China DOS Union

Hope: DN has a very handy text editor, but it is not a standalone executable program; it is integrated into DN. So I'm wondering whether it can be separated out and made into an independent program. That is my purpose in reposting this article. I hope everyone can help and look into it.


(Repost) Sailing in DOS — A Detailed Guide to Using DOSNavigator
………………………………… Guangdong Cai Xuan



At last, the finest DOS shell has appeared: DOSNavigator V1.5. Whether or not you are a loyal DOS supporter, the arrival of DOSNavigator (hereafter referred to as DN) is enough to get you excited.

I. Introduction
1. The most attractive thing about it
Before this, other DOSSHELLs and NC never changed my habit of using DOS, because in their environments you still needed a lot of software, and you still launched them with the keyboard (using the keyboard because it was fast and out of old habit). But DN is different from them: DN itself already has a huge number of built-in functions, so many that it is hard to imagine. Since you can get everything inside DN, of course you no longer need other software. On top of that, DN's built-in functions can multitask, which is another tempting factor. How could you possibly keep DN at arm's length? So of course the most attractive things about DN are its many functions and multitasking!
Many functions: just look at what DN brings you—file management, file reading, article editing, file splitting, file printing, floppy formatting, disk editing, recovery of deleted files, system information, a multi-base mini calculator, phone book, CD player, dialing and logging in, screen copying, all kinds of screen savers, recycle bin, the classic Tetris game, and so on. Everything you are most familiar with is there. Some commonly used functions already reach a professional level, and the less-used ones are still enough for ordinary needs. Even more rare, all this takes only 1.6 MB of space. Quite a bargain, isn't it? With DN, what else do you need?
Multitasking: most of DN's built-in functions can work in multitasking mode within DN. You don't mean to say you don't even know what multitasking is, do you? Want to write an article while playing a CD and managing files at the same time? That is multitasking, and the only thing you need to remember is ALT＋TAB.
2. Installation
Installing DN is very simple, but first you must make sure your computer can run MS Windows3.1, because that is also the minimum requirement for DN. Type INSTALL and the big letters DN will appear right away; after that, just follow the prompts step by step and press Enter. There are two things to pay attention to: first, in the language selection at the beginning, choose English, not Russian (unless you know Russian?); second, if you are installing directly from the CD-ROM, do not search for an old version of DN, otherwise you will just have to sit there waiting in front of the computer.
After the files are copied, DN will tell you that it has added its own path to your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file. But you needn't worry, because the modification is very safe. DN is not like some software that will leave 10 paths in AUTOEXEC.BAT after being installed 10 times, so it doesn't even ask whether you want to modify it. At this point the whole installation is finished. From now on, no matter where you are, DN will be there whenever you call it.

II. Detailed explanation of the main functions
1. Basic operations of the file manager
Guess what window you see first when entering DN? Not a welcome window, not a file window, but an error message window, because you have not registered yet, so first you have to press Enter once to show that you already know. After the trial period ends, DN will delete itself automatically. If you want to use DN well, you'd better register it!
Welcome to DOSNavigator. In front of you is the file list window of the current directory. Try dragging the border lines of the table with the mouse, or moving the divider in the middle—see it? The whole window and the left and right panes inside it can all be freely resized, while the title part moves the whole window. There are also close and maximize icons in the left and right corners. Looks a lot like Windows, doesn't it? If you are already very familiar with Windows, you might as well treat DN as Windows. That is really a good idea for learning DN quickly!
Like other file managers, you can drag files from one side to the other with the mouse. Of course, you can also use the right mouse button or the spacebar to select multiple files and then operate on them together. To run software, just double-click it or press Enter. If you want to run it with parameters, you might as well press Ctrl＋Enter to copy the executable file name to the DOS command line, and then you can conveniently add parameters after the name.
Even if you have not installed DOSKEY, you can still use previously executed commands on DN's command line just like DOSKEY. Here are some shortcut keys; maybe they will help you a lot.
Shortcut keys:
Shift＋ and Shift＋: copy previous commands.
Ctrl＋Enter: copy the selected filename in the file manager to the command line.
Ctrl＋Shift＋Enter: copy the full selected filename in the file manager to the command line.
Ctrl＋
: copy the current directory name to the command line.
Shift＋Insert: copy the contents of the clipboard to the command line.
Shift＋Ctrl＋Ins: copy the command line to the clipboard.
Ctrl＋Insert: copy the selected filename in the file manager to the clipboard.
Ctrl＋\: go directly back to the root directory.
Backspace: go back to the parent directory, equivalent to CD.
2. What is inside a file with View
View also has a submenu: As is automatically uses a suitable or user-specified format for display, As Text displays in text format, As Hex displays in hexadecimal format, As DataBase displays in database format, As Spreadsheet displays as a spreadsheet, and Alternate view displays using DN's built-in viewer.
Just as you saw above, DN's viewer can display in four formats: text, hexadecimal, database, and spreadsheet. As for which display format to use, DN automatically decides according to the file extension and file contents. For example, articles use text format, executable files use hexadecimal format. If you think the formats are not rich enough, you only need to edit DN's View format table a little to make it happen.

