This documentation file concerns SD-NEW.ASM and SD-NEW.OBJ,
version 4.1 as of October 20, 1981. Version 4.1 is a
significant upgrade of the standard "super-directory" program
that most RCP/M systems are now using as their "DIR" executor.
SD-41 implements many new features over version 3, and has been
tested on a wide variety of CP/M systems prior to release.
However, due to the large number of equates in the source file,
all possible permutations have NOT been tested, and it should be
understood that revision 4.1 is experimental in nature, and
should not be placed on-line in remote applications until
sufficient time has elapsed to allow for initial bug reports
from the field.
The most significant difference between version 4.1 and
version 3.X concerns the ability of SD to search a range of
drives and/or user areas for a specified file. This capability
is patterned after FILEFIND, but is significantly more useful in
that SD will report the sizes of files matched. A new BDOS
intercept routine has been added, which although more involved
than the FILEFIND method, is more generally applicable and
should run "as-is" on most CP/M systems. Thus, by using SD-41,
the use of a separate FILEFIND program should be unnecessary.
The basic operation of SD is as in previous releases. You
merely type "SD", followed by an optional ambiguous or
unambiguous filename (as you would with the CCP directory
command). Omitting the filename (i.e., "SD [CR]"), will be
interpreted as "SD *.*". Similarly, "SD A:" would imply "SD
A:*.*" and "SD B:" would imply "SD B:*.*". In addition to the
filename option, up to 8 command line options may be specified.
If options are to be specified, then the filename must be
EXPLICITLY specified by at least a drive code. Option fields
are preceded by a single dollar sign as with most Digital
Research programs such as MAC, and may be essentially free-form
in format. Example: SD A: $s a D rn u0 fp. Note that the
reference to the A drives in "A:" is mandatory. Invoking SD
with a command of the form "SD $s a D rn u0 fp" would result in
SD thinking that $S was the file to be searched for. Note also
that spaces and case within the option field are insignificant
(i.e., "$ SADrNu0F p" is equivalent to "$ S A D R N U0 F P").
The only exception concerns the "USER" option which will be
explained later. Users should also be aware of two restrictions
on the command line format. SD scans the entire command line
for a dollar sign preceded by at least 1 blank to delimit the
beginning of the option field. For this reason, invoking SD
with a command line such as "SD $ $AR" is illegal since SD will
consider the first dollar sign to be the option field delimiter.
If you need to specify a a filename whose first character is a
dollar sign, precede it with a drive code as in "SD A:$ $AR".
In this instance, SD will consider the first dollar sign
insignificant as it is not preceded by a blank.
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SD-41 Documentation Notes
The second restriction is that command line options may be
specified once and only once per invocation. That is, "SD A:
$SDS" would be illegal since the "S" option is specified twice.
This shortcoming is due to the fact that options can be made
into defaults at assembly time.
The eight options recognized are:
"S" - system option : system files will be included in
the output rather than being suppressed.
"F" - file option : the directory output will be
echoed to a disk file named "SD.DIR" on the
DEFAULT drive. If SD.DIR already exists, then
the directory output will be APPENDED to the end
of the file. Otherwise, SD.DIR will be created
as a new file. The append feature allows you to
build up one massive file on the default drive
containing the directories of all of your disks,
without having to concantenate a swarm of
individual directory files. If you plan to use
this feature often, it willbe simpler for you to
have a dedicated version on your MASTCAT disk
with RESFLG set TRUE. The advantage of this is
that you can work through a pile of disks
without having to CTRL-C or specify the "R"
option everytime you SD a new disk. Failing to
do this will result in the allocation vector
being invalid, and FREE size will be wrong.
"U" - user option : allows the specification of the
user number for the directory of the form "Uxx"
where the user # is greater than 0, but not
greater than a specified value not to exceed 15.
The user option specification will be illegal if
the user # is out of range, omitted, or if U is
specified on a pre-CP/M 2 system. Note that
since the user option requires a parameter
(i.e., the user number), the user number must
immediately follow the "U" option on the command
field. That is, "U1" is legal, but "U 1" is
not. In this respect, the U option differs from
the other options in that embedded spaces ARE
significant.
