README.TXT: SMILERSHELL 2.1 QUICK START AND INSTALLATION QUICK START / HINTS AND TRICKS Windows makes many things easier, but it also makes some things harder. Even in this era of the graphical interface, there are tasks that can be done much more easily by typing in a command than by menus and pointing and clicking and such. That's what SmilerShell is for. SmilerShell is the ultimate Windows command line. It's just like shelling out to DOS. You type a command and press Enter. It supports pipes, redirection, and internal DOS commands (and runs Windows programs too). There's even a place to list all your favorite applications; click on one and it runs. It works just like the DOS command line. But SmilerShell is the best command line you've ever seen, as if the plain-vanilla DOS prompt was enhanced by lots of handy utilities. Here's how to get the most out of it. INSTANT INSTALL: You can install SmilerShell automatically, using the enclosed installer. To do this, simply run install.exe from Windows using File Manager or the Run item on Program Manager's File menu, or in whatever other convenient way you choose. Give it the directory to put SmilerShell's files into, and the Program Manager group name for the SmilerShell icons (defaults are suggested). It'll do the rest. The installer will make no changes to your system setup. It just copies files to the directory you specify, and adds icons to the Program Manager group you specify. If you decide to uninstall, just delete the specified files and icons. FAVORITE APPLICATIONS: List your favorite applications under the Apps menu item. Then just click on one to either select it into the command line, or run it straight off (you can set it up either way). COMMAND HISTORY AND SEARCH: Every time you run a command, it is saved in the command stack. To find a previous command of interest, type the first letter or two of that command, then press the up or down arrow key. Up- arrow searches back, down-arrow searches forward. It's a circular buffer, the last command is connected to the first, so you can search in either direction. Arrows on a blank line show all commands in order. A full command history list is available from the File menu. COMMAND LINE EDITOR: A retrieved previous command, or anything else you type, can be edited to suit. Think of SmilerShell as a one-line word processor. It supports insert mode, overtype mode, and clipboard cut/paste. ALIASES: When you press Enter, the first word of the command is compared to the alias list. If it matches, the alias is substituted for that first word. You can skip the alias testing by starting the command with an equals sign. You can also hang aliases off the function keys F2 through F12; hit the key and the command runs. Both kinds of aliases are set up in the ini file. A full alias list is available on the File menu. GET SMALL: SmilerShell has a very small window, but you can make it even smaller. Use the Options menu to get rid of the menu and title bar. Or type Alt+M to toggle the menu, Alt+L to toggle the title bar. Then mouse SmilerShell as small as you like. It'll go smaller than an icon! QUICK DIRECTORY CHANGE: Type DC and the first few letters of the directory you want to be in. If it's unambiguous, boom, you're there, otherwise a list box pops up with the first possible match highlighted. If you haven't used DC yet, you'll be asked for permission to scan the drives listed in DC's ini file parameter. If you scan more than one drive, DC can change drive as well as directory to get you where you want to go. SMILERSHELL NEVER FORGETS: In the ini file, set winwidth=PREV and SmilerShell will start up next time in the same directory, same screen position, and with the same settings, as when you shut it down this time. CHANGE INI FILE SETTINGS ON THE FLY: Hit the Edit Ini File item on SmilerShell's File menu. It'll fire up Notepad with your ini file (and create one first if needed, filled with reasonable defaults). When you're done editing and you close Notepad, SmilerShell will know. It'll read in the new ini file and reset itself as indicated there. DOS IN A WINDOW: Do you prefer to have DOS commands run fullscreen or in a window? Toggle this on the fly with the DOS In Window menu item. Or to run one command as if DOS In Window is set to the opposite of its current value, start that command with a right-bracket (for example >dir). INACTIVES STAY VISIBLE: After you run a DOS command, do you want the command's inactive window to stick around, or immediately vanish? Toggle this flag, called Inactives Stay Visible, from the Options menu. Or to run one command as if Inactives Stay Visible is set to the opposite of its current value, start that command with an asterisk (for example *dir). REMOVE INACTIVES: Too many inactive windows cluttering your screen? Get rid of 'em with this Edit menu item, or just type Alt+R from the keyboard. CLOCK: Toggle the titlebar clock from the Options menu, or just type Alt+C. Prefer 12-hour or 24-hour time? Use the timeformat ini file parameter. WORK WITH FILES: The built-in command SHOW is often a useful alternative to DIR, since