BATch Executive Version 1.0 Mar 4, 1990



1 BATch Executive Overview

If you are like me, you have many small batch files on your hard
drive to do various repetitive tasks. These seem to take up very
little room. After all, when you do a DIRectory, each one is
only a couple of hundred bytes at most. However, because of the
way DOS allocates space in blocks on your drives, they may be
taking up much more space than you think!

I wrote BATch Executive to help manage these files and recover
this space. BATch Executive allows you to combine all these
small BATch files into a single master file -- BATmstr.DAT.
Then, when you need to execute one of the files, BATch Executive
extracts it from the master file, executes the BATch file and
deletes it when the process is through.

BATch Executive swaps itself into Extended Memory (EMS), if you
have it, or onto your disk, if you don't while running the BATch
command. This way it takes up a minimum of memory (about 7k)
while your BATch files are running.

BATch Executive can run from the DOS command line or in
"interactive mode". It has a built-in full-screen editor that
you can use to edit BATmstr.DAT or for general editing with files
of less than 64K.

In short, BATch Executive it a tool that can help you manage DOS
and gain back some of you disk space. At the end of this
documentation is brief explanation of DOS space allocation -- the
main reason BATch Executive was created.



























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2 Files

The archive you received contains the following files:

EXEC.EXE The BATch Executive executable file. You
can rename it to whatever you wish. I
call mine "X.EXE" to make typing easier.

BATmstr.DAT A sample BATch Executive control file.
You will have to create your own with
your batch files in it. Use BATch
Executive's built-in full-screen editor
if you wish.

BATexec.DOC This documentation.

EDITOR.CMD Commands for the full-screen editor.

BATexec.RME A READ.ME file with additional
information about this release of BATch
Executive.

These are the ONLY files that should be in your archive. If you find
additional files or these files do not match the sizes and CRCs in the
BATexec.RME then BE VERY CAUTIOUS! It is possible that BATch
Executive has been tampered with!

If you receive BATch Executive with another product, demand your money
back! BATch Executive is NOT to be distributed in this manner and the
distributors are breaking the law.



























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BATch Executive Version 1.0 Mar 4, 1990



3 Using BATch Executive

3.1 Overview

BATch Executive can be run in two modes: from the DOS command
line or in interactive mode. Each of these modes is discussed in
detail later.


3.2 Starting BATch Executive

The only files that you need to run BATch Executive are

Exec.EXE The executable program
BATmstr.DAT The control file containing the BATch
Commands.

You can use Exec.EXE to create your BATmstr.DAT file. Place
these files anywhere along your DOS path. If you are unfamiliar
with the PATH command, please refer to your DOS documentation.

NOTE: BATch Executive searches for BATmstr.DAT when it is first
started. BATch Executive also must know where the control file
is during execution. If a control file does NOT exist, BATch
Executive will assign the name to the directory from which the
program was started.

If you then create BATmstr.DAT, it will be created ONLY in that
directory. To place it anywhere else, you MUST restart BATch
Executive from the DOS command line. This also means that if you
use a program or DOS command to move BATmstr.DAT to another
sub-directory while you are in interactive mode, BATch Executive
will no longer be able to find the existing file.

HINT: I rename EXEC.EXE to X.EXE. This has no effect on the
operation of the program. But it means I have fewer
keystrokes to enter. You might want to rename the file
"DO.EXE" or something similar. The file extension must
be "EXE". DO NOT RENAME BATmstr.DAT!

Start BATch Executive with the following command line:

Exec [{command|label}]

If you enter just "Exec", BATch Executive will start in
interactive mode. If you enter a command or label, BATch
Executive will execute the command or batch file and exit. Each
of these situations is described in detail below.

NOTE: Throughout this documentation, the batch file which is
extracted from BATmstr.DAT and then executed is
referred to as a BATch command.





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3.3 BATch Executive Commands

Here are the commands supported by BATch Executive. In
interactive mode, these commands require a leading slash ("/").
The slash is NOT entered when you run BATch Executive from the
command line. Case is NOT important.