"A" - all users : causes SD to display directories of
all user areas starting at the user area
specified in the U option or, if U option is
omitted, the default user area and continuing up
to MAXUSR.
"R" - reset option : allows for automatic resetting of
the disk prior to performing directory search so
that the allocation vector will be updated.
Same as doing a CTRL-C when changing disks, but
handy if you didn't (such as when running a
2
SD-41 Documentation Notes
SUBMIT file). Note that the RESFLG equate will
force the R option unconditionally each time SD
is run. Useful for SDing a stack of disks with
the "F" option, but slows down SD considerably
in normal use.
"N" - no page option : unconditionally disables the
page pause option. Useful when running SD in
the "F" and/or "A" modes when you don't want the
page prompt slowing you down. Note that SD-41
will not put the page-pause prompt into the
output file.
"P" - printer option : forces all console output to be
echoed to the CP/M list device, with the most
significant bit set to 0.
"D" - all disk option : allows SD to search all disk
drives on-line starting with the disk drive
specified or implied with the command line
filename. For example, "SD B: $D" will result
in SD searching all drives beginning with drive
B. "SD *.* $D" will result in SD searching all
drives beginning with the drive that is logged
in.
If an unrecognized option (or illegal user option
specification) is detected, then the command line will be played
back to the console up to the point where the error was
detected. However, if the REPERR option is disabled, then SD
will keep its mouth shut and ignore everything on the command
line past the illegal field. In this situation, an illegally
specified user number would default back to the current user
number. The option of DISABLING error reporting was included
primarily for systems with hidden doors and secret passageways.
Shooting off rockets and clanging bells everytime a holswap
starts "experimenting" just calls attention to the fact that
there really IS something behind that hollow- sounding wall
after all (if you get my drift).
As an added convenience, it is possible to "hard-wire" some
or all of the command line options. For example, if you want SD
to ALWAYS perform a reset of the disk system before putting its
show on the road, you can do just that. For details, see the
comments preceding the option field lookup table in the
assembler source file.
Finally, if the all-disk and/or all-user options are
enabled, it may be desirable to restrict searches. To
facilitate this, a table is included in SD (beginning at label
"LODRV" and continuing through "HIDRV"). The table consists of
a single byte for each drive to be searched beginning with A.
Each byte may be in the range of 0-15 mod 15 and defines the
highest user number that SD will search for that particular
drive. The highest drive number to search is defined by the
length of the table. If four DBs are present between LODRV and
3
SD-41 Documentation Notes
HIDRV, then drives A-D can be searched. The source file
includes the LODRV-HIDRV table in its maximum configuration for
16 drives. However, it is recommended that you delete DBs
referencing drives that aren't available on your system.
Although SD will intercept attempts to search non-existant
drives, there really isn't any point in allowing SD to always
search drive C when you only have 2 logical drives; and
depending on how your BIOS is constructed and how long it
monkeys around before advising the BDOS of the select error, it
could save some time.
A THOUGHT FROM "THE LAST REVISOR"
If you sit down and figure out the number of permutations
of options and equates in the latest versions of SD, you'll
understand why there aren't any warranties as to the absence of
entomological cybernoids. I leave it to the CP/M community to
smoke out what bugs may pop-up when a certain combination of
variables occurs. If you find any bugs, please leave an
advisory or a fix on either TCBBS or the Hyde Park RCP/M so that
they can be exterminated.
Finally, my latest revisions expanded the size of the load
module considerably, and it is now weighing in at just under 2K
if all of the options are enabled. A program of this type has a
tendency to be widely propogated throughout a disk library, and
since 2K is the block size of most double and quad-density
systems, I feel that it is important to try and keep SD under 2K
if at all possible. That's why some of my code may be cryptic
in some places - I've sacrified clarity for code reductions. If
you plan to make public-domain enhancements to SD which would
push it over the 2K mark, ask yourself whether its worth tying
up an additional disk block. This is also an invitation for
someone less lazy than myself to further optimize the code to
reduce SD to as compact a package as possible (thus making room
for more enhancements). For my part, I quit when I got it under
2K. It works, it fits and I'm ready to move onto something
else.