SHOW's file list lets you click on a filename to select it into the command line. FILE ASSOCIATIONS: With File Associations simply type in the filename without the program name, and quite often SmilerShell will know which program to run. For example give "FILENAME.WRI" and SmilerShell knows to run Windows Write on this file. This works very nicely with SHOW: use SHOW to pick a file, then press Enter to run the proper program with that file. CURRENT DRIVE/DIRECTORY IN THE TITLE BAR: Toggle this from the Options menu, or just type Alt+D. SYSTEM RESOURCES: Toggle the System Resources display onto the menu bar from the Options menu, or just type Alt+S, to see a real-time running report of your available Windows memory and resources. If you toggle off the menu, the resources report will appear in the command line. Don't worry, nothing you type will be overwritten by the resources report! Just type, your text will reappear exactly as you left it. INSERT OR OVERTYPE MODE: Toggle this from the Options menu, or just type Alt+O. In overtype mode a flag appears in the title bar. TOPMOST WINDOW: Make SmilerShell a "topmost" window from the Options menu, or just type Alt+T. That way, it's always visible and ready for use, even when you're working in another window. GET RID OF THE MENU: Hit Alt+M to make SmilerShell even smaller. Hit Alt+M again to bring the menu back, or use the Show SmilerShell Menu item on the System menu (the dash thing in the upper left corner). SAVE YOUR STACK: You can save the current command stack to a file and reload it automatically at startup, or at any other time. This gives you a preloaded batch of commands you can search on. The startup loading is set up in the ini file. HANDY CONFIGURATIONS: Make SmilerShell "topmost," turn on the clock, turn off the menu, mouse it as small as it goes (about as big as two icons) and stick it in the corner. The clock shows, and it's always ready for action. Or turn off the titlebar too, and mouse it even smaller. To move it on the screen without the titlebar, click the right mouse button in the edit area and hold it down while you move SmilerShell where you want it. Or make SmilerShell "topmost" and maximize it. When maximized, it only takes up the top line of your screen, not the whole display. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS: SmilerShell has a lot of keyboard shortcuts that can speed things up quite a bit. These SmilerShell commands work immediately, without going through a menu. Alt+C Clock in titlebar Alt+S System Resources report in menubar Alt+D Current directory in titlebar Alt+O Overtype/insert mode Alt+T Topmost window Alt+L Show/hide titlebar Alt+M Show/hide menubar Alt+I Inactive windows stay visible Alt+W DOS commands windowed/fullscreen You can display any menu, or use any menu item, from the keyboard. To display a menu press its Alt key combination. When in a menu, press any item's underlined key to run that item. Alt+F File menu Alt+E Edit menu Alt+N Options menu Alt+A Apps menu Alt+P Help menu These standard Windows commands are available in SmilerShell: F1 Help ALT+F4 Exit Alt+Bksp Undo last action Ctrl+Z Undo last action Shift+Del Cut selected text, send to the Clipboard Ctrl+X Cut selected text, send to the Clipboard Ctrl+Ins Copy selected text, send to the Clipboard Ctrl+C Copy selected text, send to the Clipboard Shift+Ins Paste contents of Clipboard into commandline Ctrl+V Paste contents of Clipboard into commandline Delete Clear selected text Escape Clear entire commandline Ctrl+Esc Show task list of all running programs SHAREWARE: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Thank you for trying SmilerShell. You are welcome to test it for a week or two. I hope you like it. SmilerShell is marketed as shareware. As with all shareware, you are encouraged to try it for a short time on your own system, to see if it meets your needs. If you find it useful and you keep it on your system for more than two weeks, you are obligated to send in the registration fee. If you don't find it useful, simply delete it from your system. To register SmilerShell, send $19.95 plus $3.50 for shipping to: Bardon Data Systems 1023 Key Route Blvd. Albany, CA 94706 Outside North America please add $6 for overseas shipping charges. While testing SmilerShell, take a few minutes to try the demo of SmilerShell Pro, which has some rather nifty features (described below) not found in the regular SmilerShell. SmilerShell Pro is available for $29.95 plus $3.50 for shipping. You can order SmilerShell or SmilerShell Pro through Bardon, or through our toll-free telephone order-taking service (800) 242-4775 (weekdays 7 to 6 Central time), or on Compuserve, or through distributors worldwide. Details and addresses are in the file ORDER.TXT. If ordering through Bardon, you can print and mail invoice.wri, the invoice that came with this package. It's in Windows Write format. With a MasterCard or Visa you can order by phone, at (510) 526-8470, in which case you'll be given your registration number immediately so you can get rid of those reminder screens right away. Or simply mail in your card