Category : Display Utilities
Archive   : ZACKIN.ZIP
Filename : READ.ME

Enhanced Console Driver
Copyright (c) 1986 Anthony Zackin

The current version of the program is 4.7 (all instances of `xx' below should be
replaced with the digits `47').

The Enhanced Console Driver is an installable console driver providing
additional capabilities to the disk operating system. It may be used with DOS
versions 2 and above on systems with or without a hard disk. It is a complete
replacement for the ANSI.SYS device driver supplied with DOS 2 and above. It
will work with either a monochrome or a color graphics adapter. Special support
is also provided for the 43 line mode of the enhanced graphics adapter (EGA).


Installation instructions:

1) Make your boot disk the currently active disk. If you already have a
CONFIG.SYS file on your boot disk then issue a CD command to the subdirectory
containing the file (for pre-DOS 3.0 systems this will be the root). Append the
CONFIGxx.SYS file from the distribution disk. This may be done with the DOS
COPY command, e.g., COPY CONFIG.SYS+B:CONFIGxx.SYS assuming the distribution
disk is in drive B. If you do not already have a CONFIG.SYS file then simply
copy the CONFIGxx.SYS file and rename it to CONFIG.SYS, e.g.,
COPY B:CONFIGxx.SYS CONFIG.SYS.

The CONFIGxx.SYS file contains the line DEVICE=CONDRVxx.SYS. This tells DOS
that the console driver program, CONDRVxx.SYS, may be found in the root. If you
are using DOS 3.0 or greater you may place device drivers in any subdirectory.
If you wish to do this just modify the DEVICE= line in CONFIG.SYS and add a
path name before CONDRVxx.SYS: DEVICE=[path]CONDRVxx.SYS, where [path]
corresponds to the subdirectory path name where you have put the CONDRVxx.SYS
file, e.g., DEVICE=\DOS\CONDRVxx.SYS if it is in your "DOS" subdirectory.

Once you have added the DEVICE=CONDRVxx.SYS or equivalent entry to CONFIG.SYS
you should reboot your system to cause the driver to be loaded by DOS. Enter the
{Ctrl}, {Alt}, and {Del} keys simultaneously to "warm start" your machine.


2) Copy the CU.EXE and MENU.BAT files from the distribution diskette to a
subdirectory referenced by your default PATH definition; this will let them be
executed regardless of your current subdirectory. If you run all your programs
from the root and/or have a floppy based system then just copy the files to the
root of your boot disk.
The CU program (Console Utility) is used to issue commands to the console
driver. These commands may define windows, set alarms, turn on/off the
clock/locks display, etc. Once CU has been copied you may issue the CU HELP
command to find out how to get a listing of its documentation. (Note that the CU
HELP facility expects that the console driver has been installed; if you view it
before installation you may receive a few spurious characters at the end of each
screen; if so, just ignore them.)
MENU.BAT is a batch file which will set the system prompt. Since the menu,
clock and caps-lock functions are all prompt driven you must set the prompt to
control them.


3) Copy the STDKEYS.CU and STDFKEYS.CU files from the distribution diskette so
they may be accessible from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. These files contain CU
commands to add key abbreviations (STDKEYS.CU) and define a menu screen
(STDFKEYS.CU). They are meant as examples only and should be modified for your
own needs. These names, by the way, are arbitrary; you may use any valid DOS
file name for these files; they will be referenced by a `CU READ' command in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Use the MENU.BAT or MENU2.BAT file to set the prompt.
For a more complex menu setup try STDKEYS.1 and STDFKEYS.1. Use the MENU1.BAT
file with them.


4) The following two lines should be added to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. You may
use the COPY command as described above, COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT+B:AUTOEXEC.BAT, or
add them manually with a word processor or text editor:

CU READ STDKEYS.CU,STDFKEYS.CU; CLOCK bY; LOCKS RY
MENU ON

The CU READ command will read the commands in the `STD...' files. Note that
this is the convention that I use; you may choose to do it an other way. For
example, you may decide to combine the two `STD...' files into one and call it
MENUDEF. In that case you would add the line

CU READ MENUDEF; CLOCK bY; LOCKS RY

instead.

The CLOCK and LOCKS command are only needed if you wish a display of the
current time and the Caps Lock/Num Lock/Print Screen status. They must be
initialized via this CU call or else the prompt string commands to control them
will be ignored. Any valid attribute value may be specified since the actual
one used will be generated by the user's prompt, set by the MENU.BAT file.