Give it a try and let View show more things:

Want to display pictures? Just write down the extensions of all picture files and the software used to display them. Use Viewers... under the Options menu and write them according to its format, for example, using SEA to display pictures:
BMP,GIF,JPG,PCX:C:\SEA\SEA
When your article is too wide, just press F2, and DN will wrap the overflowing part to the next line, so you no longer have to tilt your head to the right side of the monitor. Even if you choose text format, you can still switch to hexadecimal while reading. In hexadecimal mode you can also use the GOTO function to jump to a specified hexadecimal address.
Want to find something in an article? DN's search input box supports both character input and hexadecimal input, just like PCTOOLS, and it also has options such as case sensitivity, whole words, and forward/backward search.
Advantage: compared with other viewers, DN has an extra Filter, specially used for filtering characters. Normally what you see is the file's original contents, but if you only want to focus on certain characters—for example, you don't want Chinese—then use ASCII mode to display only characters 32 to 126, and Chinese characters will naturally disappear. There is also a 32-to-255 mode, which does not display control characters.
Do you have the same regret as I do: when reading a very large file, you cannot finish it in one go, and when you come back next time you forget where you left off, so you have to PageDown through it page by page. Those days are gone. DN's viewer automatically remembers the line number for you, so next time it will naturally open where you were last time. No need to use GOTO like in other software.

3. Edit files with Edit
Editing files is one of the things computers do best. Although DN's built-in editor does not have WPS's excellent Chinese processing ability, nor QEDIT's all-inclusive features, it is not vague about anything, and it is even better than DOS7's EDIT! In operation and as a whole, Edit is much like DOS's EDIT. Even the most convenient Shift＋arrow key block definition from DOS's EDIT has been brought into DN, but DN can also switch block type through F5: line block and rectangular block. Besides the most commonly used copying and moving, you can also print a block; save the block contents to disk; change letters from uppercase to lowercase or vice versa; align text center, left, or right; total up the numbers in a block; and shift the whole block left or right.
Advantage: multitasking can bring you convenience, but it can also bring misfortune. When you are halfway through writing an article and suddenly want to run an external command, DN's editor will remind you that the file has not yet been saved, to prevent an external command crash from making all your previous work go to waste.
From the moment you open an article, the editor has already insured it for you automatically, the only condition being that you have enough memory. This UNDO function covers everything. Unless you have saved the file, there is no need to fear any operation at all. Nothing you do will have any effect on your article. If you discover that you accidentally deleted a large section of text, just press ALT＋Backspace and it can be completely restored. Remember to press it only appropriately, otherwise if you press too much the article will return to its original state. Don't say I didn't warn you in advance.
Quite a few editing programs can keep the cursor at the last position when you continue editing an article you edited before. DN's editor not only does that, it does even more: whether it is the last search string or the last defined block, DN remembers them all clearly.
Disadvantage: it cannot edit files that are too large. Could this be related to memory? Although it also supports manual table drawing with Shift＋arrow keys, it cannot lock the table lines, and the table lines are not Chinese table lines either.
Edit menu:
Edit|UNDO: cancel the last operation.
Edit|Copy to: write the defined block as a file (write block to file).
Edit|Paste from: load a file at the current cursor position (read file into block).
Search|Go to line: go to a specified line.
Paragraph|Justify: move the defined block to the beginning of the line (default is column 5).
Paragraph|Right: move the defined block to the right (right align).
Paragraph|Left: move the defined block to the left (left align).
Paragraph|Center: move the defined block to the middle (center align).
Paragraph|Margins: define left and right margins and the line start.
Block|Indent: move the block one position to the right.
Block|Unindent: move the block one position to the left.
Block|Uppercase: convert all characters in the block to uppercase.
Block|Lowercase: convert all characters in the block to lowercase.
Block|Capitalize: convert the first letter of each word in the block to uppercase and the other letters to lowercase.
Block|Sort: sort the characters in a rectangular block.
Block|Calculate: perform addition on the rectangular block, and place the result in the clipboard.
Misc|Insert date: insert the date at the current cursor position.
Misc|Insert time: insert the time at the current cursor position.
Misc|Duplicate line: duplicate the current line.
Misc|ASCII Table: ASCII table lookup and input.
Misc|Line Drawing: change the line type (Shift＋arrow keys for drawing lines).

