history.txt [last updated: 30-November-2004] Note: This list is merely for informational purposes and is not intended to show all changes from one build to another, nor does it necessarily include all private, beta, and public builds. For details on current versions and builds, visit us at "http://jpsoft.com/" or in our Support Forum. 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 235 ----------------------------------------- 4NT - enabled Alt-Bksp for key aliases. @EVAL - fixed a problem with embedded commas (thousands separators) in variables. 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 234 ----------------------------------------- Take Command - fixed a problem with STDIO Caveman apps. Take Command - added an additional check to keep the TC window from returning to the foreground after running a Caveman app and switching to another window before the Caveman app exits. RD - added check for existence when using the /S switch. SET - added dumb kludge to emulate the undocumented (bug?) CMD.EXE behavior with: set "var=xxx" TYPE - 4NT now attempts to guess whether you're (erroneously?) typing a binary file, and if so, turns off the processed output. This keeps the beep (ASCII 0x07) from hanging the process, or even the whole system (Windows bug). 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 233 ----------------------------------------- Take Command - fixed a problem (Windows bug) with not closing TCMD on a logoff or Windows shutdown. Take Command - fixed a problem (Windows bug) with the console window appearing as a topmost window. SELECT (4NT) - fixed a GPF in the (somewhat unlikely) event that you have a > 256 column window. SET - added support for the (undocumented & illegal syntax) CMD quoted argument: set "myvar=xxx" 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 232 ----------------------------------------- Take Command - Worked around a Windows bug when starting TC maximized from a shortcut. Take Command - Fixed some display glitches with DOS apps writing directly to the screen. Take Command - added right-click context menu support for pasting into Caveman apps. 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 231 ----------------------------------------- Take Command - worked around a Windows bug that was causing an erratic crash when exiting a Caveman app. PROMPT - fixed a problem with $W. 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 230 ----------------------------------------- Take Command - fixed a problem with very large (>16K characters) displays in Caveman. Added a check for (incorrect) quoting of device names. Fixed a problem with setting the CMDLINE environment variable. @EXPAND - fixed a problem with the value returned by @EXPAND being incorrectly truncated at 4K (should have been 8K) characters. COPY (4NT) - now supports "copy file con:". 4NT 6.01 and Take Command 6.01 Build 228 ----------------------------------------- Fixed an erratic problem when using output append redirection and the target file has a trailing ^Z. Fixed a couple of problems with filename matching and include lists: (1) it would only match two filenames in the include list; and (2) if the pathname required double quotes, a trailing quote would be added to subsequent file natches in the include list. Directory sorting - modified the /O:n matching so if the filenames match it will then sort on the extensions (unless there is an explicit 'e' in the sort order). Take Command - various Caveman tweaks to improve compatibility and speed. Take Command - added Caveman support for some ill-behaved apps like Microsoft's Telnet.exe. TCMD - fixed a problem with Caveman apps that don't install their own Ctrl-C handler. Take Command - unless you're executing a DOS app, the Caveman console window in Windows 2000 & XP will now be the same size as the Take Command window, not just either 80x25, 80x43, or 80x50. (Note that this could make some badly-written console apps fail!) If the Take Command window is less than 25 lines, it will be resized to 25 lines for the duration of the console app. If your Windows time format setting specifies leading 0's for hours, the time displays (i.e., in DIR) will now display a leading 0 for single-digit hours. Filename matching - if the filename contains semicolons, the file search now first checks for an exact match before looking for an include list. Filename completion - if you want to complete non-executable files as the first argument on the command line without defining an executable extension, you can create a "dummy" executable extension with an executable name of "*". For example, to allow completing .TXT and .DOC files as the first argument: set .txt;.doc=* To allow every extension, use "set .*=*". Fixed various problems with local filenames in UNC form (i.e., "dir \\.\d:\*"). Fixed an erratic problem when debugging batch files with piping or @EXEC / @EXECSTR calls. Added support for (the nearly-useless) redirection to CON. 4NT Unicode / Take Command Unicode - now work with DEP enabled in XP SP2. TCMD - added an Insert / Overstrike indicator to the status bar. TCMD - fixed a problem with piping (from build 222). TCMD - fixed a problem (Windows bug) with not closing TCMD on a logoff or Windows shutdown. TCMD - the TCMD window no longer changes to the inactive color when a Caveman app is running. (The TCMD window always stays active, and passes keystrokes to the console app.) Ctrl-Tab - changed slightly so that if only a single filename matches, it displays it on the command line and does not display the popup window. %_CMDSPEC - new internal variable that returns the full pathname of the command processor. %_DATETIME - new internal variable that returns the current date and time in the format yyyymmddhhmmss (with no separators). @CWD - new function to return the current directory on the specified drive. (The returned string includes the drive spec.) The syntax is: @cwd[d:] @CWDS - new function, like @CWD, but ensures there is a trailing \ on the returned directory name. @DIRSTACK - fixed a problem when calling