DOS Input Files

Koah · #1 May 20th, 2003, 10:37 PM

I'm an intermediately skilled DOS batch programmer who uses such programs to create boot disks and utilities for where I work. A while back, I came across the key sequence to enter character control symbols (like the enter key or the escape key) into an input file so that I could make programs like FDisk promptless.

But since then, I've lost the information. Does anybody here know what I'm talking about or can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks so much.

Abremylin · #2 May 21st, 2003, 02:02 AM

If you can find an old DOS 6.22 manual it contains that list. Also any college course book on assembly will most likely have it. I bet a search for ASCII on google will net you something.

Like geee... I just found this in about 3 seconds:

http://www.asciitable.com/

I hope this is what you are referring to!!

Koah · #3 May 21st, 2003, 06:02 AM

Okay. 1st of all, your link sent me to Amazon.com for some odd reason. 2nd, I searched on google, ask jeeves, dogpile, and other search engines as well. Yes, it is really easy to find the DOS ASCII table. I have found that. And yes, I know the commands to activate like CTRL+J and CTRL+H and I'm even aware of the ALT codes. But you know what? The ASCII table is just that. a table. And when you use the CTRL code or the ALT code, it performs the Enter or ESC action, it does not put down a symbolic representation of that action for use of input files.

I came here asking for professional help, not someone to tell me 'like geee' like I knew nothing about computers. Please show me a little more respect.

For anyone interested, I will send you the text input file that I already have the action keys coded in. What I need is the key sequence to put that code in. And it can be done in DOS edit I believe.

Trust me, it is not as easy as 3 seconds. That is why I came here. So please, if anybody can assist, I would greatly appreciate it.

jdc2000 · #4 May 23rd, 2003, 11:49 PM

According to the Help function on the DOS Edit version I have (with Windows 98), Control P allows you to insert special characters. I usually use a hex editor for editing files that need non-printable characters added, deleted, or changed however.

Abremylin · #5 May 24th, 2003, 12:45 AM

First, I never meant anything by the "like geee..." thing. I have a wierd sense of humor and you seem to be oversensitive. So I sincerely (really) apologise if I appeared to be attempting to insult your intelligence. Of course you are a programmer, guru-type otherwise you wouldn't be asking this ADVANCED of a question.

Second, I have over 20 years experience working with electronics and computers in general. This is not a bragging right, it merely supports the fact that I am not a lay-person. I am employed professionally and have obtained various certifications along with a degree in computer electronics. So you are talking to a "professional", with a sense of humor - hence my caveat in my sig.

Third, and much more importantly - the ascii table.com place I provided works fine every time I try it. Yes there are a bunch of amazon.com junk around it but it is there in the flesh. If you want I can email you with the GIF.

Fourth, the ascii table may not be what you are looking for. I don't really know since I don't do DOS programming, I prefer more advanced HIGHER-LEVEL programming languages like C++, VB, Java and Flash. In any case I thought you may appreciate a link to the Decimal, Hex and Octal codes related to the ASCII character or function you wanted to produce.

Also don't forget assembly language, which it sounds like may be your answer.

Again I apologise for hitting a button with you, that was not my intention. I truly don't know what you are after. Oh yea remember my signature - it speaks volumes.

Abremylin · #6 May 24th, 2003, 01:03 AM

Try this link... maybe you already found it in your "extensive" search of the internet. It may have something you could use.

http://users.cybercity.dk/~bse26236/...p/BATCHSUP.HTM

Abremylin · #7 May 24th, 2003, 01:19 AM

Out of a pure gulit trip I actually spent some time and found this interesting article:

At the WinNT CMD.EXE prompt the "&" character is a special character and can cause issues when used in file names. The GUI supports "&", but in scripts and at the prompt if server name has "&" can use "&" instead, see Q142691. The Caret "^" character is used in NT batch files to specify reserved command-line symbols as normal characters, such as "^&". The ";" and "," characters are used to separate multiple command-line parameters, and will not work in file names. The "&" is used to join commands at the prompt, such as "NOTEPAD&WRITE" which will first run NOTEPAD and when finished will run WRITE (on newer versions of WinNT WRITE doesn't exist so NT will run WORDPAD). The "&&" in a NT batch file is a conditional operator, it will run the second command if the first was successful. The "||", two pipe characters, will run the second command only if the first fails. The "( "and ")" characters are used to group commands. Along with the ";" and "," characters the space character is used to separate command-line parameters, and quotes are used around LFNs to avoid issues with spaces in file names. WinNT Command Prompt special characters see Q103368.

There are also special symbols that can be used in batch files such as DOS Redirectors < and > and the pipe | symbol. Two greater than symbols >> appends to a file. Placing a period immediately after the word echo (ECHO.) is how to echo a blank line. In a Win9x VM placing a period in a path is the current folder, two periods is the parent folder, three periods is the parent of the parent, and so on. Examples would be "CD ..\SYSTEM" or "...\DISPREG.EXE" or "TYPE ...\SHOWLIC.TXT", however anything beyond two dots does not hold true for all DOS commands. The @ symbol at the beginning of a batch line is used to suppress the echoing of the command to the display. The ? and * are the wildcard characters.

Special DOS Characters can be obtained at the DOS prompt using the ALT key and the value of the character on the numeric key-pad. In the MSDOS Editor for some special characters you must precede them with CTRL+P, see the MSDOS Editor help for more on editor keystrokes. Don't press CTRL+P in a Windows Program (but OK in DOS Editor in VM) because it is likely to print, but a lot of windows programs support ALT with character codes.

The BELL Character (PC Speaker Beep) is something scripts may require to obtain the user's attention to an important issue, but the bell is not a typical character on the PC keyboard.

The BELL (BEL) character (ASCII 007) can be had many ways including from the command line:

from the command line using the character code 007 with the ALT key, "ECHO (ALT-007)" without the quotes
using COPY CON to copy the above to a batch file
using the MSDOS Editor (EDIT) and you must press CTRL+P before entering the (ALT-007) on the numeric keypad. The character will not display the same at the dos prompt as it does in the dos editor.