Dec 052017
BatMaster v1.11. A text editor that has special features to quickly edit small text files. Mouse + VGA/EGA support. | |||
---|---|---|---|
File Name | File Size | Zip Size | Zip Type |
BM.DOC | 45784 | 12256 | deflated |
BM.EXE | 93579 | 90464 | deflated |
BM.MAC | 1311 | 575 | deflated |
CONFIG.HLP | 2939 | 1830 | deflated |
DOS.HLP | 28639 | 13493 | deflated |
EDIT.HLP | 7184 | 4208 | deflated |
Download File BM111.ZIP Here
Contents of the BM.DOC file
BatMaster 1.11
Copyright 1987/88/89/90 by New-Ware
All Rights Reserved
(tm)
MEMBER
Association of
Shareware
Professionals
Contents
1 PROLOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 VERSION HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4 GENERAL DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6 PROGRAM LIMITATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
7 PROGRAM OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
STARTING THE EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
THE EDIT SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
THE STATUS LINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
THE SCROLL BAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
THE FILE NAME LINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
COMMAND STRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CURSOR CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
INSERTION/DELETION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TEXT BLOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TEXT FORMATTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SEARCH AND REPLACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TEXT MARKERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
FILE COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
MISCELLANEOUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FUNCTION KEY COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
F-1 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
F-2 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
F-3 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
F-4 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
F-5 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
F-6 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
F-7 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
F-8 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
F-9 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
F-10 KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
HELP INFORMATION PASTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
FILE LIST OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
DIRECTORY TREE OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
CHANGING DRIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
MOUSE OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
EXITING BATMASTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
FILE BACKUP PROTECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
HELP SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
USER DEFINED MACROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
i
EXECUTION OF FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8 GENERAL INFORMATION AND CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . 16
GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Index 17
ii
1 PROLOG
The program author, John J. Newlin, is an active member of the
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). The ASP wants to make
sure that the Shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a Shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve
message via EASYPLEX to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
DISCLAIMER
New-Ware hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this product,
whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. New-
Ware cannot and will not be liable for any special, incidental,
consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any
other reason, even if New-Ware or an authorized New-Ware agent has been
advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall the
liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to
use software, regardless of the form and/or extent of the claim. The
user of this program bears all risk as to the quality and performance of
the software.
LICENSE
BatMaster is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to
the general computing public for evaluation. Users are licensed to
operate BatMaster on their personal computers for the purpose of test
and evaluation on a trial basis for a limited trial period. It is not
possible to reasonably define any definitive limits of a fair and
equitable time period for evaluation, therefore it is left to the user's
judgment and sense of fair play as to the time required to make a
decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides the program is not
of sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with New-
Ware, the program should be removed from their personal computer.
Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in regular use on the
user's personal computer system, registration with New-Ware is required.
Registered users are those users that elect to pay for BatMaster
and register that payment with New-Ware. By virtue of registration and
payment for the program, registered users are granted a license to
continue to utilize the program on their personal computer for as long
as they choose. This license authorizes the user to use the program on
any personal computer system he or she may own so long as the program is
operated on only one computer system at a time.
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2 REGISTRATION
BatMaster is sole property of New-Ware Shareware products. The
Shareware version, and ONLY that version, may be freely copied and
transferred to individual parties for evaluation purposes. The
Shareware version, and ONLY that version, may be posted on Bulletin
Board systems (BBS) for electronic access as long as NO FEE is charged
for its distribution except for private BBS operations that charge a
regular user subscription fee. Computer information services such as
Compuserve (CIS), Genie, etc., are authorized to post this product for
subscriber access. The Shareware version of BatMaster may NOT be
distributed on diskette by any disk distributor/vendor that charges more
than $10.00 for the diskette upon which the program and attendant files
are recorded without written consent from New-Ware.
BatMaster is a fully functional Shareware product. Shareware is a
computer program distribution/marketing method that permits potential
buyers to thoroughly try the program prior to purchase. It is NOT free
and it is not in the Public Domain. If, after evaluating the program,
you find it to be useful enough to use it on a regular basis, you are
expected to pay for it by registering with New-Ware. The registration
fee is $25.00 and the registered version, which is NOT distributed as
Shareware, will not contain the opening Shareware screen nor the closing
messages.