4. Find makes finding things no longer difficult
Is there something you can't find? As long as it is related to files, DN can help you find it. It is the best search software I have ever seen. Besides entering the filename you want to find in File Make, you can also enter the string to search for in Text to find. DN has perfectly combined file searching and string searching into one, so it can search for files, search for strings, or do both at once.
Any other demands? From case sensitivity to whole words, from this disk to all disks, from file size to file time, none of these can stump DN.
Find options:
Case sensitive: whether to distinguish uppercase and lowercase.
Whole words: whether to match whole words only.
Recursive search: whether to search subdirectories.
Entire disk: search the entire current disk.
Current directory: search starting from the current directory.
All drives: search all hard disks.
Date is after: the file creation date must be later than the specified date.
Date is before: the file creation date is earlier than the specified date. Size is greater than: the file size is larger than the specified size.
Size is less than: the file size is smaller than the specified size.
Archive,Hidden,System,Read－only: match the specified archive, hidden, system, and read-only attributes.

5. Format disk formats floppies
DN can format all kinds of standard and non-standard floppy disks. Capacities can be: 360K, 720K, 800K, 830K, 1.2M, 1.44M, and 1.6M, but it cannot format hard disks.
After choosing the drive and a suitable capacity, selecting an appropriate formatting mode can speed up the formatting process. There are four formatting modes to choose from: Fast, DOS, Safe, and Quick. The safe and fast formatting are the same as DOS FORMAT, while Quick works only on disks that have already been formatted.
Other options include: Make disk bootable, Mark full track if bad, and Optimize sectors.
In the advanced functions, you can also set various parameters required for formatting at will, and thus make very unusual floppy disks. Warning! DN can format floppies of various capacities, but if you have not run programs such as 800 or FDREAD, DN will not be able to read floppies of special capacities.
Note:
Unregistered users cannot use advanced functions.

6. Reanimator recovers deleted files
I really don't know why DN gave undelete this name instead of the common UNDELETE or UNERASE. DN lists all deleted files in the current directory and provides their size, time, attributes, and degree of recoverability. When the recoverability is Good or Average, it can even preview the file contents. During preview, you are allowed to Copy the file into another file. The advantage of this is that there is no need to modify the disk, and Windows95 will not pop up that annoying message about damaging long filenames.
Because DN itself has no deletion tracking function, when recovering a file you still have to enter the first letter of the file, and while entering it DN will also tell you which letters cannot be used. Without deletion tracking, Novell DOS7 does better than MSDOS, because the former does not require entering the first letter when undeleting. This advantage shows up when recovering an entire directory.
Note:
If this is your first time using this function or disk editing, DN will refuse your request, because these functions involve disk safety. So before using them, follow its prompt: choose Configuration under Options, then select System setup, and you will see the Direct access option. Click the square bracket in front of the option with the mouse. When an X appears, it means success.