number and expiration date. Registered users get a registration number that will turn off the reminder screens, a printed manual, support, update notices, and a disk with the most recent version. Registered users also get these Extra Free Bonuses: Two more handy Bardon utilities (WHATSNEW lists files not yet backed up, or directories containing such files; PR/PRFILTER format output for printing, and add a header with filename, size, create date, and print date), discount certificate for JCSM shareware CD-ROMs at half price, discount on PsL shareware-by-mail (up to 2/3 off!), free Compuserve startup kit, other Windows shareware I think you'll like, and whatever other goodies I can fit on the disk. All these bonuses are also included with SmilerShell Pro. SMILERSHELL PRO As mentioned above, SmilerShell Pro has some rather nifty features not found in the regular SmilerShell. Take a few minutes to try the demo of SmilerShell Pro. * PRESS THE BUTTON: SmilerShell Pro takes up no space on your desktop. None. That's because it's usually a tiny button that hops unobtrusively into the titlebar of whichever application is currently active. Press the button to bring up the command line window. Click the SmilerShell menubar's Hide item (or type Alt+H) and the command line window vanishes again. You can customize where the button appears in the active app's titlebar -- or elsewhere! And try this to save time: right-click the titlebar button, and the commandline appears with the Apps menu already displayed, ready for you to click on one of your listed apps and run it. It's the fastest way to start programs! * MULTIPLE COMMANDS ON ONE LINE: You can type multiple commands on one command line. Hit Enter and they are submitted in order. And unlike everything else in Windows, SmilerShell makes sure the previous command ends before it starts the next one. * RUNTIME PARAMETERS IN ALIASES: Runtime parameters (%1, %2, etc.) make it easier to tell aliases what to do when you run them. And if you alias multiple commands on one line, the alias acts almost like a batch file, all within SmilerShell! * CHANGE YOUR PATH: By default SmilerShell Pro uses the DOS search path. You can change this by typing a PATH command, just like in DOS. Later, go back to the old DOS path by typing PATH= (an equals sign but no parameters). As you'd expect, PATH by itself shows the current path. * A TINY WINDOW: Want the smallest possible window? With SmilerShell Pro, if System Resources is enabled and you toggle off the menu, the resources report will appear in the command line. Press any key and your command line returns. The cursor is where you left it, selections are still selected, and the key you pressed is typed into place in the command text. Turn off the titlebar as well as the menu for an incredibly small SmilerShell, with no loss of information! * IT'S FAST: Because of special software technology, SmilerShell Pro runs commands faster than SmilerShell Standard Edition or SmilerShell Lite. Here's a good way to use SmilerShell Pro: mouse the window to the size you prefer, and set up your favorite display options (clock? current directory? resources?) Then "Hide!" the command line window. SmilerShell Pro is always just a mouse-click away. The activation button hops into the titlebar of whichever app you're currently using. Like regular SmilerShell, SmilerShell Pro can remember its setup and screen location from session to session, so you only have to configure it once. INSTALLING SMILERSHELL SmilerShell includes the following files: smishell.exe the program smishell.hlp the documentation, in Windows help file format readme.txt overview and installation instructions install.exe automated SmilerShell installer sample.ini sample initialization file sample.stk sample command stack file file_id.diz 45 column x 10 line text description, for BBS uploads vendor.doc gives distribution permission invoice.wri registration invoice (direct to Bardon Data Systems) register.txt order toll-free and through distributors worldwide whatsnew.txt new features and revision history demopro.exe demo of SmilerShell Pro You can install SmilerShell automatically, using the enclosed auto- installer. To do this, simply run install.exe from within Windows. You can run it using File Manager, or the Run item on Program Manager's File menu, or in whatever other convenient way you choose. Give it the directory to put SmilerShell's files into, and the Program Manager group name for the SmilerShell icons (appropriate defaults are suggested). It'll do the rest. The installer will make no changes to your system set-up or to any systemwide files. It copies the SmilerShell files to the one directory you specify, and puts its icons in the one Program Manager group you choose. Optionally, you can 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. Optionally, give a non-default location for the initialization file. See the section The Initialization File in the documentation. Optionally, you can 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. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Requires Microsoft Windows 3.1