You may register BatMaster in one of three ways:
1) By mail with check or money order to:
New-Ware
8050 Camino Kiosco
San Diego, CA 92122-1820
2) By telephone with Visa/Mastercard to:
New-Ware
(619) 455-6225
3) Electronically through the New-Ware BBS:
New-Ware Shareware Products BBS
Running Wildcat! version 2.10p
(619) 450-3257 - Node #1 1200/2400/9600 (HST)
455-5226 - Node #2 1200/2400
The New-Ware Shareware Products BBS operates 24 hours per day, 7 days
per week. Node #1 is dedicated to registered users only. Nodes #2 is
open to all callers. Users registering via the BBS receive access to
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the latest registered version within 1 day after leaving their credit
card data. Users who register by mail or phone may also access the
registered version by BBS, but you MUST log on and leave a comment to
the sysop to the effect that you are a registered user and desire
access. The author can also on CIS via PPN 71535,665 (please use
EASYPLEX).
This Shareware version of BatMaster may be freely copied and passed on
to other individual users for their evaluation. Disk vendors and/or
distributors that desire to distribute BatMaster must adhere to the
guidelines presented in VENDOR.DOC.
Press F-1 to bring up the main help topic window and then select the
REGISTRATION topic to view the BatMaster registration form. This form
may be blocked and pasted into the editor at the current editor cursor
position by using the F-7 key (or ^K,B) to mark the block start, the F-8
key (or ^K,K) to mark the end of the block. Press the Ins key to return
to the editor, move the cursor to the desired position in the editor,
and press Ctrl-K,A to insert the blocked registration text. The form
can then be filled out in the editor and printed with the F-7 (print
entire edit buffer) key or by blocking the form text and pressing Ctrl-
K,P.
Registration Form
Name: __________________________
Address: __________________________
Address: __________________________
City, State ______________________ __
Zip Code: _____-____
MasterCard/Visa # ____ ____ ____ ____
Expiration Date: __/__
Telephone: (___) ___-____
Circle One: Check MC Visa Money Order
Enclosed is my registration fee for BatMaster $25.00
Sales Tax (California Residents MUST include) 1.81
______
Total Remitted:
CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS MUST INCLUDE 7.25% STATE SALES TAX!
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I support my software. One of the great strengths of the Shareware
concept is the interaction between the program author and the users.
Many of the features contained in BatMaster are the result of user
input. If you have a problem evaluating this program or desire to make
a suggestion or comment (or even a complaint), please do not hesitate to
contact me. Even if you register BatMaster, if you later determine that
it is unsuitable for your use, you may contact me for a refund. It is
not necessary that you be a registered user to contact me for technical
support. Technical support will be available through the U.S mail,
telephone, or the New-Ware BBS.
3 VERSION HISTORY
1.10 - 08-20-90
- Initial release.
1.11 - 80-22-90
- Fixed problem with file list display not returning to
the last selected drive:\directory.
4 GENERAL DESCRIPTION
BatMaster, hereafter abbreviated as BM, is a powerful, full-
featured text editor designed primarily to support creation and
maintenance of DOS batch files. In addition to a full range of text
editing commands and functions, BM provides rapid access to the
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files and to the DOS master environment.
Extensive on-line, context sensitive help provides fast access to help
information on CONFIG.SYS, DOS, and batch commands. BM is one of the
few text editors available with complete integral mouse support. Access
to all drives and all subdirectories in the user's system is also
provided.
5 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
BM is designed to operate on systems compatible with the IBM
PC/XT/AT and PS/2 family computers. DOS 2.0 or greater is required.
Video text mode support is offered for monochrome, Hercules, CGA, EGA,
and VGA video systems. Although BM may be operated successfully on
floppy disks, it is primarily designed for larger fixed disk systems.
Approximately 300K of free RAM is required at run time.
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6 PROGRAM LIMITATIONS
BM is currently limited to editing files of 63K bytes or smaller.
Any ASCII text file of that size or smaller may be loaded into the
editor. Any size DOS environment up to the maximum of 32K may be
edited. The maximum editor line length is limited to 250 characters.
