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FILE NAMES AND EXTENSIONS - THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
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To the beginner, DOS is a little cryptic in its use of file
names. Study the example directory listing below and the
notes to the right of the listing:
PCPC EXE 51489 5-03-86 3:36p ---> PCPC.EXE
PCPR EXE 21457 5-03-86 3:29p ---> PCPR.EXE
PCPY EXE 32017 5-03-86 3:39p ---> PCPY.EXE
README 128 5-03-86 12:46p ---> README
NOTES565 TXT 1390 7-03-86 8:31a ---> NOTES565.TXT
In each case you will note the REAL file name to the right and
the directory listing version to the left. The point is that
in DOS, filenames always have a name, a period or dot and an
optional (but highly useful) extension. This is a very important
point!
KEYS TO THE SHAREWARE KINGDOM!
Study the following list carefully, perhaps print it on paper
and mark it with a colored highlighter. This list contains a
roster of filename extensions which reveals the type of file and
its possible contents and application.
FILE EXTENSIONS WHICH PROBABLY CONTAIN DOCUMENTATION,
INSTRUCTIONS OR PRINTED TEXT
.DOC ---------> Probable DOCumentation file
.TXT ---------> Probable Text (TXT) file
.MAN ---------> Probable MANual/instruction file
.LST ---------> Probable file containing a LIST.
.PRN ---------> Probable text file from a PRINTED source.
.INS ---------> Probable INSTRUCTIONS in text form.
.HLP ---------> Probable HELP text file.
. ---------> NO, EXTENSION. VERY LIKELY A TEXT FILE!
.HST ---------> Probable text file containing HISTORY of
program revisions
FILENAMES (WITH OR WITHOUT EXTENSIONS) WHICH PROBABLY
CONTAIN INSTRUCTIONS OR PRINTED TEXT
README ---------> VERY IMPORTANT TEXT FILE
READ.ME ---------> VERY IMPORTANT TEXT FILE
READ.1ST ---------> VERY IMPORTANT TEXT FILE
READ ---------> VERY IMPORTANT TEXT FILE
READ.NOW ---------> VERY IMPORTANT TEXT FILE
NOTE! There are so many variations of the "READ..." theme that
hopefully you can imagine other variations of this "READ..."
concept!
If you stop and think about it for a minute, most of these
extensions and filenames offer strong clues about file contents
and phonetically "hint" to you what the file contains. Here are
some examples you might actually see. Note the "clues" that tell
you text or instructions are available inside the file:
1232XX.TXT MAKE445.DOC SYSOPS.
ASEASY.LST MANUAL.TXT READ.
DATABASE.DOC MANUAL. AUTHOR.
ENTIRE.MAN FORMFEED.MAN VENDOR.
MONEY.TXT HOMEHELP.HLP README.
README.!!! HOMEHELP.LST README.NOW
READSOON. HOMEHELP.HST VENDORS.
BBM.PRN TRY44B.DOC MANUAL.PRN
Once you have determined that a file contains text or
instructions, you need to read the information on your screen.
There are three ways to do this 1) the hard old DOS way. 2) the
better DOS way 3) use a file viewer - easiest.
1) THE HARD, BUT ACCEPTABLE WAY: Use DOS TYPE command:
Example, A>type readme.doc (will type the document file
README.DOC to the screen)
Example, A>type B:readme.doc (will type the document file
README.DOC which is on the B: floppy drive)
Example, A>type readme.doc>prn (will type the document on your
printer). Important!
Use the Ctrl and S keys together to pause rapid screen
scrolling. Any key touched resumes and Ctrl-S again pauses. Use
Ctrl and C keys (Ctrl-C) to abort the whole process! Think of
this reminder: Ctrl-S means "stop." Ctrl-C means "crash the
process."
