case,
and any key depressed but Y or N results in the speaker beeping.
Optionally a message may be displayed, at the current cursor
position.
EXAMPLE 1:
YN
Waits for either the Y or N key to be depressed.
EXAMPLE 2:
YN Are you running Dos?
Displays the message "Are you running Dos?", then waits for
either the Y or N key to be depressed.
YRSINCE yyyy
Returns an errorlevel equal to the difference of the current date
subtracted from the specified date yyyy. If the date is entered
as 2 digits, then the century is assumed to be 1900.
EXAMPLE:
YRSINCE 1980
Returns an ERRORLEVEL of 8, if the current year is 1988.
YRSTILL yyyy
Returns an errorlevel equal to the difference of the current year
and the specified year. If the specified year is 2 digits, then
the year is assumed to be in the 19th century.
EXAMPLE 1:
YRSTILL 1990
Assuming the current year is 1987, then this function will return
an errorlevel of 2.
EXAMPLE 2:
YRSTILL 90
Same as example 1.