Note that BM does not expand tab characters (^I) during file loading,
but does expand tabs in the saved file.
7 PROGRAM OPERATION
STARTING THE EDITOR
The editor can be started simply by entering the program name,
BM, at the DOS command prompt. If a file name is added as a
command parameter, BM will attempt to load that file from the
current directory. If the specified file is not found, BM will
enter the edit mode assuming that creation of a new file is
desired. If no file name is entered at runtime, the BM file entry
window will be presented.
BM will automatically detect the monitor type at run time but
will be poorly presented on laptop monitors. To avoid this, place
a one-line text file named LAPTOP.BM in the DOS path with the one
line as "MONO" or "mono". This will force BM into a two-color mode
that will be much more presentable on the laptop variety of video
systems.
The file entry window makes it easy to specify a file for
editing. The user may type the file name in and press Enter to
load the file. If the entered file name includes any DOS wildcards
("*","?"), BM will present a list of files from the current
directory that match the entry. A file may be selected for loading
from this list by moving the cursor bar to the target file name and
pressing the ENTER key.
The file entry window also supports single key loading of
AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS. Press the F-1 key to load
AUTOEXEC.BAT, the F-2 key to load CONFIG.SYS. Pressing the F-3 key
while in the window will cause BM to present a list of all .BAT
files in the current directory for selection.
THE EDIT SCREEN
The BM edit screen contains an editor status line on the top
row, the current file name on the next to last row, and abbreviated
function key assignments on the last row. The last column (80) on
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the right hand side of the screen contains a scroll bar with a
marker that indicates the current relative position of the edit
screen in the file.
THE STATUS LINE
The BM status line occupies the first row of the screen.
It dynamically displays the current line number, column
number, number of bytes in the buffer and buffer size,
insert/overwrite status, tab function status, word wrap and
modification status. Pressing the Ins key toggles the editor
insert/overwrite mode. This status is also indicated by the
cursor size, which is large when in the insert mode and small
when in the overwrite mode.
Any changes or additions to the file through the editor
sets the modification flag, which is used to prevent
inadvertently exiting without saving the altered file.
Word wrap works in conjunction with the right margin
value, which has a default setting of 78 columns. Word wrap
may be toggled on/off with the Ctrl-O,W command.
Tabs may be set to the fixed or "smart" mode and that
status is included on the status line.
THE SCROLL BAR
The vertical scroll bar on the right side of the screen
serves two purposes. It contains a slider that will move to
indicate the relative position of the current editor window in
the file. Mouse users may use the mouse cursor to point to a
relative position on the bar and click the left button to move
the editor window to that position.
THE FILE NAME LINE
Row 24 on the screen contains the full DOS path and name
of the file currently being edited. The last line on the
screen contains abbreviated reminders of the function key
commands. If information pasting from a help screen is in
progress, a blinking "Paste" will appear following the file
name.
COMMAND STRUCTURE
The BM editor command structure is very similar to that used
by the popular WordStar word processor. Some commands operate by
pressing the Ctrl key and a letter key simultaneously. For
example, the line delete command is Ctrl-Y. Others operate by
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pressing the Ctrl key and a letter key simultaneously followed by a
single keystroke of a letter key. An example is the quit and save
command, Ctrl-K,X. Note that whenever BM is expecting an
additional keystroke following a Ctrl key command sequence such as
Ctrl-K, the message "^K and.." will appear at the end of screen
line 24. The most important and useful commands have been grouped
in the set of ten function keys.
CURSOR CONTROL
The primary cursor control commands reside in the cursor
pad keys on the keyboard with alternative Ctrl commands.