2) A SLIGHTLY BETTER WAY: DOS MORE AND PIPING
Here is another shortcut if the screen of information scrolls by
too fast to read. Use the DOS MORE filter. This MAY or MAY NOT
work on some computers. Switch to your hard drive where the file
MORE.COM usually resides in the DOS subdirectory. Now to read
the documentation file, for example README.DOC, on the A: drive,
do this:
C>TYPE A:README.DOC|MORE
Note that you are in the C: drive. You are viewing the file
README.DOC on the A: drive. The vertical bar | is usually on the
backslash key \ and is a shifted charter (uppercase). Note that
there are no blank spaces between the file name README.DOC, the
vertical bar | and the MORE command. This may or may not work on
all computers. MORE.COM must be pathed through the DOS directory
to work. More is a DOS filter. The vertical bar | is called a
pipe. Thus we are "piping" the output of the type command though
the more filter. Sounds odd, but this is one of the obscure
tricks of DOS!
3) THE BEST WAY: An external file viewer or browser. The easiest
and most comforable.
Sometimes a shareware vendor or computer club can provide a file
viewer. These go by many names. Popular viewers are LIST.COM,
BROWSE.COM, VIEW.EXE, PAGE.EXE and others. These let you view
inside a text file and page up and down with minimum muss and
fuss! For our example, let's pretend you are using the popular
LIST.COM program.
Example, A>list readme.doc (will type the document file
README.DOC to the screen)
Example, A>list A:readme.doc (will type the document file
README.DOC which is on the A: floppy drive to the screen)
Example, A>list C:\doc\readme.doc (will type the document
file README.DOC which is on the C: hard drive in the \DOC
subdirectory to the screen)
Here's another tip. Sometimes a shareware program may not use a
file like PROGRAM.DOC or README.TXT for instructions but instead
a program file like README.COM or MANUAL.EXE or VPDOCS.COM. The
idea here is that instead of using a TEXT FILE the programmer is
using a program to run and display the documentation! So for
this variation, you simple run the program to see the
documentation.
Example: for VPDOC.COM at the DOS prompt simply type the name
of the file: C>VPDOC (then press return/enter key)
Example: For README.COM C>README (then press return/enter
key)
Let's move on and talk about other filenames and extensions
which do other jobs on a computer.
OTHER IMPORTANT FILENAME EXTENSIONS
.EXE ---------> An EXECUTABLE FILE which starts program
.COM ---------> A COMMAND FILE which starts program
.BAT ---------> BATCH FILE which starts program
.BAS ---------> BASIC file which can be run with
the aid of the GWBASIC interpreter
GWBASIC which is normally on your DOS
disk or hard drive.
FILE EXTENSIONS WHICH INDICATE THE FILE
IS "COMPRESSED OR ARCHIVED" AND MUST BE UNPACKED PRIOR TO USE
.ZIP ---------> Compressed file, use PKUNZIP to unpack
.ARC ---------> Compressed file, use ARC
.PAK ---------> Compressed file, use PAK
.LZH ---------> Compressed file, use LHARC
.ZOO ---------> Compressed file, use ZOO
OTHER USEFUL EXTENSIONS
.BAK ---------> A backup or duplicate file
.DAT ---------> A data file
.CFG ---------> Configuration data for program
.WKS ---------> Spreadsheet file
.WK1 ---------> Spreadsheet file
.DBF ---------> Database file in dBase format
.ASC ---------> ASCII file, perhaps a basic program
saved in ASCII format
.BIN ---------> Binary file, file used by a program
Some shareware disk vendors try to help you by putting their own
files on a disk with a little extra information. The following
file examples might offer help in text or documentation form. An
advanced shareware user would guess quickly that these files
refer to a disk from a shareware vendor or computer club library
and are most probably disk number 565 in a larger set of
programs that vendor or club offers in a library collection.
NOTES565 TXT 1390 7-03-86 8:31a
FILES565 TXT 1728 7-03-86 8:37a
If you buy a disk from a disk vendor named BEST VALUE SHAREWARE
DISTRIBUTORS you might look for files such as the following
which also contain text, BAT, COM or other file startup
information.
Each vendor might use a different system, but watch for these
patterns as you list directory information on a shareware disk.
With the variety of methods, your best bet is to study filename
extensions for a few minutes and "play detective" which for some
folks is a bit of the interest in using shareware!
FILES PUT ON A DISK BY A HYPOTHETICAL SHAREWARE
DISK VENDOR NAMED BEST VALUE SHAREWARE INC.
