PATH EDITOR 2.0
(C)1990 Ray Dittmeier

PED, or Path Editor, is a program designed to allow a computer user to
create or edit a path command without typing. It will put the newly created
or edited path into the master DOS environment, and optionally, put the new
path into the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Version 2.0 adds DOS command-line operation
to the program so you can use it in batch files.


PROGRAM-PROMPTED OPERATION

Using PED in this mode is just a matter of following a few prompts. First,
run Path Editor by typing PED at the DOS prompt. The program begins by asking
you whether you want to add or subtract a directory to or from the path. Hit
the + or - key to indicate your choice.
If you press the + key to add a directory, PED will then display all the
directories on your current drive. If you have too many directories to fit on
the screen at once, the program will prompt you to use the up and down arrow
keys to scroll through the list. The directories are numbered; to choose one,
just type its number and press return. PED will check to make sure that the
directory name you just chose isn't already in your path, then it will check to
make sure you have enough space in your DOS environment to add the new name.
If everything is okay, PED will add the new name to your path command and
display a message telling you so, and to press any key to continue. After you
press a key, the list of directory names will return, and you can add more if
you want. To change drives, enter the letter of the drive you want instead of
a number. PED will read that drive and display a list of its directories, if
any. After adding all the directory names you want, press Escape. PED will
return to the + or - prompt, giving you a chance to delete directory names.
If you press the - key to delete a directory, PED will display a numbered
list of all the directory names currently in your path command. Merely enter

the number of the name you want to delete and press enter. PED will delete the
directory name from your path and redisplay the list. Press Escape after you've
finished deleting, and PED will return to the + or - prompt, giving you a
chance to add directory names.
To exit the program, hit escape at the + or - prompt. PED will display
the names of all the directories currently in your path and ask if you want to
add it to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you answer no, you go back to DOS. If
you answer yes, PED does the following:
1. Checks for the existence of drive C: (assuming it to be a bootable hard
drive).
2. If there is no drive C:, it looks for a disk in drive A:. If there isn't
one, it prompts you to insert one.
3. If there is no AUTOEXEC.BAT on the appropriate drive, PED creates one with
the new path command.
4. If there is an AUTOEXEC.BAT, PED reads it, renames it AUTOEXEC.BAK, and
writes a new AUTOEXEC.BAT with the new path command. The new path command
is inserted as the first line unless the AUTOEXEC.BAT begins with ECHO OFF
or @ECHO OFF (not case sensitive). In that case, the new path command is
inserted as the second line. The old path command, if any, remains in
AUTOEXEC.BAK.



COMMNAD-LINE OPERATION

PED can also add to or delete from your path directly from the DOS command
line, skipping all the above-described procedures. To run the program in this
mode, type PED at the DOS prompt, followed by the name(s) of the directories to
add or delete. In front of each directory name, include a + to add the name,
or a - delete it. Do not leave a space between the plus or minus sign and the
directory name, or PED will ignore it. You can add or delete as many
directories as you can fit into the command line. For example,

PED -C:\GAMES

will delete C:\GAMES from your path, and

PED +C:\UTIL +C:\DOS +C:\COMM +C:\123

adds the four directories to your path statement. For each directory, PED will
display a message telling you it has been added.

PED checks to make sure each directory exists before adding it to your
path. In the above example, if you have no UTIL directory on your C: drive,
PED will display an error message, but will add the other three names, if they
exist. Therefore, if you want to include floppy drives in your path, make sure
you have a disk in the drive, even if you want just the root directory.
The advantage command-line operation of PED has over typing a new PATH
command is that you don't have to retype any directory names you want to keep.
Command-line operation does not include the option to add the current path
to your AUTOEXEC.BAT.


A WORD ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

In attempting to add a directory name, you may get an error message
telling you there is not enough space in the environment. If you know what
this means and how to deal with it, skip this section. Otherwise, here's
a brief explanation and what to do about it:
The environment is a small section of memory that DOS sets aside to
store certain types of information. Your Path and Prompt commands, if you
have either or both, are stored there. Other things may be stored there as
well. If you type SET at the DOS prompt, the computer will display the
contents of the environment. The first line will start with COMSPEC=, followed
by the location of COMMAND.COM. Anything else in the environment will be
listed below that.
The size of the environment is only 160 bytes. Therefore, if you are
already using 158 bytes and try to add the seven-byte directory name C:\COMM,
PED will see there's not enough room and give you the error message.
In DOS 3.0 and above, you can increase the size of your environment by
adding the following line to your CONFIG.SYS file:

SHELL=COMMAND.COM /E:n /P

In DOS versions 3.0 and 3.1, the n represents the number of 16-byte
paragraphs for the new environment size. So if you want to double your
environment, n = 20. That is, 20 x 16 bytes = 320 bytes, which is double the
original size of 160. The limit is 62 paragraphs, or 992 bytes.
In DOS versions 3.2 and above, n is the actual number of bytes you want
for the environment. So in these cases, to double it, n = 320. The maximum
is 32,768 bytes.


BUSINESS STUFF

PED is distributed as shareware. Copy it and give it to your friends.
Spread it around any way you want. In exchange for a registration fee of $7,
I'll send you a disk with more programs. With or without money, any questions,
comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome. Send all correspondence to:

Ray Dittmeier
P.O. Box 4724
Louisville, Ky. 40204