/{BATch command} Executes {BATch command} When entered
from interactive mode, the batch command
must be proceeded by a slash. For
example, from DOS command line, enter
"Exec MYBAT" to run the BATch command
"MYBAT". Enter "/MYBAT" from the
interactive prompt to run the same
command.

/E [{filename}] Starts the full-screen editor to edit
any file up to about 64K in size or
BATmstr.DAT if no filename is entered.
If BATmstr.DAT is not found along your
PATH, a new one will be created in the
directory from which BATch Executive was
started. When editing other files,
BATch Executive does NOT search the path
for them. You must enter fully
qualified path names.

/L Lists the BATch commands available in
BATmstr.DAT.

/X {batch command} Extract the BATch command to a BATch
file. This file will have the same name
as {BATch command}. If {BATch command}
is longer than eight characters, only
the first eight characters are used for
the file name.

/? Displays a list of available commands.

EXIT Exit from the BATch Executive
interactive command line. (Not valid
from the DOS command line). NOTE: the
EXIT command is NOT proceeded by a
slash.


3.4 BATmstr.DAT The BATch Executive Control File

Before you can do anything really meaningful with BATch
Executive, you have to create the BATch Executive master file
(BATmstr.DAT). Of course, you can use BATch Executive's own
full-screen editor to create the control file.





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NOTE: BATch Executive establishes the full path name of
BATmstr.DAT when it first starts. If it cannot find
BATmstr.DAT, it establishes the path as the current
directory. If you later create BATmstr.DAT using the
/E command, it will be created in that directory.
Also, if you use programs or DOS commands to move
BATmstr.DAT to a new directory while in interactive
mode, you will have to re-start BATch Executive from
the DOS command line so it will be able to file the
control file.

The control file consists of batch command "labels", BATch file
statements and "end" statements. The format is:

<{LABEL}> [{comment}]
{BATch file statements}
[{comment}]
. . .

where:

<{LABEL}> The name of the BATch command. It can
have NO spaces and must be entered in
ALL UPPER CASE. ,
are all valid batch
command labels. and
are NOT. Generally use the same rules
that you use to create DOS file names.
The exception is that batch command
labels can be longer than eight
characters.

{BATch File Statements} The contents of your BATch file. Since
BATch Executive actually creates BATch
files to execute these commands, you can
use any commands that you normally use
from a BATch file.

Here's a tip: Use the full-screen
editor's "K-R" command to read your
existing BATch files into BATmstr.DAT.

The "end" statement must appear at the
end of each entry. It MUST be typed in
ALL UPPER CASE and must start in column
one.

A sample BATmstr.DAT file is included with this package. Note that
you can include any number of lines outside the <{LABEL}> and
lines. These are ignored by BATch Executive and can be used for
comments. (The editor will handle files only up to 64K and additional
comments will increase operating time, however.)





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The following is a short example file which is used in the command
examples in the remainder of the documentation. Comments enclosed in
braces ("{}") are intended for documentation only and would NOT be
included in an actual control file. The blank lines caused by the
comments are also not found in the BATmstr.DAT file.


Example File

*************** S T A R T O F F I L E ***********************

Last Revised: 2/10/90 {comments can be included at the start
of the file or between the
statement and the next label or after
the last label. For faster
operation, these should be kept to a
minimum or placed after the last
statement in the file.}
{Notice that labels can be longer than
DOS file names, but can contain only
valid filename characters for the first
eight characters and must have NO
SPACES. If you were to extract this
BATch file, it's name would be
"DAILYCLE.BAT".
C: {The real BATch file starts here.}

CD \
CleanUp {CleanUp is a shareware program from Bob
Breedlove.}
DailyCleanUp {Note comment on end statement. Comments
can be included on both the label and
end statements.}

Weekly CleanUp Job {Comments and blank lines are ignored,
but will increase processing time
because BATch Executive must read past
them.}

C:
CD \
CleanUp Weekly
D:
Exec test {Yes, you can run BATch Executive in
your batch files!}
C:
cd \
WeeklyCleanUp