Char Left LeftArrow Ctrl-S
Char Right RightArrow Ctrl-D
Up Line UpArrow Ctrl-E
Down Line DnArrow Ctrl-X
Word Left Ctrl-A
Word Right Ctrl-D
Line Begin Ctrl-LeftArrow
Line End Ctrl-RightArrow
Scroll Up Ctrl-W
Scroll Dn Ctrl-Z
Page Up PgUp Ctrl-R
Page Dn PgDn Ctrl-C
Screen Top Ctrl-Home Ctrl-Q,E
Screen Bottom Ctrl-End Ctrl-Q,X
File Top Home Ctrl-Q,R
File Bottom End Ctrl-Q,C
Jump To Line Alt-J
INSERTION/DELETION
Delete Character Del Ctrl-G
Delete Left Char BackSpace Ctrl-H
Delete Word Ctrl-T
Delete Line Ctrl-Y
Delete To End Line Ctrl-Q,Y
New Line Enter Ctrl-M
Insert Line Ctrl-N
Tab Tab Ctrl-I
TEXT BLOCKS
Note that the block read/write commands read/write from/to a
file. The block change case command toggles the case in a
block.
Mark Block Begin Ctrl-K,B
Mark Block End Ctrl-K,K
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Mark Word as Block Ctrl-K,T
Go to Block Begin Ctrl-Q,B
Go to Block End Ctrl-Q,K
Hide/Show Block Ctrl-K,H
Copy Block Ctrl-K,C
Move Block Ctrl-K,V
Delete Block Ctrl-K,Y
Indent Block Ctrl-K,I
Unindent Block Ctrl-K,U
Block Upper Case Ctrl-O,U
Block Lower Case Ctrl-O,V
Block Change Case Ctrl-O,O
Block Read Ctrl-K,R
Block Write Ctrl-K,W
Block Print Ctrl-K,P
TEXT FORMATTING
The reformat commands only work if the word wrap toggle is set
to ON the results depend upon the current right margin
setting.
Reformat Global Ctrl-K,G
Reformat Paragraph Ctrl-B
Insert Mode Toggle Ins Ctrl-V
Indent Ctrl-O,I
Word Wrap Toggle Ctrl-O,W
Tab Toggle Ctrl-O,F
Set Tab Size Ctrl-O,T
Set Right Margin Ctrl-O,R
Set Indent Size Ctrl-O,B
SEARCH AND REPLACE
Search and replace functions are limited to a target string
length of 30 characters.
Search Ctrl-Q,F
Search & Replace Ctrl-Q,A
Continue Search Ctrl-L
TEXT MARKERS
A maximum of four (0..3) text markers may be inserted at any
one time. When setting a mark, press Ctrl-O, Ctrl-K, followed
by a digit from 0 to 3. The goto last cursor command is only
effect after an operation like block copy, block move, move to
top of file, etc. is performed.
Set Mark (0..3) Ctrl-O,Ctrl-K,0..3
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Go To Mark (0..3) Ctrl-O,Ctrl-Q,0..3
Show Mark Toggle Ctrl-M
Go To Last Cursor Ctrl-Q,P
FILE COMMANDS
The BM exit command, Alt-X key, exits immediately and does NOT
save the current file nor prompt to do so. All other commands
that involve refilling the edit buffer result in an
opportunity to save the file if it has been modified. Ctrl-
K,X will save the file and then exit without a save file
query.
Save, Do Not Quit Ctrl-K,S
Load New File F-2
Abandon File Ctrl-K,Q
Save, Load New Ctrl-K,D
Save, Rename Ctrl-K,N
Save and Quit Ctrl-K,X
MISCELLANEOUS
The restore line command will restore the current line to its
original contents providing that the cursor has not been moved
off the line. It does NOT restore a deleted line.
Restore Line Ctrl-Q,L
FUNCTION KEY COMMANDS
Most of the main BM file and directory operations are
available through the ten function keys.
F-1 KEY
The F-1 key calls the main BM help index. See the
HELP SYSTEM topic later in this document for more
details.
F-2 KEY
The F-2 key is used to load new files. When F-2 is
pressed, the file entry window will appear that prompts
for a file name. A specific file name that may
optionally include the full DOS drive:\path name may be
entered. The entered file name may also include DOS wild
cards, in which case BM will display a list of files that
match the entered mask. Pressing the Enter key with no
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file name entered will call the file list with a mask of
"*.*".
Rapid access to AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, and the
DOS master environment is available via a single
keystroke while in the file entry window. F-1 loads
AUTOEXEC.BAT, F-2 loads CONFIG.SYS, and F-4 loads the
master environment. The F-3 key is used to call the file
list with a mask of "*.BAT".
