A1 DOS Utilities
CARD Monitor Alignment/Test Program
INSTALL For DOS
ENVIRONMENT SUITE
ONCE UPON A TIME (OUAT)
VERSE

A1 DOS Utilities.

What is it?
A collection of DOS executables for batch file use, screen and menu utility enhancements.
Also included are test programs for the mouse, keyboard and joystick.

Listen to the experts …
 

Contents.

• A1.COM - Multi-purpose utility (for use in batch files).
• ANSICHK.COM - Check if ANSI is loaded, exit with appropriate errorlevel.
• ASCII.COM - ASCII codes in hex and decimal on screen.
• BLANK.COM - Screen clearing effect.
• BLANKS.COM - Screen clearing effect with scrolling message.
• BOX.COM - Put a rectangular/square box on screen with or without shadow.
• BUTTON.COM - Displays a button (with text if required) on screen.
• CLEAR.COM - Screen clearing effects (including wipes and random block effect).
• CLRLINE.COM - Clear one or more lines of the screen.
• COORD.COM - Puts coordinate markers around edge of screen.
• DELAY.COM - Set a delay in batch files.
• DOSVER.COM - Check or compare DOS version.
• DRIVECHK.COM - Detect if floppy drive is ready or not.
• FILL.COM - Fill part or all of screen with a particular character.
• HL.COM - HighLighted menu control (two modes).
• JOYCHECK.COM - Joystick or paddle checking program.
• KEYCHECK.COM - Keyboard checking, active ASCII and SCAN code display, also sets numlock, caps lock etc. and will monitor ALT keys.
• KEYSPEED.COM - Control the keyboard repeat rate and delay.
• MC.COM - Mouse Control using 'click' sensitive areas of the screen (a masterpiece for DOS menu control).
• MODE3.COM - Switch back to standard color video mode when required.
• MODE7.COM - Switch back to standard mono video mode when required.
• MOUSETST.COM - Mouse testing program with horiz. and vert. motion tests and TRAK TEST.
• MPAUSE.COM - Mouse activated PAUSE command.
• PICKESC.COM - A menu CHOICE type program with extras.
• PLAY.COM - Make sounds, play tunes, real time music from the keyboard.
• READSCR.COM - Read a screen character and return an errorlevel.
• TIMEMARK.COM - Time/Date stamp to screen or redirected to file/printer in many different formats.
• WAITFOR.COM - Halt all operations until a specified time/day.
• WIPELEFT.COM - Screen clearing effect.
• WIPERITE.COM - Screen clearing effect.
• EL.BAT - Show errorlevel from an executable program, COM or.EXE.
• MANUAL.EXE - Electronic version of the handbook.

A1.COM (expanded)

The single file A1.COM contains a multitude of utilities. This is in the above A1.zip file.

Included are:

• screen color control (including bright background colors)
• cursor positioning (relative and absolute) and hiding
• time delay
• making sounds
• stuffing and clearing the keyboard buffer
• pausing
• key sensing
• vertical text
• video mode setting

Errorlevels can also be set to a extensive range of units.

A video screen saver is built in to most functions with a variable time-out.

All of this is achieved without the aid of ANSI.

These functions are all the things you wished DOS had supplied.

CARD Monitor Alignment/Test Program

The CARD Monitor Alignment/Test Program has been designed to assist the video service technician who needs to be able to test the IBM compatible monitor in all the standard IBM video modes.
This program is menu driven but consists of individual programs which can also be ran in batch mode to do particular testing routines.
Test patterns and test programs are included in this series.

Some of the programs you will receive are:-

• VGACARD, EGACARD and CGACARD test patterns.
• PURITYW, PURITYR, PURITYG and PURITYB purity screens in each color.
• BOUNCE (EHT Test), TXTSCN (Text test for any fore and back color)
• CROSSHAT (Crosshatch pattern for any IBM graphics video mode.)
• DOTS (Dots pattern for any IBM graphics video mode)
• CBARS (Color Bar display) and GSCALE (Gray Scale display)
• Plus many other utilities to assist the menu program.

