SmilerShell v1.1a - command line for Windows.
Unlike ProgMgr's RUN, it runs anything (DOS
pgms, Windows pgms, or DOS internal cmds) and
supports redirection. Built-in cmdline editor
with history and search, aliases (type-in or
on Fn keys), fast dir-change (like Norton CD)
across MULTIPLE drives. Toggle-able curr dir
and/or clock in title bar, Win mem/resources
in menu, more. Self-extracting. Really nice!

SmilerShell v1.1a - command line for Windows.
Unlike ProgMgr's RUN, it runs anything (DOS
pgms, Windows pgms, or DOS internal cmds) and
supports redirection. Built-in cmdline editor
with history and search, aliases (type-in or
on Fn keys), fast dir-change (like Norton CD)
across MULTIPLE drives. Toggle-able curr dir
and/or clock in title bar, Win mem/resources
in menu, more. Self-extracting. Really nice!
SMILERSHELL 1.1A INTRODUCTION AND INSTALLATION



INTRODUCTION

SmilerShell is a handy Windows utility that puts a command
line on your Windows desktop, letting you run DOS or Windows
commands from within Windows. Unlike Program Manager's Run
command, it supports redirection, and you can run anything:
DOS programs, Windows programs, or DOS internal commands.

There's a built-in command line editor, which saves all
submitted commands in a command stack. This allows you to
get back a previously-submitted command, change it, and re-
submit it. You can have SmilerShell search for a previous
command of interest; no need to scan them all yourself to
find the one you want. You can load a command stack from a
file automatically when you start SmilerShell, or at any
other time. You can save the current command stack to a
file, suitable for loading later or editing as needed.

You can set up aliases with SmilerShell, short commands that
are replaced with longer commands of your choosing. Aliases
can be like regular commands, just type them in. Or they
can be attached to function keys, hit the F-key and it
happens, no need to press Enter.

SmilerShell has a fast directory-change utility built in,
called DC. Just type DC and the first few characters of the
endpoint directory you want to be in, and SmilerShell takes
you right there. If your command is ambiguous, a list
window pops up, letting you choose which directory you want.
This works across as many multiple drives as you tell it to
be aware of.

SmilerShell is clipboard-aware. It has menu choices to keep
it always on top of all other windows, to show the current
directory in its title bar, to display a clock in its title
bar, or to display Windows free memory and resources in its
menu bar. It can directly manipulate the inactive windows
that remain when you run DOS commands from Windows, or toggle
the systemwide setting so that such windows never appear in
the first place. SmilerShell takes up very little space on

your screen, but to save more space you can even remove the
menu entirely.



THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT: IF YOU LIKE IT, PAY FOR IT

SmilerShell is shareware. It is not free, or in the public
domain. You are welcome to try SmilerShell for a week or
two. If you find it useful and you continue to use it, send
in the $11 registration fee. You'll get a registration number
that will turn off the signon screen. Registration will
also entitle you to a printed manual, support, update notices,
all the usual whatnot. An additional $5 gets you a disk with
the most recent version.



WHY IS THIS A SHELL?

The word shell is sometimes used for a wrapper that
surrounds another application and hides it. SmilerShell is
the opposite of that. It makes all the power of the command
line available from an environment in which that power is
not otherwise accessible. But since it makes things more
visible, rather than less visible, why is it called a shell?

It's a shell in another sense. Maybe you've seen programs
that let you "shell out" to DOS, for example WordPerfect's
Ctrl+F1 command, Shell. When you "shell out" it's like
having a window into another environment, a pathway to a
different level of functionality. That's what SmilerShell
is, and that's why it's a shell.



INSTALLING SMILERSHELL

SmilerShell comes as a self-extracting archive that will expand
into these files:

smishell.exe the program
smishell.wri the documentation, in Windows Write format
smishell.hlp the help file

smishell.ini sample initialization file
smishell.stk sample command stack file
readme.txt this doc: overview and installation
file_id.diz 45 x 10 text description, for BBS uploads
invoice.wri invoice for companies that need one to disburse
vendor.txt gives distribution permission
whatsnew.txt summary of new features

To install SmilerShell:

1) Copy these files to a convenient directory on your hard
disk.

2) Put the SmilerShell icon into a program group. To do
this, bring up File Manager and set it to the convenient
directory you chose in the previous step. Then drag-and-
drop smishell.exe into your favorite Program Manager group.
The SmilerShell icon should appear there.

3) Optionally, set up an initialization file. But if you start
SmilerShell without an initialization file, you'll be asked if
you'd like SmilerShell to create one and fill it with reasonable
values, then let you edit it in Notepad before proceeding. See
the section The Initialization File in the documentation.

4) Optionally, set up the command line. See the section
Command Line Parameters in the documentation.

5) Optionally, create a command stack file, having a list of
commands that you want loaded into SmilerShell. See the section
Command Stack Files in the documentation.



NOTE FOR THOSE UPGRADING FROM VERSION 1.0

Version 1.0 stored the DC info file smishell.dir and the default
ini file smishell.ini in your Windows directory. Starting with
Version 1.1, to avoid cluttering the Windows directories of the
world more than they already are, these files are now stored in the
same directory as the SmilerShell program. After you install the
new version, you can delete smishell.ini and smishell.dir from your
Windows directory.

As before, the ini file can be wherever like. Use the commandline
switch /ini= to put it where you want.



SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Complete functionality under Microsoft Windows 3.1 or better.
Partial functionality under earlier versions of Windows.