
  ALIAS.HLP   -   Help File for ALIAS version 4.21 (Text revision 0.1)
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

This document provides information on ALIAS, the shareware MS-DOS
command abbreviation system by Robert Schifreen.  It is intended that
users install ALIAS by typing ALIAS at the DOS prompt, and use the
built-in help screen as documentation.  This can be displayed by typing
ALIAS ? at the DOS prompt.

If problems are encountered during installation, and the ALIAS ? command
does not produce a help screen, try altering the order in which you load
your resident programs (look at your AUTOEXEC.BAT file).

This ALIAS.HLP file provides fuller explanations of the items mentioned
on the help screen.

What is ALIAS?
--------------

ALIAS is a utility program for IBM PCs and compatibles.  You are free to
copy it, and to distribute copies to friends.  If, after using ALIAS for
two weeks, you decide that it is useful, you must register your copy. 
You do this by sending payment direct to the author.  Full details are
displayed each time you run ALIAS.COM.  If you do distribute ALIAS, make
sure you distribute both files (ALIAS.COM and ALIAS.HLP).

WHAT DOES ALIAS DO?
-------------------

1.  ALIAS is a command abbreviation system for MS-DOS, plus lots more.
You can abbreviate frequently-used command strings to just a couple of
characters.  MS-DOS batch files let you do this already, but ALIAS is
faster and more flexible, and doesn't require that you keep dozens of
tiny batch files on your hard disk.

2.  ALIAS stores the commands that you type at the DOS prompt, so you
can play them back and save yourself typing.

3.  ALIAS has command completion facility.  Once you've typed a long
command once, ALIAS has stored it.  To type that command again, just
type the first few characters (enough to idenify the comand) and press
F4, and ALIAS will fill in the rest of the command.

4.  ALIAS gives your machine an 'it' and an 'also' key.

5.  ALIAS provides full command editing, on commands that you are
typing, and on those that you recall.


The remainder of this document describes ALIAS's facilities in full. 
Make sure that the version number of this document (shown on the top
line) is the same as the version number of your copy of ALIAS.COM. 
ALIAS.COM shows its version number when you run it, or when you type
ALIAS I, or when you type ALIAS ?.

Remember, for a brief summary of this help file, assuming that ALIAS is
installed, just type ALIAS ? from the DOS prompt.


INSTALLING ALIAS
----------------

If you want to use ALIAS, you have to install it every time you turn on
the computer.  Do this by typing ALIAS at the DOS prompt.  ALIAS will
display a messsage, and will then be ready for use.

You can put the ALIAS command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, if you want,
which will load ALIAS every time you turn on the machine.

ALIAS lets you save abbreviations in a file.  If you use the default
file name (ALIAS.DAT), and this file exists in the current directory
when you load ALIAS, the definition file will be loaded.  Also, the
directory from which the default file was loaded will be remembered (you
can see it with ALIAS I), so whenever you update the file the changes
will go to the correct place.

Note that abreviations set up by ALIAS work from the keyboard only, and
not from within batch files.


SETTING UP AN ALIAS
-------------------

To set up an alias, make sure ALIAS is installed and type:

ALIAS A SHORTFORM LONGFORM

at the DOS prompt.  All ALIAS commands start with the word ALIAS.  The
'A' means 'Add an alias', and the shortform and longform are whatever
you want them to be.

For example, 

ALIAS A DA DIR A:

has DA as a shortform, and DIR A: as a longform.  If you set up this
alias, then DA will become an abbreviation for DIR A:.

Shortforms are limited to 6 characters.  Longforms can be 70 characters.

You can use an ampersand ('&') in your longforms, to separate multiple
commands.  So,

ALIAS A DA CLS & DIR A:

will set up an alias called DA, that clears the screen and then performs
a directory listing of drive A:.

You can also use the percent ('%') character in longforms, just as you
can in DOS batch files.  For example,

ALIAS A CA COPY %1 A:

sets up an abbreviation called CA, that copies a file to drive A:.  The
name of the file to copy should be typed after the CA.  To copy TEST.EXE
to drive A:, you could just type CA TEST.EXE.

The %1 will be expanded to reflect the first word (delimited by a space)
typed after CA.  You can use %2 to %9 to represent other words, and you
can also use %* to represent all words.


DELETING AN ALIAS
-----------------

Aliases that are defined with the ALIAS A command are kept in memory,
ready to be used.  ALIAS lets you store 30 aliases in memory at one
time.  To delete an abbreviation from memory, type

ALIAS D SHORTFORM

and the specified shortform will be deleted from memory.  This will make
space in the alias table for more abbreviations.

LISTING ALIASES
---------------

The ALIAS L command lists, on screen, the current aliases that have been
defined and that are held in memory for use.  Typing ALIAS L lists all
aliases, or you can type ALIAS L SHORTFORM to list a specific one.  Note
that it is not possible to re-direct this listing to the printer - you
will have to press the PrtSc key to print a list of aliases.