it with no arguments. @DOMAIN (Unicode & Win2K+ only) - new function to return the domain (if any) for the specified computer. The syntax is: @domain[name] where "name" is the DNS or NetBIOS name of the computer to query. If no name is specified, @DOMAIN returns the domain for the local computer. @EVAL - added three synonyms for existing operators: MOD - modulo (same as %) SHL - shift left (same as <<) SHR - shift right (same as >>) @EXPAND - added support for ranges. The range must be the first argument, with a space before the filename. For example: echo %@expand[/[d-5] *.doc] @FILES - added support for ranges. The range must be the first argument, with a space before the filename. For example: echo %@files[/[d-5] *.doc] @FINDFIRST - added support for ranges. The range must be the first argument, with a space before the filename. For example: echo %@findfirst[/[d-5] *.doc] @INSERT - added support for negative position. (If the first argument is negative, the insertion will be made counting backwards from the end of the string.) @TRUNCATE - new function that truncates the specified file at the current file pointer position. The syntax is: @truncate[n] where "n" is a file handle returned by @FILEOPEN. (You must have opened the file for write access.) @WORKGROUP (Unicode & Win2K+ only)- new function to return the workgroup (if any) for the specified computer. The syntax is: @dworkgroup[name] where "name" is the DNS or NetBIOS name of the computer to query. If no name is specified, @WORKGROUP returns the workgroup for the local computer. BDEBUGGER - fixed an obscure problem with the batch file handle possibly being left open if you click on the "Stop Debugging" icon and then File/Exit. BDEBUGGER - has a new option: /I(nactive) - loads the batch file into the debugger but don't execute it. (This allows you to edit the batch file before you start debugging.) BDEBUGGER - fixed an erratic gpf (at program exit) when you use a SETDOS /Y1 or BDEBUGGER with no argument to turn on the debugger inside a batch file. COPY - the /G option when combined with /V will now show the percent verified. DIR - added additional attribute types to directory colorization: Encrypted Normal Temporary Sparse Junction Compressed Offline Notindexed DIR - /O:n now excludes the extension when sorting the filenames (to match CMD.EXE's behavior). GOSUB - changed the argument parsing to not consider the switch character (/) as a delimiter. (Note that this may be changed back if compatibility issues occur.) IF - added the ISFILE test to check for the existence of the specified file. (ISFILE was added because Microsoft changed IF EXIST to return 1 if either a file or directory exists. This made it impossible to check for an empty directory because "." and ".." always exist.) INPUT - fixed a (harmless) problem with the /L option beeping when the input string was greater than or equal to the maximum length (rather than only when it would be greater than the maximum length). LIST - added the Ctrl-L key (LIST selected file) to Take Command. (It was already in 4NT.) ON - fixed a problem with ON BREAK only being called the first time. REBOOT - changed the messages when using /V (previously it would always prompt to reboot even when logging off or shutting down). SET - added the /E option to also set the local environment when setting registry variables. SHIFT - fixed a GPF with SHIFT /1 when you don't have any arguments to shift. TCTOOLBAR - fixed a GPF when using (incorrect) syntax with no whitespace between the arguments. UNSET - added the /E option to also unset the local environment when unsetting registry variables. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 222 --------------------------------------- Fixed a problem with multiple pipes and output redirection on the same line. ASSOC - fixed a problem with /R. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 221 --------------------------------------- 4NT - trying another kludge for the Windows bug with popup windows and the console. TCMD - fixed a problem with the toolbar being disabled (only in build 220). BDEBUGGER - fixed an (erratic) problem with starting BDEBUGGER with no arguments and selecting a batch file from an LFN directory (with embedded whitespace in the pathname). START - fixed a problem (the transient switches were being ignored) when parsing the (pointless) syntax: 4nt /c 4nt /c ... or tcmd /c tcmd /c ... 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 220 --------------------------------------- 4NT - Implemented another attempt at fixing the Windows bug with putting popup windows behind the console window (only the first time). This one should also work when you start 4NT in full- screen mode. 4NT - fixed a problem with Alt-numeric key aliases. Fixed a problem with the clipboard when the clipboard text is in Unicode format and you're writing to an ASCII file. (The Unicode xFEFF was not being stripped from the beginning of the file.) @FORMATN - will now accept the decimal separator for your locale in the numeric argument (NOT in the format argument). @FORMATN - fixed a problem with decimal numbers < 0.10. BDEBUGGER - you can now invoke the batch debugger in an already- running batch file by the command: BDEBUGGER with no arguments. ON - fixed a problem with ON ERROR / ON ERRORMSG only working for the first error. SENDMAIL - fixed a problem with passing only a / as an argument. SETDOS - fixed a problem with /Y1 when the batch debugger hadn't been started yet. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 219 --------------------------------------- Fixed a (rare) problem with extremely long command groups. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 219 --------------------------------------- Fixed a sporadic problem with some of the "Save As" dialogs with the file types in the combobox. @DAY - fixed a problem when passing a date with a two-digit year. (Also affected @DOY, @MONTH, and @YEAR.) BDEBUGGER - fixed an erratic startup problem when starting BDEBUGGER with no arguments. PDIR - added more error checking on the width field (to avoid a GPF for those users determined to pass exceptionally bad arguments). 