BESTVAL.COM 1390 7-03-86 8:31a
BESTVAL.TXT 1728 7-03-86 8:37a
BV.DOC 5656 7-03-86 8:31a
RUNBEST.COM 1777 7-03-86 8:37a
BESTVAL.767 8787 8-9-91 9:30P
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COM, EXE AND BAT FILES START PROGRAMS
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A file ending in EXE or COM is a file which contains a
EXECUTABLE OR "RUNNABLE" program and is a way to start a
software package.
Examples:
To start PCF.EXE do this PCF (then press enter).
For DBFKK.EXE DBFKK (then press enter.)
Some files which end in BAS will need a basic interpreter such
as GWBASIC.EXE to operate. Example files would be GAME.BAS or
MUSIC.BAS. GWBASIC.EXE is usually included on your DOS disk
which came with the computer.
Another standard of shareware programs is to use batch files to
start programs. GO.BAT or MENU.BAT or START.BAT or INSTALL.BAT
are "batch files." Simply type the first word at the prompt to
proceed.
Example: for file GO.BAT GO (then press enter).
DOS searches a disk for programs to run in a precise order:
HELLO.COM ---------> Run this first if found then try
HELLO.EXE ---------> to find and run this then
HELLO.BAT ---------> try to find and run this.
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BASIC DATA FILES
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If you find a BASIC program file which ends in .BAS try this
per the following example . . .
For the file HELLO.BAS, first copy both GWBASIC.EXE
and HELLO.BAS to a blank formatted diskette. Then issue the
command:
A>GWBASIC HELLO
Another alternative is to leave GWBASIC.EXE on your hard drive
and tell it where the basic program is located.
Example: C>GWBASIC A:HELLO
The above example assumes a copy of GWBASIC.EXE resides on your
hard drive and a floppy containing the basic program HELLO.BAS
is on the A: drive.
The program will be loaded into GWBASIC and run. If you
don't care for the program, try to exit if the program gives
you a menu of choices, otherwise press CTRL-BREAK keys
at same time which will let GWBASIC exit. You will see an
"OK" prompt. Type the word "system" and press the return/enter
key to return you to DOS and leave GWBASIC.
Basic is a rather elegant and precise programming system if you
are interested! Pick up a book at your local library and you can
learn how to use GWBASIC.EXE on your DOS disk to write and modify
your own elaborate custom programs! Also investigate the
availability of affordable Basic compiler programs which prepare
speedy .EXE free standing programs rather than requiring you to
haul out your GWBASIC.EXE file each time you wish to run the
program.
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SOME EXAMPLES - OUR FIRST POP QUIZ!
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Try to puzzle through this pop quiz! Small stars next to the
filenames indicate an educated guess as to IMPORTANT TEXT
information or documentation contained within. These directory
lists are similar to what you might see on your screen when using
the DIR command when you first explore a new software disk. Brief
notes may follow each directory listing.
** means high probability documentation is contained within
* means some documentation possibly is contained within
BRUN10 EXE 58388 7-17-85 1:56p
BUSINESS DAT 384 5-04-86 6:42a
DELXTRA BAT 128 5-03-86 6:55p
MSG1 TXT 384 5-03-86 7:10p *
MSG2 TXT 768 5-03-86 7:23a *
PAY BAT 16 9-02-85 12:11p
PCPAY DOC 64512 5-04-86 7:11a **
PCPC EXE 51489 5-03-86 3:36p
PCPR EXE 21457 5-03-86 3:29p
PCPY EXE 32017 5-03-86 3:39p
PRNTDOC BAT 128 5-03-86 7:09p
README BAT 128 5-03-86 12:46p
GO BAT 668 7-03-86 8:39a
NOTES565 TXT 1390 7-03-86 8:31a *
FILES565 TXT 1728 7-03-86 8:37a *
Note that on the above disk the LARGEST file PCPAY.DOC contains
64,512 bytes. Its size leads to strong suspicion it contains
the main documentation. Shorter files probably contain other
useful data. The two files at the bottom of the directory listing
make one suspect this disk in number 565 in a club library or
disk vendor collection. Sherlock Holmes would approve of our
logic!