Note that MENU ON must be the last command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file since
MENU is itself a batch file. If this is impossible then, of course, the MENU
command may be issued manually at any time.


5) Modify MENU.BAT if necessary to change the default colors; see the DOS
technical reference manual for ANSI.SYS escape code sequences to do that. You
may also change the location of the CLOCK and LOCKS status if you wish. Read the
file CONDRV.DOC for full details of the extended escape sequences which control
these functions.

If you want to display more than one menu window you'll have to modify the
MENU.BAT file at least and you will probably want to modify the STDFKEYS.CU
file as well. STDFKEYS.CU initially defines two windows but only window 0 is
displayed by MENU.BAT. However, {Alt}0 is redefined to display window1. The
file MENU2.BAT on the distribution disk will set the prompt to display both
windows (0 and 1). Up to 8 windows are supported.

If you have an IBM Extended Graphics Adapter (EGA) and an Enhanced Color
Display or equivalent and wish to use the 43 line mode when you are at the DOS
prompt use MENU43.BAT to set the prompt for 43 line mode; use MENU25.BAT to
switch to 25 line mode.

The MENU.BAT files are set up so that if the parameter OFF is provided the
prompt will be reset so that no windows will be displayed. You should modify
the default MENU OFF prompt to suit your needs if the provided settings are not
to your fancy.


Note:

The prompts specified in the MENU.BAT files may cause you to run out of
environment space depending on how much of it you are using for your PATH,
COMPSPEC, and any other environment variables. The default environment space
may be increased by patching the default paragraph allocation value of 10,
hexadecimal 0A, in COMMAND.COM. You may use the DEBUG command to do this. For
DOS 2.0 replace xxx with ECF, for DOS 3.0 use F2C, for DOS 3.1 use D11.

>DEBUG \COMMAND.COM
-Exxx 0C

This will give you an additional 32 bytes to work with; if you need more then
specify a larger number than hexadecimal 0C (12 decimal).

For DOS versions 3.2 and up you may use the following line in the CONFIG.SYS
file to increase the default environment space. Replace `nnn' below with a
number from 160 to 32768. It will be rounded up to the nearest paragraph
boundary (multiple of 16 bytes): SHELL=\COMMAND.COM /P/E:nnn

For example,
SHELL=\COMMAND.COM /P/E:192


Updates:

4.3:

A new feature in version 4.3 allows you to suppress the DOS keyboard
redefinition during program execution (or at the DOS command prompt if you
want). This lets programs which do their console I/O via DOS to use keys which
you may have redefined for your own purposes, e.g., to run the programs on your
menu. Note that this has been implemented using a suppress count similar to the
count used by the CLOCK, LOCKS, and MODE commands. It differs in one respect
and that is that the suppress count value for keyboard redefinition must
typically be one larger than the value needed by the other commands. After
installing the new CU program type `HELP KEYDEF' for more information.

4.4:

Fixes a problem that occurred with monochrome displays while resetting the alarm
via the depression of both shift keys.

4.7

Fixes a problem that occurred when using the console driver with a RAM resident
program, expanded memory, and 123 release 2. Also fixed was a problem which
sometimes would occur when both shift keys were depressed (to turn off the
alarm); the system's keyboard status bits would occasionally get scrambled
making it look as if you were pressing a shift key when you weren't.


Note that all code and documentation is copyrighted and may not be sold. If you
like it give it away, but please do not modify it. I can only vouch for the code
in its current format; I use it every day on my system and on quite a few others
in my office. I unfortunately cannot guarantee that it will work problem-free on
all systems. The driver has been used with many software packages including
123, Symphony, dBASE III, Framework, Microsoft Chart, GEM, DisplayWrite III,
WordStar, WordStar 2000, Storyboard, etc. without problems. The only program
that I have found that it does not work with is Topview; however, if you are
going to use Topview you don't need this so who cares? Note that many of the
programs listed above do not use DOS I/O to write to the console, they write
directly to the screen memory or they use direct BIOS calls. Programs in the
latter category may also issue the Enhanced Console Driver escape sequences if
the BIOS trap option has been enabled prior to their execution. Read the CU HELP
file for more information.


If you have any questions or comments I will try to respond, time permitting.


Tony Zackin
110-20 63rd Drive
Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 896-9385