1 DX DX (Directory eXtension) is a VAX/VMS utility that performs various file operations on a VT100 or upper terminals. It allows you to delete, type, copy, set protection, compare, and edit one or more files at once. DX is a customizable, flexible, real-time directory browser/editor. You can use it to open multiple windows on the same or different directories. DX provides the following main features: o Flexible display and sorting o Pull-down menu for point-and-shoot interface o Display sub-directories and directory contents with flexible "filters" o Multiple inclusion/exclusion patterns in file operations o Multiple windows provides different views o Display a tree-like directory structure in a scrollable window ***** VAX and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. 2 Getting_Started DX provides multiple windows and point-and-shoot menus that greatly simplify file operations including delete, copy, type, rename, set protection and many more. Format: $ DX filespec[,...] 3 Parameters 4 filespec[,...] Specifies one or more files to be listed. Wildcard characters can be used to specify the directory specification, file name, file type, or version number fields of a file. If you specify more than one file, separate the file specifications with either commas (,) or plus signs (+). 3 Command_Qualifiers 4 /INITIAL_FILE=init_file When DX is started, it normally loads various settings from the file 'DX$STARTUP.DAT' in your current directory. If it doesn't exist, DX tries your home directory. The command qualifier /INITIAL_FILE can be used to load an init file with another name or from another directory. 4 /SORT_BY=criteria DX provides several way to sort the files. You can sort files by NAME, TYPE, SIZE, DATE, or MARK. The default is sort by NAME. 4 /ASCENDING Sorts the files in ascending order; this is the default setting. 4 /DESCENDING Sorts the files in descending order. 4 /BRIEF Lists the files in multiple column output; only the file name, file type, and version are displayed. 4 /DETAIL Lists in long format, giving file name, file type, version, date, size in blocks, and protections. Depending on the date type you specified, the date can be displayed in creation date, last modified date, expired date, or backup date. 4 /BEFORE=time Lists only the files that was created before the specified date. You can use the following values: o TODAY o YESTERDAY o TOMORROW o absolute time (dd-mmm-yy:hh:mm:ss.tt) 4 /SINCE=time Lists only the files that was created after the specified date. You can use the following values: o TODAY o YESTERDAY o TOMORROW o absolute time (dd-mmm-yy:hh:mm:ss.tt) 4 /CREATED Lists with the creation date; this is the default setting. 4 /MODIFIED Lists with the last modified date. 4 /EXPIRED Lists with the expired date. 4 /BACKUP Lists with the backup date. 4 /MAXIMUM=blocks Lists the files that are equal or smaller than the specified blocks. 4 /MINIMUM=blocks Lists the files that are at least as large as the specified blocks. 4 /EXCLUDE=filespec Lists only the files that are excluding from the specified filespec. 3 Examples 1. Lists the files in the current directory. $ DX 2. Lists all the files in SYS$USER02:[JDOL.DOC] and all the .com files in SYS$USER05:[DREMKER]. The output is sorted by last modified date in descending order. $ DX/SORT=MODIFIED/DESCENDING SYS$USER02:[JDOL.DOC], - _$ SYS$USER05:[DREMKER]*.COM 3. Lists all the .doc and .exe files in the current directory that are larger than or equal to 50 blocks. Only the file name is listed. $ DX/MIN=50/BRIEF *.DOC, *.EXE 2 Pulldown_Menus The main menu for DX displays a row of choices across the top of the screen. All other menu are sub-menus of the main menu and appear as vertical lists of choices. You can select a menu choice by typing the capital letter of the desired item. For example, press the letter w (or W) to bring up the Window sub-menu. Within the sub-menu, you can use the UP or DOWN arrow keys to position the cursor to desired item (shown by the highlighting) and press RETURN. Alternately, you can type the capital letter of the item; DX executes it immediately if it can be uniquely identified. You can also move between menu choices using the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys. If you accidentally call up the sub-menu and want to cancel it, simply press the keypad 0 key and the sub-menu disappears. 2 Window_Menu The Window_Menu provides window management operation, which can display parts of different directories, or different parts of one directory. The following list summarizes the supported functions. Split window Splits the selected window in two, with all the windows get the same number of lines. Depending on the terminal you used, the number of windows splited can be ranging from three to seven. Delete window Gets rid the selected window. One window Gets rid of all windows except the selected one. Next window Selects the next window. Previous window Selects the previous window. eXit Quits DX and set default directory to the current directory. 2 Action_Menu The Action_Menu provides all the VMS file management operations. And multi-file mode let you work with one file or several hundred files with equal ease. The following list summarizes the supported functions. Type Reads the file and display it on the terminal. It normally pauses after each screenful. If you press DOWN arrow, one more page is displayed. If you press UP arrow, previous page is displayed. You can press keypad 0 key to return to DX. Edit Edits the highlighted file use desired editor. See Editor under the Customize_Menu for more detail. Delete Deletes the highlighted file. Purge Purges the highlighted file. Rename Renames the highlighted file. You are prompted to provide a new name. Copy Copys to another file. Append Appends to another file. Set protection Changes the file protections. Print Outputs the file to a printing device. Currently, only SYS$PRINT is supported. Show Shows the details of the file attributes. Find Searchs the file for lines matching a pattern. The patterns are fixed strings. Run Executes the file. Normally, you select this option to execute on the .COM or .EXE files. Compare Differential file comparator. pacK Compresses a file. All the file attributes are preserved along with the file contents. Unpack De-compresses a file. The original file attributes are also restored. 