ASEASY EXE 205392 7-17-90 10:29a
ASEASY MSG 9636 7-16-90 6:27p *
ASEASY CFG 298 1-18-90 7:47p
ASEASY HLP 58346 4-25-90 9:05a **
HTREE EXE 9185 4-11-90 12:36a
ASAU400 COM 36610 4-11-90 2:26p
VENDOR DOC 3784 4-10-90 11:54p *
LICENSE DOC 4133 4-11-90 12:28a *
ORDER ME 4301 10-15-89 11:24p *
YESNO COM 97 10-02-86 9:47p
SETUP BAT 2873 7-18-90 12:26p
READ ME 19512 4-12-90 11:53a **
The largest file which hints it contains text data would be a
good candidate to examine! The file SETUP.BAT suggests that
some intial setup or configuration of the program is necessary
prior to use.
COMFILES <DIR> 12-05-89 4:48p
GOODBY 384 10-03-89 2:44p *
INTRO1 512 1-11-90 8:19a **
INTRO2 896 10-08-89 7:02p **
MENU 640 10-03-89 3:41p
NEWPROD 2176 10-03-89 3:40p *
MANUAL DOC 77568 2-02-91 11:12a **
QUICK DOC 33664 2-02-91 11:10a **
TUTR DOC 109696 10-02-89 4:30p **
SEBFI COM 2270 12-10-89 2:50p
SEBFI DOC 5888 12-05-89 8:04p *
SEBFI BAT 384 12-02-89 1:25p
LASTMIN ANN 512 12-08-89 1:45p *
GO BAT 1362 1-31-91 6:17p
SEBFIM BAT 384 12-08-89 3:05p
This is a disk with several important documentation files, but
a highly unusual second subdirectory! COMFILES <DIR> contains
other file(s) and must ALSO be examined. The DOS CD or
change directory command must be used to examine this other
subdirectory or file storage area of the disk. See your DOS manual.
Most shareware authors try to stay away from using additional
subdirectories on a disk which can confuse a beginner. The file
LASTMIN.ANN would tell an advanced shareware user that the file
contains "last minute announcements" and is most probably
a text file. TUTR.DOC probably means "tutorial document."
QUICK.DOC is probably quick startup documentation.
HM EXE 306347 8-28-90 11:48a
This is an odd disk indeed. No documentation? Actually this
is a special SELF-EXTRACTING file which is usually copied
to a hard drive run with the command HM. The file will proceed
to unpack itself and produce several files containing
documentation, COM or EXE files and more! Most authors would
include a small README file on the disk to advise you of this
fact, but this author has omitted even that! If you locate a
large EXE file, copy it to your hard drive (perhaps into
a subdirectory named TEMP or temporary) and then run the
file to cause it to unpack and produce all the little subfiles
which are the main program! Shareware authors do this to
conserve disk space or otherwise compress large programs to
fit onto fewer disks.
DBATE001 EXE 185785 3-25-90 9:07a
DBATE002 EXE 284884 6-22-90 11:28p
DBATE003 EXE 244771 9-19-90 7:47p
READ1ST EXE 6267 11-26-90 11:04p **
READ1ST.EXE is run since it is a self-extracting EXE file which
probably produces documentation notes. The other three files are
probably self-extracting files which produce three separate
programs. This is a case of multiple self-extracting files! A
clever author is highly compressing his data to save space on
disk!
FUNNELS EXE 59904 9-21-84 3:01p
FUNNELS DOC 14713 9-21-84 1:58p **
FUNNELS INV 2432 9-21-84 3:18p
ATC2 BLD 4096 8-23-84 9:08p
ATC EXE 50304 7-09-84 11:20a
AUTOEXEC BAT 11 7-12-84 10:29a
ATC DAT 384 1-01-80 1:04a
EUCHRE BAS 22784 7-21-84 3:09p
EUCHRE DOC 3645 7-21-84 3:52p **
CRC TXT 1123 11-16-84 7:06a *
FUNNELS SCR 128 11-25-88 10:27a
A relatively simple disk. Text or documentation files indicated.
Do you see the single basic BAS file which will require a copy
of GWBASIC.EXE?
Pop quiz part 2: Grab a few loose disks from any random source
and repeat this detective process a few times and you will soon
be a shareware GURU!