Category : Utilities for DOS and Windows Machines
Archive   : CONFIG20.ZIP
Filename : CONFIG.DOC

CONFIG.EXE Version 2.00 (12/14/88)
User Documentation
-----------------
Author: Bob Breedlove
3196 Swallows Nest Dr.
Sacramento, CA 95833
916-921-9373
916-929-7511 (BOBsBBS)


USAGE: CONFIG [{system name}] [/e/l]

PURPOSE: Config can be used to set up AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS
and other files to configure your system for various
purposes.

HISTORY: I use my computer for many different purposes. These
range from running BOBsBBS to writing articles. I find
that I need different setups for the different programs
that I run.

For example, while running BOBsBBS I want an
AUTOEXEC.BAT file with the BULLET! command in it to start
the board in case of power failure. I also want all
memory resident software removed from the system. BUT, I
use Desqview while working with my terminal program.

After several years of use, I found that I had several
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files and still other batch
files to copy them back and forth. Although these files
are relatively small (less than 1,000 bytes each), they
occupy a full disk sector (2,048) on my system. Eight
or nine of these files can occupy quite a bit of room.

So I wrote CONFIG.EXE. It's really a simple program. It
will write copies of any files you want, and run DOS
commands to setup your system the way you want it for a
specific application. It then performs a warmboot.

FILES: CONFIG.EXE The actual config program. Place it somewhere
in your PATH.
CONFIG.DAT The data file that drives CONFIG. It must
reside somewhere on the DOS path. This file
is a text file that contains command that
drive CONFIG. It can be edited with any text
editor that does not place special formatting
characters into the file.
CONFIG.DOC This documentation.
EDITOR.CMD Reference to full-screen editor commands
WHATS.NEW New features of the current release.

RUNNING CONFIG.EXE

CONFIG.EXE can be started in one of several ways. If you type
"CONFIG" at the prompt, the program will give you a summary of
options. The following are the ways that the program can be
started ("C>" represents the DOS prompt and should not be typed
in the command. is the enter key.)

C> CONFIG

Listing of command line options.

C> CONFIG {system}

Run config and load the files represented by {system}.

C> CONFIG /e

Edit or create the CONFIG.DAT file using CONFIG's full-screen
editor.

C> CONFIG /l

Have config produce a list of systems in CONFIG.DAT. You can
then select the one that you want. It's handy if your memory
is failing like mine.

C> CONFIG {system} /e

Edit the CONFIG.DAT file then load {system}. Handy if you have
to make a change then want to run the system.

C> CONFIG /e /l

Edit the CONFIG.DAT file then list the systems and optionally
select one to be executed.

THE CONFIG.DAT FILE

This is a DOS text file which can be created using CONFIG's
full-screen editor or any editor which does not introduce special
formatting characters into the file. If you plan to use CONFIG's
full-screen editor, this file can not be more that 64,000 bytes
in size.

CONFIG.DAT can be placed anywhere along your DOS PATH. I suggest
that you place it in the root directory.

FULL-SCREEN EDITOR

This is really a pretty nifty editor. It can handle a CONFIG.DAT
file that's less that 64,000 bytes in size. The commands are
contained in the separate file EDITOR.CMD. If you're familiar
with Wordstar, Sidekick or the Turbo editors, these commands
should be pretty familiar to you.

CONSIDERATIONS

In testing this program, I've found the following:

o If you use a program such as DPATH30.ARC to allow your programs
to find files along the DOS PATH, you may confuse the full-screen
editor if you don't edit CONFIG.DAT from the sub-directory where
it's located. The other commands do not seem to have this
problem. (It has to do with the way that the editor loads files.)

COMANDS

The following is summary of CONFIG commands. All commands must
start in column 1 (see the example CONFIG.DAT file.)



This must be the first line in the system entry. It can
be followed by a description of the system.

When you enter the system name when CONFIG is evoked, it
looks for that tag within the angle brackets ("<>"). For
example the command line "CONFIG clear" would search for
the tag "" and execute everything until it found
an "" tag.

Please note: system names can NOT have and spaces or
commas in them and they must be in CAPITAL LETTERS.

This tag ends the configuration for the system. For a
given setup, CONFIG will execute everything from the
tag and the tag. NOTE: must also be
in CAPITAL LETTERS.