2 Execute_Menu The Execute_Menu allows you to execute DCL commands without leaving DX. Command Executes a DCL command. VMS Gateway Spawns a subprocess. You can type "LOGOFF" to kill the subprocess and return to DX. 2 Sort_Menu Sorts the files in different ways. The following list summarizes the supported functions. by Name Sorts files by name. by Type Sorts files by type. by Date Sorts files by date. by Size Sorts files by size. by Marked Sorts files by marked. 2 Filter_Menu The Filter_Menu allows you to use different selection criteria to select any subset of files you need. The following list summarizes the supported functions. Name Selects files by name. You can specify one or more regular VMS file specifications, separated the file specifications by commas (,) or plus signs (+). Exclude Selects files that are not in the specified file specification. Since Selects files that were created after the specified date. Before Selects files that were created before the specified date. maXimum Selects files that are less than or equal to the specified blocks. Minimum Selects files that are larger than or equal to the specified blocks. 2 Option_Menu The Option_Menu provides additional directory or file management operations. The following list summarizes the supported functions. Direct tree Displays a graphic directory tree, starting from the current root directory. Update Refreshs the screen by re-reading the files from the disk. Mkdir Creates a new directory. show Buffer Displays information about the buffers. DX keeps the file information in a buffer each time you visit a directory. Write Outputs the listing to an external file. Goto Goto the specified page. Short form Lists the files in multiple column output; only the file name, file type, and version are displayed. Long form Lists in long format, giving file name, file type, version, date, size in blocks, and protections. Include all Marks all files to be included in multiple mode. Exclude all Un-marks all files. Re-include all Marks all the files that have been executed during previous multiple operation. About DX Displays DX version information. 3 Moving_Around_Dirtree For details, please see the topics under Keypad. 2 Customize_Menu The Customize_Menu allows you to tailor to your personal preferences (i.e. the editor you want to use, or confirmation before each file deletion.) The following list summarizes the supported functions. Editor Specifies the desired editor. The valid value are: EDT and TPU. (You can also specify LSE if your site have it installed.) Display with date Specifies the kind of date to disply on the screen. The valid values are: CREATION DATE, MODIFIED DATE, BACKUP DATE, and EXPIRED DATE. Type file Specifies whether the Type operation should pauses after each screenful of display. Auto update Specifies whether DX should re-read from the disk after an edit, execute DCL command, or VMS gateway operation is performed. Delete confirm Specifies whether DX should prompt you for confirmation every time a deletion operation is performed. Purge confirm Specifies whether DX should prompt you for confirmation every time a purge operation is performed. Show clock Specifies whether DX should display a clock at the upper right corner of the screen. Flash clock colon Specifies whether DX should flash clock colon on and off. Save settings Saves the current settings to a file. Restore settings Restores the settings from a file. Use defaults Use the default settings. 2 Multiple_Mode DX normally operates in single mode; a file operation only affects the highlighted file. If, however, you want to perform a file operation on more than one files, you can use multiple mode as follows: o Move the cursor to the desired file and press keypad 7. You will notice an inclusion mark, expressed as an asterisk (*) sign, is displayed to the left of the file. Repeat this step as needed. o Press keypad 9. Now the mode in the status line changes from SINGLE to MULTIPLE. o Select a file operation and start execution. As DX is visiting each file, the inclusion mark is replaced by a plus (+) sign. 2 Keypad You move the cursor from one file to another using arrow keys and the keypad keys. For example, when you press keypad 8, DX scrolls up or down one screenful of files. You can press keypad 2 to toggle the direction. Here is a summary of the functions that the keypad performs: KEYPAD FUNCTION ------ ------------------------------------------------ 1 Display this help text. 2 Toggle direction between forward and backup. 3 Search the file or directory matching a pattern 4 Search next file or directory. 5 Move to the first file or directory. 6 Move to the last file or directory. 7 Toggle multiple inclusion flag in FILER mode; or move to the initial directory in DIRECTORY mode. 8 Scroll up or down one screenful of display. 9 Toggle between SINGLE and MULTIPLE mode (in FILER mode). 0 Cancel current operation. 2 Entering_Input There are several function keys you can use when DX prompts you for some input: o CTRL/U Delete the whole input line o CTRL/J Delete the previous word o CTRL/H Move the cursor to beginning of the input line o CTRL/E Move the cursor to end of the input line o CTRL/A Toggle overwrite or insert mode o UP arrow Restore the previous input from the buffer o DOWN arrow Restore the next input from the buffer o Keypad 0 Cancel current operation 2 Warranty DISTRIBUTION AND COPYRIGHT: Copyright (C) 1989, 1992 Chau-Kuang Hung This program is free software; permission is granted to any individual or institution to use, copy, or redistribute this software so long as it is not sold for profit, provided this copyright notice is retained. DISCLAIMER: This software and its documentation are provided "AS IS" and without any expressed or implied warranties whatsoever. No warranties as to performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose exist. In no event shall any person or organization of people be held responsible for any direct, indirect, consequential or inconsequential damages or lost profits. 2 Problems_and_Comments Please direct all comments, suggestions, and bugs to Chau-Kuang Hung (chung@appseq.us.oracle.com) Oracle Corporation 300 Oracle Parkway BOX 659304 Redwood Shores, CA 94065