The F-4 key is used to locate and load a new user-
defined macro file. Pressing this key will invoke the
file list with a mask of "*.MAC" in the current
directory. Selection of a .MAC file will cause it to be
loaded.
F-3 KEY
The F-3 key is used to directly call up the file
list window. This window will display a list of all
subdirectories and files in the current directory. A
list of valid system drive letters appears at the top of
the file list. Selecting one of the drives changes to
that drive and presents a list of files from the active
directory on that drive. Selecting a subdirectory will
change to that subdirectory and present a list of files
from that subdirectory. Selecting a file will load that
file into the editor.
F-4 KEY
The F-4 key calls the CONFIG.SYS command help topic
index. See the HELP SYSTEM section below for details.
F-5 KEY
Pressing the F-5 key displays a window that contains
a graphic tree of the directories on the current drive.
The cursor bar can be moved with the cursor pad keys or
the mouse. Pressing Enter will cause BM to display a
file list for the directory under the cursor when the key
was pressed. Use the Esc key to exit the tree with no
action.
F-6 KEY
The F-6 key calls DOS/BATCH command help index. See
the HELP SYSTEM section below for details.
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F-7 KEY
The entire contents of the file in the editor may be
sent to the printer with the F-7 key. Text blocks can be
printed by marking the block and then pressing Ctrl-K,P.
F-8 KEY
The F-8 key implements a powerful BM feature that
provides instant context-sensitive access to the
CONFIG.SYS and DOS/BATCH command help topics. To get
help on a specific command, place the cursor anywhere in
a word (not case sensitive) that is a valid CONFIG.SYS,
DOS, or batch file command and press F-8. A help window
containing information on that command will appear. The
mouse may be used to accomplish the same thing by placing
the mouse cursor over the word and pressing both mouse
buttons.
Note that any of the information in the help window
may be pasted into the editor at the location of the text
cursor. See the HELP INFORMATION PASTING section for
details.
F-9 KEY
The F-9 key is used to view and select one off up to
30 user defined macros. A window will appear that
permits scrolling and selection of the list of 30 user-
defined macro strings. If a macro is selected by
pressing Enter with the highlight bar over a defined
macro string, that string will be inserted into the
editor at the current cursor position.
F-10 KEY
The F-10 key provides access to the DOS master
environment. The environment may be edited and saved
just like any file. When the F-10 key is pressed, the
master environment is loaded and the editor buffer is
re-sized to the current size of the environment less 2
bytes. This is done to prevent the user from adding more
to the environment than it's size will permit. The
environment size may be set with the CONFIG.SYS SHELL =
command and the system must be rebooted for the new size
to take effect.
Since the maximum line length of the BM editor is
250 characters, it is possible to insert a "PATH="
environment string that is up to 250 characters in
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length. When the "PATH=" command is used from the DOS
command line or in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the path string
is truncated by DOS to 123 characters.
HELP INFORMATION PASTING
Textual information from any help topic window may be inserted
into the editor via a pasting operation. To accomplish this, use
F-1, F-4, or F-6 to select a help topic or go directly to a topic
via the F-8 key. Each help topic window has a movable cursor and a
mouse cursor. Mark the text to be pasted by using the F-7 key (or
^K,B) to mark the beginning of the block and the F-8 key (or ^K,K)
to mark the end of the block. When the desired information is
blocked, press the Ins key. The help topic window will disappear
and line 24 of the editor screen will contain a blinking "Paste"
just after the file name. Move the cursor to the position in the
file to insert the blocked help text and press ^K,A. The paste
function may be canceled prior to actual pasting by pressing ^K,Z.
FILE LIST OPERATIONS
A file may be loaded into the BM editor by selecting it from a
scrollable file list. To accomplish this, press F-2 and then
either press Enter, enter a file mask with DOS wildcards, or press
F-3 ("*.BAT"). A window will appear that contains a sorted list of
files in the current directory. Three different sorts are
supported. The F-1 key sorts by file name, the F-2 key by file
date, and the F-3 key by file size. The list may be browsed by
using the cursor pad keys or the mouse and the scroll bar. Select
a file with the mouse by moving the cursor to the file, clicking
the left button to move the cursor to the file, and pressing the
left button again to select the file. Pressing Enter will select
the file under the cursor bar. Use the Esc key to exit the list
with no selection.