/WRITE {filename}

Write lines to the indicated file. A full pathname can
be used. CONFIG will open the file for writing. All
previous contents will be lost. Only one file can be
open at a time. Another /WRITE or /APPEND command or
tag will close the previous file.

CONFIG will write everything that it can't identify as a
command to this file.

/APPEND {filename}

Same as the /WRITE command except that the information
is appended to any existing information in the file. Any
previously opened file will be closed.

!{options};{DOS command}

A command line starting with an "!" will cause CONFIG to
call another copy of COMMAND.COM and execute the command
line following the semi-colon (";"), if any.

The only option currently is "P" which causes CONFIG to
pause after the command execution. If you have no
options, start the command immediately after the
exclamation mark ("!{command}").

/NOBOOT

Supresses the execution of the warmboot when CONFIG is
finished.

/BOOT?
Prompts the user whether to reboot or not. The default
it to reboot the system. To NOT reboot the system enter
'N' (upper or lower case).

/PAUSE,{seconds}

Pause for the number of seconds indicated. This command
is useful if you are using a disk cache and your system
must have some time to complete writing the files to the
hard disk before the system reboot.

/COLD

Instructs CONFIG to perform a cold boot rather than the
default warm boot.


A sample CONFIG.DAT file:

--------- Top of file -------------
This is the tag.
/COLD Perform a COLD boot
/WRITE C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT Open the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file for writing.
path c:\bin;c:\frmwork;c:\msword;c:\
chad
dpath30
prompt $p$g
mode bw80
1dirplus
/WRITE C:\CONFIG.SYS All lines prior to
this /WRITE command
are written to the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Open the CONFIG.SYS
file and close the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
DEVICE=\BIN\ANSI.SYS
FILES=20
BUFFERS=20
/BOOT? Prompts the user to
reboot system.
CLEAR This marks the end of
the CLEAR system.
This is the start of
a new system setup.
/WRITE C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
path c:\bin;c:\frmwork;c:\msword;c:\
set CBSIZE=10240
chad
dpath30
prompt [DV ] $p$g
c:
cd \dv
break off
dv
cd \
/WRITE C:\CONFIG.SYS
DEVICE=\BIN\ANSI.SYS
FILES=20
BUFFERS=20
/NOBOOT Don't boot the system
upon exit from
. CONFIG>
DV

/WRITE C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
path c:\bin;c:\frmwork;c:\msword;c:\
chad
mode bw80
cd \frmwork
fw l.fw2/x/t
CONFIG CLEAR
/WRITE C:\CONFIG.SYS
DEVICE=\BIN\ANSI.SYS
FILES=20
BUFFERS=20
/PAUSE,3 Pauses 3 seconds before
rebooting system.
FW
* END OF FILE CONFIG.DAT

---------- End of File ----------------

I really don't like the stuff that follows, but I have to do it
just because there are a few twits out there who make it
necessary.

OK, it's about time to cover my . . . .

You got this program for free, right? (If anyone did charge you
for it, look below and the notify me!) You can use it for
whatever you see fit. Of course, I can't be responsible for any
damages you cause by using the program.

Since I don't know what you're going to use CONFIG for, I can
make no warrantees that it's good for anything! (I've tested it
on my Kaypro 286i and Toshiba T3100, but I can't even be certain
that it will work on your system even if you have the same
computer!)


And now for the other legal stuff . . .

I (Bob Breedlove) retain all rights to this program. By giving it
away free, I am NOT releasing any rights to the program, its
concepts, etc. If you use or distribute the program, you are
agreeing to the following:

You can give the program away to whoever you want, but you can't
charge them any money for it. You also can't charge a fee for
diskettes or other media that you use to distribute the software.
(If you're a BBS and you charge for access, then that's OK. But,
it's the only exception.)

You also can't distribute it with other software for
profit or free-of-charge. If you do choose to distribute it,
keep the original archive file together just as it is. You can't
include the archive file in other software packages, collections,
etc. without my express written permission (see the address
above).

If you're a user's group and you want to include the archive in
your member library, that 's OK, but, again, you can't charge to
distribute it!

If you're one of those companies that charge people for diskettes
to distribute for other people's software -- FORGET IT! -- unless
of course, you want to send me 80% of what you charge!

If you are an end-user and you find CONFIG.EXE in a collecton of
software that you have been charged for, CALL THE COMPANY AND
DEMAND YOUR MONEY BACK!!!!