ENHANCED.CDP This file is a shortening & separation of descriptions of new commands and features in order to eliminate what some may have considered to be a somewhat boring chronicle of changes and enhancements. I am attempting to retain all information that may be of real value to a user, even when in some cases that information is repeated elsewhere. ----------------------- VIEW Enhancements ----------------------- AltB - Works as a GOTO BEGINNING MARKED FILE key. If you are in VIEW, CDP will stay in VIEW in the same mode (ASCII or HEX) that VIEW currently has. AltN - Works as GOTO NEXT MARKED FILE. The above keystrokes are extremely convenient for easily viewing in quick succession all the files marked by a FIND command. They operate either outside or inside VIEW. Once you enter VIEW, they stay in VIEW. nG - In VIEW only, nG will move you to line n of the file. A or C - These keystrokes drop an anchor at the current line. B or D - B goes to where anchor A was dropped. D goes to C. ----------------------- New Video Modes ----------------------- Briefly, here are relatively new commands introduced when 43- and 50-line video modes were implemented. Summary of new commands & options: SET CDP43L=0 suppresses 43- & 50- line modes. SET CDPSNO=0 speeds up display on "snowless" monitors. SET CDPXCLD= specs excludes CDP consideration of directories specified, allowing CDP to operate on disks containing more than 2800 files. The first two of these commands may also be enabled by letters on the CDP command line. CDP .... X .... is equivalent to SET CDP43L=0. and CDP .... W .... is equivalent to SET CDPSNO=0. Can speed things up greatly on some CGAs. This does imply that "CDP d", where d is "X" or "W" is now invalid as a command that CDP start up on disks X: or W:. That was already true of Y: and Z: also. Sorry about that, but it's no big loss even to the few people who have such disks. Version ...D of CDP does 50 lines; ...C does 25; ...B does 43. If ...D or ...C are popped up over a 35-line screen, they assume that mode also. Version ...B will use 43 lines when popped up on a VGA (50-line) screen. Version ...C will use 25 lines on any monitor. All versions can display only 25 lines on any monitor. There are two methods to avoid the above changes (in which case CDP will operate in 25 line mode as formerly). On the command line, specification of an X will suppress 50- and 43-line modes. Or you can use the DOS SET command thus: SET CDP43L=0 The version of CDP with two directory trees is not available in 43-50-line mode at this time. The space to hold the extra direcrory data is used to save the extra screen lines. An interesting side note: CDP functions correctly if you pop it up over one of the 40-char per line modes, or over top of CGA graphics screens. It cannot be popped up over EGA graphics, however (unless the EGA is in CGA emulation mode). ----------------------- New CGA Feature ----------------------- An additional option has been added for those who have a CGA screen that does not show "snow" when the screen is manipulated fast in text mode. CDP will handle the screen considerably faster if you put a W on the command line of CDP. Or you can use the DOS SET command thus: SET CDPSNO=0 The easiest way to find out if this will work for you is simply to try it. The worst that can happen is that there will be snow on your screen. That's certainly not as bad as snow down your neck. ----------------------- More File Capacity ----------------------- Because of memory limitations CDP can still keep track of only 2800 files at a time, but by the use of a DOS SET statement, directories may be selected which CDP is to EXCLUDE from consideration. CDP simply behaves as if those directories did not exist; EXCEPT that the actual space that they and their files occupy is inviolate, and will not be used in any fashion by CDP. So long as the total number of files in the non-excluded directories is less than 2800, CDP will behave in its normal fashion. The syntax is best given by example: SET CDPXCLD=C:a/dz,g/mZ;d:r/Tz,m/pz;g:F/mz (notice that the case of alphabetics does not matter) says on disk C:, ignore directories ( & their subdirectories) at the root level, whose names sort between the strings "a" & "dz" and those with names between "g" & "mz" on disk D:, ignore directories with names between "r" & "tz" and between "m" and "pz" on disk G:, ignore directories with names between "f" and "mz". There are no restrictions or exclusions on other disks. Also, CDP can export to any directories on the restricted disks, even the excluded directories. The exclusions apply only to the disk that CDP is currently "logged" to. It is important to note that the exclusion specifications apply only to root-level directories and all the descendants of those excluded root-level directories. In the above example, the directories C:\ALPHA\FARFLE\ and C:\GLOTZ\FARFLE\ would be excluded, but C:\FARFLE\ALPHA\ and C:\FARFLE\GLOTZ\ would be ok. All four directories would be allowed on disk D:. Directories G:\FARFLE\GLOTZ\ & G:\FARFLE\ALPHA would be excluded. The only limit on the number of exclusions that may be made is the DOS limit on the length of a SET statement. ----------------------- A note on PRINT ----------------------- Allowed the DOS PRINT command to work with CDP. CDP by design prevented other TSRs (which Print is) from coming up when CDP is running, on the basis that they might mess up CDP. If you run Print BEFORE running CDP, Print can continue spooling while CDP is up. However, if Print is installed AFTER CDP is installed, it cannot spool while CDP is up because CDP may have swapped Print out of memory. So run Print before you run CDP if you wish to spool stuff to the printer while CDP is up. ----------------------- Directory Switching ----------------------- In the past, CDP deliberately refused to attempt to switch DOS directories (alt-D) or execute a program (alt-X,P,W or ctrl-X,P,W) when the success of the operation was not clear. Technically, this situation occured when the current PSP of the system was higher than that of either copy of CDP that was running. No longer! CDP will now go ahead and attempt the operation. After all, the danger of harm occurring is virtually nil; and the user really should know whether he is at the DOS level or in the middle of WordPiddle. The gain in utility outweighs occasional harmless startlement to a careless or forgetful user. ----------------------- Enhanced Comparisons ----------------------- An additional enhancement is to be found in the various file COMPARE commands. The extra fast "by Time & Size Only" mode now details whether both time and size differ, and in what way. The compare by binary contents comparison also states whether time and/or size differ, when the files are either completely identical (by contents) or almost identical (one is same as other, but longer).