Note that the file list also contains the names of any
subdirectories in the current directory. Selecting a subdirectory
will change to that subdirectory and display the list of files
therein. Also note that the position of the directories in the
file list will depend upon the type sort that is currently in use.
System drive letters are displayed at the top of the file
list. Selection of a drive letter will redisplay the list with
files and subdirectories from the new drive.
If no file name is provided on the command line when BM is
executed, the file entry window appears. Otherwise, BM will
attempt to load the file entered as a command line paramter. If is
unable to load the file, an error message will appear, followed by
the file entry window.
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If the F-4 key is used to access a macro file when first
executing BM, the selected macro file is processed and loaded and
the macro source file will be loaded into the editor as well.
DIRECTORY TREE OPERATIONS
To access files in any directory on the current drive, press
the F-5 key. A window will appear that contains a graphic
representation of the directory tree structure on the current
drive. Selecting a directory to change to is accomplished in a
manner similar to that described for the file list. When a
directory is selected, BM will display a file list for that
directory.
CHANGING DRIVES
Changing drives is accomplished via the file list, which can
be directly accessed via the F3 key while editing or indirectly
through the file name entry window. Changing drives, or
directories for that matter, affects only the directory or file
lists displays. It does NOT affect the drive:\path of the
currently loaded file. The active drive letter will appear at the
end of the top status line.
MOUSE OPERATIONS
BM provides full support for the Microsoft mouse and
compatibles. The mouse cursor appears as a solid block that will
show a character beneath it in a highlight color. The cursor may
be positioned on any window scroll bar and the left button pressed
to move to that relative position. Each scroll bar also has an up
arrow at the top of the bar and a down arrow at the bottom of the
bar. Clicking with the mouse cursor over one of the arrows pages
up or down as appropriate. In the editor, the left mouse button
moves the text cursor to the position of the mouse cursor and the
right button does nothing. In an auxiliary window, the left button
acts as the Return key and the right button acts as the Esc key.
Pressing both buttons in the editor activates the context sensitive
help function which will attempt to match the word under the mouse
cursor with a help topic.
EXITING BATMASTER
There are several means for exiting BM. Pressing the Alt-X
key just about anywhere in the system will immediately exit BM and
will NOT save the current file. Pressing Ctrl-K,X in the editor
will automatically save the current file and then exit. Pressing
Ctrl-K,Q will prompt for a file save before exiting if the file has
been modified.
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FILE BACKUP PROTECTION
BM automatically makes a backup file of any file that is
loaded into the editor. If the file being saved in the editor
exists, BM will rename the existing file with an extension of
".BAK" before the new version of the file is saved.
HELP SYSTEM
BM employs a comprehensive on-line help system to support
modification of CONFIG.SYS and batch file programming. Three help
files are included in the BM package: EDIT.HLP, CONFIG.HLP, and
DOS.HLP. In order for BM to have constant access to the extensive
help information contained in these files, they should be placed in
a directory that is identified in the DOS PATH string. If a needed
.HLP file is not on the DOS PATH or in the BM.EXE start up
directory, no action will occur when that help file is called.
Pressing one of the help keys will display an indexed topic
list. A cursor bar that can be moved with the cursor pad keys or
the mouse is used to select a topic for viewing. Press Enter or
the left mouse button to view information on the topic under the
cursor. Press Esc to return to the topic list and once again to
exit help. See the HELP INFORMATION PASTING section for
information on how to import text from the help topic windows into
the text editor.
USER DEFINED MACROS
BM supports the definition of up to 30 user defined macro
strings. These strings may be assigned to the SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT
function keys and are defined in an external text file with the
default extension of .MAC. Assigning a macro string (40 characters
maximum) to a function key allows insertion of that string into the
editor at the cursor position whenever the assigned key is pressed.
Pressing the F-9 key while in the editor will display a list of
macro assignments to view or from which to select a specific string
to insert.