C:
CD \ARCHIVES
Test


echo off



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c:
cd \work\evaluate
if .%2 == .ZIP goto ZIP
if .%2 == .zip goto ZIP
if .%2 == .LZH goto LZH
if .%2 == .lzh goto LZH
if .%2 == .ARC goto ARC
if .%2 == .arc goto ARC
goto OOPS
:ZIP
pkunzip \yam\%1
goto END
:LZH
lharc e \yam\%1
goto END
:ARC
pkxarc \yam\%1
goto END
:OOPS
echo %2 not supported
goto EXIT
:END
scan c:\work\evaluate
:EXIT
Notice that BATch commands can be very
complex. There is no limit to the size
or complexity of your BATch files. If
BATmstr.DAT is larger than 64K, however,
you will be able to process it, but not
be able to edit it with BATch
Executive's built-in full-screen editor.

**************** E N D O F F I L E ************************


3.5 Command Line Operation

When you start BATch Executive with the following command line:

Exec {command|label}

it will execute the command/batch file that you have entered and
then exit. Unlike the interactive mode, any {command|label}
entered on the command line is assumed to be either a BATch
command label from BATmstr.DAT or a BATch Executive command.
Because of this, there is no need to enter the leading slash
("/") required in interactive mode. [The EXIT command is not
allowed on the command line. BATch Executive will treat it as
you had entered "/EXIT" and search for a BATch Command with the
label "".]







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Examples

Exec DailyCleanUp

Executes the batch command "DailyCleanUp" from BATmstr.DAT.


Exec E

Edit the BATmstr.DAT file.


Exec L

List the batch commands contained in BATmstr.DAT. For the
sample file, this will result in the display:







Exec X EVALUATE

Extract the batch command "EVALUATE" from BATmstr.DAT. This
will create EVALUATE.BAT in the current directory.


Exec e c:\bin\myfile.txt

Edit the file MYFILE.TXT in the directory C:\BIN. If
MYFILE.TXT does not exist in the directory, create it.


3.6 Interactive Operation

When you start BATch Executive with the following command line:

Exec

BATch Executive will execute in interactive mode. BATch
Executive displays its header which shows the version number. You
are presented with a "command line" which looks a lot like a DOS
command line:

[EXEC] {current directory} :

From this command, you can enter:

{ DOS commands or programs
{ BATch Commands in BATmstr.DAT
{ BATch Executive Commands




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BATch Executive commands and BATmstr.DAT BATch Commands must be
entered with a leading slash "/". [The "?" (help) and "EXIT"
commands are the exceptions to this. The "?" command can be
entered with or without the leading slash. The "EXIT" command can
NOT be entered with a leading "/".]


The Command Line Editor

Commands entered on the command line remain there after
execution. To enter a completely new command, simply type it.
As you type the new command, the old command is completely
erased. If you wish to reuse all or part of the existing
command, you can edit the command line using the following keys:

Accept the current line
or Quit without changing the line
or Cursor left one character
or Cursir right one character
or Cursor left one word
or Cursor right one word
or Cursor to beginning of line
or Cursor to end of line
or Delete character at cursor
or Delete character to left of cursor
or Delete to end of line
or Delete entire line
Delete from beginning of line
Delete word to right of cursor
Toggle insert mode on/off
or Restore original contents of line
Next character entered exactly as is


The Command History Buffer

In interactive mode, BATch Executive remembers the last 10
commands executed. To recall these commands use the up-arrow and
down-arrow. The buffer is circular. Pressing will display
the previous command in the buffer. Pressing will display
the next command in the buffer. Both command wrap at the end of
the buffer.


Examples

/E

Edit BATmstr.DAT using the full-screen editor.








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/evaluate TEST ZIP

Execute the BATch command from BATmstr.DAT. The
remainder of the command line ("TEST ZIP") will be passed to
the BATch file as substitution variables %1 and %2. This is
the same process as executing the BATch file EVALUATE.BAT
from the DOS command prompt.


DIR a:*.*

Execute the DIR command to show all files on the A: drive.


EDITOR

Execute the external program "EDITOR".