INSTALL For DOS

INSTALL for DOS is a simple add-on for those supplying programs for people to install. This involves an INSTALL.EXE program which refers to an initialization file INSTALL.ERS.
All of the relevant information regarding the target drive and directory, the amount of required file space (this is checked by the EXE), plus many more functions are held in the text file INSTALL.ERS (this resembles an INI file in construction.)

Note:This program can only be used to install to a single directory (selectable), not multiple folder levels.

A comprehensive text file accompanies this program explaining the vast features.
 

ENVIRONMENT SUITE

Now you can do things in the ENVIRONMENT part of your computer's memory that you previously thought were impossible.
 

These are the categories and programs supplied :-

System information.

• System time and date:- TIME2ENV, DATE2ENV
• Get a file-size:- FSIZ2ENV
• Current drive:- DRV2ENV
• Current directory:- DIR2ENV
• Get drive type:- DTYP2ENV
• Screen Character Attributes:- ATTR2ENV
• Display type:- DISP2ENV
• DOS Version:- DOSV2ENV
• Total disk space:- DSPC2ENV
• Free disk space:- FSPC2ENV
• Disk Volume name:- VOL2ENV
• Amount of ENVIRONMENT space used:- ENVINFO

• Creating new variable from part of another:- TRIMENV
• Locate/replace a string in an environment variable:- LOCSTENV
• Appending string to environment variable:- APENDENV

• Send first line of a file to an environment variable:- FILE2ENV
• Create or append a file with environment variable contents:- ENV2FILE

• Combining environment variables:- COMBENV
• Add to environment variable:- APENDENV
• Compare environment variables:- COMPENV
• Check to see if environment variable is set:- CHECKENV
• Copy environment variable:- COPYENV
• Check if string is in the PATH:- IPATHENV
• Get the length of environment variable:- LENGENV
• Find a string in an environment variable:- LOCSTENV
• Set environment variable:- SETENV
• Place part of one environment variable into another:- TRIMENV.
• Delete environment variable:- DELENV
• Show an environment variable:- SHOWENV
• Set environment variable to UPPERcase:- UPPERENV

• Mathematical processing:- MATHENV
• Random number to the environment:- RANDENV

• Get user input from keyboard:- ASK2ENV

plus three extra programs.

ONCE UPON A TIME (OUAT)

No, this is not a children's story book…
This series of programs gives you the opportunity to be able to program events on the computer - Once a day, once a week, once a month and even once a year if you want.
The programs exit with errorlevels depending on whether they have been run previously that day, week etc. These errorlevels are then used in the batch file to run a section or bypass that section of the batch file.

The programs are:-

• ONCEADAY.EXE
• ONCEAWK.EXE
• ONCEAMTH.EXE
• ONCEAYR.EXE

Other utilities have been included in the series:-

• TIMEMARK ( from A1 Series 2)
• DELAY ( from A1 Series 2)
• WAITFOR ( from A1 Series 2)
• TIME2ENV ( from The Environment Suite)
• DATE2ENV (from The Environment Suite)

VERSE

Ever wanted to have a random saying, quote or scripture appear as you start your computer? Now its possible with the text based VERSE.EXE.

The program looks for a text file called VERSE.LST and then displays a random verse from it.

A file called VERSE.CFG keeps track of the last verse shown so that you will not get the same verse twice in a row.

You may edit or recreate a VERSE.LST text file as long as you follow the guidelines in the information file VERSE.TXT.

The program can also be used in a CYCLIC mode to step (randomly) through the verses in the file until you ESC out.

This program comes with a Verse display screen saver which places a random scripture from the original VERSE.LST on the screen then randomly selects the next etc....
This is installed by running SETUP.EXE from VERSE.ZIP  once this has been unzipped.
This screen saver is suitable for Win95/98, XP and NT etc. using a Pentium or equiv. computer.