Macro definition files are prepared in accordance with the
format specified in the sample file BM.MAC included in the BM
package. Any number of these files may be created and any specific
definition file may be loaded by pressing the F-4 key while in the
file entry window. This will bring up a file list in the current
directory that matches the mask "*.MAC". Selecting one of the
displayed files will cause BM to load that file in place of the
current macro definitions. Upon start-up, BM looks for BM.MAC in
the current directory and if it finds it, it will load it. If F-4
is pressed from the file entry window when BM is first loaded,
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selection of a .MAC file will load both the actual .MAC text file
into the editor and the definitions into the macro list.
EXECUTION OF FILES
Any executable .BAT, .COM, or .EXE file may be run from the BM
file list. Access the file list via the file entry window (F2) or
the directory tree (F5). To execute a file, move the cursor bar to
the target file name and press Ctrl-Enter.
8 GENERAL INFORMATION AND CREDITS
GENERAL INFORMATION
BM has been written and developed using Borland International
Turbo Pascal 5.5 and TurboPower Software Object Professional 1.0.
The development environment was an 20mhz AST 386 with 4MB of RAM
running under DOS 3.3 and QEEM.
This document was prepared using the Borland International
Sprint word processor.
CREDITS
No decently functional software can be produced in the absence
of good, solid programming tools. New-Ware is grateful to Sammy
Mitchell of Sem-Ware, the author of the famous QEDIT, for his
outstanding text editor. BM is not meant to compete with QEDIT or
other more powerful text editors, but instead is meant to provide
task specific support for the creation and maintenance of batch and
CONFIG.SYS files. New-Ware is also most grateful to TurboPower
Software whose Object Professional 1.0 package was used extensively
in the design and development of BM. No Pascal programmer should
go near a keyboard without it!
Special thanks to Randy Davilla, Dave Hardy, and Tom Kellen
for their outstanding contributions.
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Index
A F-3 key 6, 11
Abandon File 10 F-4 key 11
Alt-X key 10, 14 F-5 key 11, 14
ASP 2 F-6 key 11
ASP Ombudsman 2 F-7 key 12
F-8 key 12
B F-9 key 12, 15
Block Change Case 9 File Bottom 8
Block Lower Case 9 file list 13
Block Print 9 File Top 8
Block Read 9
Block Upper Case 9 G
Block Write 9 Genie 3
BM exit command 10 Go to Block Begin 9
Go to Block End 9
C Go To Last Cursor 10
Char Left 8 Go To Mark 9
Char Right 8
command structure 7 H
Compuserve 3 Hide/Show Block 9
Continue Search 9
Copy Block 9 I
Indent 9
D Indent Block 9
Delete Block 9 Ins key 7
Delete Character 8 Insert Line 8
Delete Left Char 8 Insert Mode Toggle 9
Delete Line 8
Delete To End Line 8 J
Delete Word 8 Jump To Line 8
Down Line 8
drive letters 13 L
laptop monitors 6
E Line Begin 8
edit screen 6 Line End 8
editor status line 6 Load New File 10
F M
F-10 key 12 Macro definition 15
F-1 key 6, 10 macro strings 15
F-2 key 6, 10 main help topic 4
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Mark Block Begin 8 Save and Quit 10
Mark Block End 8 Screen Bottom 8
Mark Word as Block 8 Screen Top 8
modification flag 7 scroll bar 7
mouse 14 Scroll Dn 8
Move Block 9 Scroll Up 8
Search 9
N Search & Replace 9
New Line 8 Set Indent Size 9
New-Ware 3 Set Mark 9
Set Right Margin 9
O Set Tab Size 9
on-line help system 15 Shareware 2
Shareware Products BBS 3
P Show Mark 10
Page Dn 8 status line 7
Page Up 8
pasting operation 13 T
Tab 8
R Tab Toggle 9
Reformat Global 9 Tabs 7
Reformat Paragraph 9 text markers 9
register 2
Registration Form 4 U
REGISTRATION topic 4 Unindent Block 9
Restore Line 10 Up Line 8
S W
Save Word Left 8
Do Not Quit 10 Word Right 8
Load New 10 Word wrap 7
Rename 10 Word Wrap Toggle 9
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December 5, 2017
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