/L

List the BATch Commands from BATmstr.DAT.


/E MYFILE.TXT

Use BATch Executive's built-in full-screen editor to edit
"MYFILE.TXT".


/X EVALUATE

Extract the BATch command to the file
EVALUATE.BAT.


EXIT

Leave BATch Executive and return to the DOS prompt.


















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BATch Executive Version 1.0 Mar 4, 1990



4 The Legal Stuff

4.1 Registration

BATch Executive is NOT free software nor is it in the public
domain. BATch Executive, its support files and documentation are
copyright Bob Breedlove. All rights are reserved.

This software is distributed as shareware. You are granted a
limited license to evaluate BATch Executive for a period of 30
days. If you choose to use BATch Executive for more than 30
days, you are required to register it by sending $10.00 to:

Bob Breedlove
3196 Swallowsnest Dr.
Sacramento, CA 95833

When registering, please use the registration form at the end of this
document or send the equivalent information. Sorry phone registration
or registration by credit card is not available.


4.2 The No Nonsense License

The registration fee for this BOBsWARE product allows you to use
the product on all computers that you -- personally -- use. The
restriction is that the program must be used on only A SINGLE CPU
AT A TIME. Consider the program like a book, you can only read a
book in one location at a time.

If you wish to use the program on more than one CPU
simultaneously, you MUST REGISTER EACH COPY OF THE PROGRAM. If
you wish to obtain a site license, the registration fee is ten
(10) times the single program registration fee. The site license
allows you to use an unlimited number of copies of the product at
a single physical site. If you wish to use the product at
additional sites simultaneously, you must obtain another
individual or site license.

Registration of this BOBsWARE product also entitles you to all
future upgrades of this product free of charge.


4.3 The Warranty

This program is not guaranteed to be suitable for any specific
purpose. The author, Robert F. Breedlove, assumes no
responsibility for damages, loss of data or income resulting from
use of this program either directly or indirectly.








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4.4 Support

Registered users will receive telephone, mail and BBS support for
BATch Executive. Support for specific problems will NOT be
provided to users who have not registered the program.




















































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5 Appendix: DOS Space Allocation

The smallest unit of space that DOS will allocate on your disk is
a block (sector). The size of this block is set at the time that
a low level format is done on your disk. It is usually a
multiple of 512 bytes (512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, etc.).

What this means is that despite what the DOS DIRectory command
tells you about the size of a file, the MINIMUM space that it
really occupies is one block. The average BATch file isn't very
big. Say they average less than 512 bytes. With a 2,048 block
size, this means 1,536 bytes of wasted space. If you have a
number of these BATch files on your disk, you can see that you
are wasting a great deal of space. And the situation is even
worse if your drive is allocated in larger blocks.

What BATch Executive does is allow you to combine your BATch files
into a single file, thus "recovering" most of the space that you
"wasted" before. The table below presents some typical savings.



Block Size: 2,048 bytes
File Size: 256 bytes
---------
Space loss: 1,792 bytes

Files: 10
Total File Sizes (actual): 20,480 bytes
Total Space Loss: 17,920 bytes
% utilized: 8.8%

BATmstr.DAT size: * 2,710 bytes
BATmstr.DAT blocks: 2 blocks
BATmstr.DAT size (actual): 4,096 bytes
BATmstr.DAT space loss: 1,386 bytes
Space Savings: 16,384 bytes

* Total File Size + 15 bytes per file for labels


















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BATch Executive Version 1.0 Mar 4, 1990



6 Appendix: Registration Form

Please register the following BOBsWARE product(s):


PRODUCT Quantity Price Total
------------------------------------------------------------
BATch Executive ________ $10.00 _________
CleanUp ________ $10.00 _________
Config FREE
Run ________ $ 5.00


NAME: ___________________________________________________

COMPANY: ___________________________________________________

Street: ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

City: ________________________ State: ____ Zip: _________

Phone: ( ) - Extension: _______________

Computer: ___________________________________________________

Thank you for registering these BOBsWARE products. Your comments
are always welcome:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________



















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