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 218 --------------------------------------- Command groups - fixed a problem with embedded REM's in a command group. @FINDFIRST - fixed a problem with the optional second argument (for attribute searches) being ignored. @FINDNEXT - Fixed a (very old) GPF caused when you call @findnext with no parameters and you've already closed the directory search handle. PDIR (ASCII versions, Win9x only) - fixed an erratic GPF with invalid arguments. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 217 --------------------------------------- Rolled back an updated third-party component that was causing GPFs in Win98 systems and erratic (unreproducible) problems in Win2K / XP. (This means the DEP support in XP SP2 is disabled.) 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 216 --------------------------------------- 4NT and Take Command now include a French language.dll option. Fixed an erratic FTP problem with DEL, MD, and RD. Fixed a compatibility issue with an undocumented variation of CMD.EXE ":=" variable syntax that's too horrible to document, for fear some misguided soul will actually try to use it. (Use variable functions instead; they're smaller and more understandable.) @DISKFREE - fixed a problem with it not complaining about invalid input. DIR - fixed a problem with Win9x crashing on "DIR /:". ON - fixed a problem with ON ERROR only working once. PDIR - fixed a problem with Win9x crashing on a "PDIR /(". 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 215 --------------------------------------- Fixed a problem with the FOR ~ variable syntax when used with batch variables (i.e., %0-%9). (This bug was introduced in build 214 with the fix for another bug with FOR ~ variables.) %_MONTHF - corrected a misspelling in "September". 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 214 --------------------------------------- Fixed a problem in the variable windows (in the debugger, and in ESET /W) with the shortcut keys printing a character before popping up the appropriate dialog. Filename completion -- when the previous character is a semicolon, filename completion now checks if the filename to complete begins with a drive spec (i.e., c:) or a pathname separator (\). If so, it turns off include list matching. Fixed a problem with the CMD ~ FOR variables when the single-character FOR variable is the same as the last character used in the ~ variable, and that last character is one of the ~ variable modifiers (ADFNPSTXZ). 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 213 --------------------------------------- Fixed a problem with the registration information (and possibly other information) sometimes being overwritten when you pass a batch file on the startup line. Added a kludge to work around a problem with some ineptly-written Windows apps (such as NETSTAT) that invoke another copy of the command processor with a command line looking like: "c:\program files\jpsoft\4nt6\4nt.exe" c:\program files\jpsoft\4nt6\4nt.exe /c route.exe (The first argument is properly quoted, and the second is a useless duplicate and isn't quoted.) TC - fixed a problem with random screen writes ahead of the last line in the buffer. OPTION (TC) - fixed a problem with some keystroke combinations invoking the online help. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 212 --------------------------------------- Fixed a problem with the batch debugger not restoring breakpoints when returning from a CALL. Fixed a problem with active mode and FTP. (Note that SSL still only supports passive mode.) LIST ( TC) - fixed a problem with listing the clipboard ("clip:"). LIST (TC) - fixed a GPF when using the scrollbar to rapidly scroll through very large files. START - added support for nonstandard (non-MS) ftp handlers ("start ftp://jpsoft.com"). 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 211 --------------------------------------- Added a kludge for the peculiar syntax "\dir\.", as in copy * \newdir\. (Note that this syntax is meaningless, and a simpler way would be to delete the trailing ".".) Fixed a problem with the F1 key on the Caveman and Debugger tabs in the Option dialog. TC - fixed a problem with the descriptions editor. @FILEOPEN - changed to return -1 rather than an error message for non-critical failure (i.e., file not found, file locked, etc.) @FILEOPEN - fixed a problem with "append" not automatically moving to the end of the file. FOR - fixed a problem with the temp file in a "for %f in ('...')" construct not being deleted. LIST - fixed a problem with the status bar when using large system fonts. LIST (TC) - fixed a problem with the /T switch when not using quotes around the argument. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 211 --------------------------------------- Added a kludge for the peculiar syntax "\dir\.", as in copy * \newdir\. (Note that this syntax is meaningless, and a simpler way would be to delete the trailing ".".) Fixed a problem with the F1 key on the Caveman and Debugger tabs in the Option dialog. TC - fixed a problem with the descriptions editor. @FILEOPEN - changed to return -1 rather than an error message for non-critical failure (i.e., file not found, file locked, etc.) @FILEOPEN - fixed a problem with "append" not automatically moving to the end of the file. FOR - fixed a problem with the temp file in a "for %f in ('...')" construct not being deleted. LIST - fixed a problem with the status bar when using large system fonts. LIST (TC) - fixed a problem with the /T switch when not using quotes around the argument. 4NT 6.0 and Take Command 6.0 Build 210 --------------------------------------- Initial public release of 4NT and Take Command 6.0. ======================================================================= JP Software Inc. P.O. Box 328, Chestertown, MD 21620, USA phone: (410) 810-8818 fax: (410) 810-0026 WWW: http://jpsoft.com email: sales@jpsoft.com