SAVING ALIAS DEFINITIONS TO A FILE
----------------------------------


When the computer is turned off, alias definitions held in memory are
lost.  To prevent having to re-type all those ALIAS A commands each
time, use the ALIAS W command to save the aliases to a file.

Typing ALIAS W writes all aliases to a file called ALIAS.DAT, which is
placed in the current directory.  If the file already exists, it will be
overwritten without warning.  You can follow ALIAS W with a filename, if
you wish.

The ALIAS.DAT file will be loaded each time you install ALIAS, if the
ALIAS.DAT file exists in the current directory when ALIAS is installed.

It is recommended that you use the ALIAS W command each time you add or
delete an alias, so that the current aliases will always be available.

Apart from the alias definitions, the following information is also held
in a saved alias file: whether the recalled-command editor is in insert
or overtype mode; whether alias expansion is turned on or off; whether
alias expansion is from DOS prompt or global; the current alias colour
setting; whether the system is in SHOW or HIDE mode.

RESTORING ALIAS DEFINITIONS FROM A FILE
---------------------------------------

The opposite of ALIAS W is ALIAS R.  ALIAS R reads alias definitions
from a file, and the definitions read will replace the entire memory-
based abbreviations.

FLUSING ALIASES FROM MEMORY
---------------------------

The ALIAS F command flushes the entire memory, deleting all aliases. 
Any aliases saved in a file will not be affected.

MAKING ALIASES VALID FROM THE DOS PROMPT ONLY
---------------------------------------------

Normally, aliases are valid from the DOS prompt only.  You can force
this mode with the ALIAS P command.

MAKING ALIASES VALID GLOBALLY
-----------------------------

ALIAS G selects global mode, in which aliases will work from within
certain applications.


TURNING OFF ALIAS EXPANSION
---------------------------

The ALIAS N (N for None) command turns off alias expansion.  Typing a
shortform at the DOS prompt will have no effect.  Alias expansion can be
turned back on with ALIAS P or ALIAS G.


SHOWING ALIAS EXPANSIONS BEFORE EXECUTION
-----------------------------------------

Normally, it is not possible to see expanded aliases before they are
executed.  This state is called 'Hide' mode, and can be explicitly set
with the ALIAS H command.  The opposite is ALIAS S, which selects 'show'
mode, where expanded aliases will be shown before execution.


DISPLAYING THE STATUS OF ALIAS
------------------------------

Typing ALIAS I gives a status report, that shows the states of various
ALIAS settings, plus the version number, plus the amount of space left
in memory for aliases.


CHANGING THE ALIAS COLOUR
-------------------------

All screen output produced by ALIAS is in what is known as the ALIAS
colour.  This is normally white -  the same as DOS uses - but can be
changed with the ALIAS C command.

DE-INSTALLING ALIAS FROM MEMORY
-------------------------------

Typing ALIAS Z de-installs ALIAS from memory, and frees all the RAM it
took.  If you use this command, all alias definitions will be lost
unless they were saved with an ALIAS W command.

Important: It is recommended that you use the ALIAS Z command only if
ALIAS was the last resident program to be installed.


THE COMAND RECALL BUFFER
------------------------

ALIAS provides your PC with a command recall buffer of 1000 characters. 
From the DOS prompt, press the up-arrow key to cycle through previous
commands.  Once a command is retrieved, it can be edited (see the list
of editing keys on the help screen) and executed by pressing RETURN. 
Pressing ESCape clears the recalled command from the screen.

To view the contents of the command recall buffer, type ALIAS B from the
DOS prompt.


COMMAND COMPLETION
------------------

With ALIAS installed, the F4 key becomes a command completion key.  A
command that is known to be in the recall buffer can be recalled by
typing its first few characters and then pressing F4.  If F4 does not
bring up the command you wanted, keep pressing F4 until it does, or type
some more characters in order to uniquely identify the command you
require.


THE IT AND ALSO KEYS
--------------------

With ALIAS installed, the F8 key becomes an 'it' key, and F10 becomes an
'also' key.  For example,

TYPE FILE1.TXT <RETURN>
DELETE <F8> <RETURN>

The F8 stands for 'it', and will bring up FILE1.TXT.  This is like
saying to DOS 'TYPE FILE1.TXT, and DELETE IT'.

The ALSO key works in a similar way:

TYPE FILE1.TXT <RETURN>
<F10> FILE2.TXT <RETURN>

This is like saying 'TYPE FILE1.TXT, ALSO FILE2.TXT'.  Here, F10 brings
back the TYPE command, and leaves you to fill in the rest.


THE OVERRIDE KEY
----------------

Normally, typing a shortform will execute an alias if there is one.  If
you precede the shortform with the override character, the alias will
not be expanded.

QUITTING CIRCULAR ALIASES
-------------------------

If is possible to define circular aliases.  Pressing ESC quits the
recursive expansion of a circular alias and returns you to a DOS prompt.


----End Of Document----