7. CD player
The CD-ROM drive has already become an indispensable part of the computer. Since playing a CD on the computer does not affect other software, listening to a CD while working is really a pleasure. For that reason, all kinds of CD players can be seen everywhere. How could DN forget such an important function? Do not underestimate this built-in CD player. Compared with most playback software you have used, it has more functions and is more powerful.
Although it has no graphical interface, the common symbols make it understandable at a glance. If you want to choose a track, click the time display on the screen with the mouse or press the 0 key, then it will ask you to enter the track number. One thing to note here: the number entered must be two digits; if it is fewer than two digits, add a 0 in front. For example, track 9 is entered as 09.
If you want to make the CD player suit your own use better, then you need to configure it. Click the maximize icon in the upper right corner of the player with the mouse or press the E key, and the settings window will appear. Among the options, new CD auto play and auto eject CD at the end are enabled by default. Other options include repeat play and locking the drive door.
Give it a try and play a joke on a friend:
Make Lock door take effect, then the CD-ROM drive's Eject button will stop working. Isn't it funny to watch him fail to get the CD out?
Usually when you listen to a CD, you do it in the normal mode, but DN also provides demo, shuffle, one-song, and order playback modes. Demo mode means listening to only 16 seconds of each track before moving to the next one, so you can quickly hear what every track sounds like without pressing any keys. Shuffle mode makes the computer choose tracks out of order. A good song never gets old, so one-song mode lets you listen to it to your heart's content. Not every track on a CD sounds good, so pick out the ones you like and use order mode to play them, and the tracks you hate will never be heard again.
DN can also let you add song titles for tracks and use an external mixer.
Note:
Unregistered users cannot use ordered playback or the title display function.
Settings options:
New disk auto play: automatically play a new CD.
Eject disk at end: automatically eject the CD after playback ends.
Lock door: lock the CD-ROM drive door.
Repeat mode: repeat playback.
Normal: normal playback.
Intro: demo playback, only the first 16 seconds are played.
Shuffle: random playback.
One song: single-track playback.
Order: playback in order.
Give it a try and make CDs autoplay:
Wouldn't you like DN to start playing automatically as soon as you put a CD into the CD-ROM drive? Then follow me: press Ctrl＋F11 to activate the CD player, then press E to bring up the settings menu. Check whether there is an X in front of New disk auto play. If not, click it once with the mouse, then choose Save desktop under Options. DN will save the current desktop state, so the next time you start DN, the CD player will also start with it, and the CD will naturally play automatically.

8. Phone Book
Don't misunderstand. Although DN's phone book has the same name as the one you carry around, DN's phone book really can be used to make phone calls. I think the best use here would be to write in the phone numbers of the BBS stations you visit often. Of course, if you don't mind its simplicity, you can also enter the phone numbers of your relatives and friends.
Before entering a number, first you need to choose a group for it or create a new group. For example, if what you want to enter is Crescent Moon BBS, you might as well create a group called Guangzhou BBS. Then whenever you want to enter another Guangzhou BBS station later, you can use this group. All groups can be password protected.
Entering phone numbers is easy. First is Name, then Phone, and finally related information in Memo. The phone book also supports Search, Delete, Dupe, Add, Sort, Edit, Dial, and other functions.
Advantage: when you select the BBS station you want to log into and press the Dial key, DN will use its built-in dial-up connection function to dial. The whole process runs in the background. If your MODEM can recognize a busy tone, DN will automatically redial until the call gets through. From now on, getting onto a station is no longer difficult!

9. Terminal for dialing in and logging onto stations
Friends who have a MODEM, take note: whether you want to log onto a station or connect with a friend, DN can handle it. But first it is best to set up your MODEM properly: terminal emulation and Terminal default settings are in Terminal... under Options|Configuration, while MODEM settings are in Communications... under Options|Configuration.
The transfer protocols supported by DN are XModem, YModem, ZModem, and Kermit. Terminal emulation supports emulates ANSI, AVATAR, TTY, VT52, and VT102.
Options in Communications...:
Port: the serial port connected to the MODEM.
Baud rate: the maximum speed of the MODEM.
Init string: MODEM initialization string.
On－hook: hang-up string ATH0|, where this | means the Enter key.
Dial prefix: dial prefix ATDT.
Dial suffix: dial suffix |.
Redial: redial interval (seconds).
All set? Besides using Dial in the phone book to log onto a station, you can also use Alt＋A for manual dialing to enter a phone number. All dialing is done in the background, so you do not need to stare at the dialing process. DN will naturally keep dialing until it gets through, and you can stop it at any time as well.
Terminal operations:
F2: send Text text file.
F4: send Break.
PgUp: upload file.
PgDN: download file.
Alt＋I: initialize modem.
Alt＋H: hang up.
Alt＋V: local echo on/off.
Alt＋F8: previous commands.
DN's Navigator Link is somewhat similar to DOS INTERLNK, but more powerful. In Navigator's connection mode it supports full duplex and real-time data compression, and can also access the remote computer through the Panel or Manager menu, performing the following operations: create directory, delete directory, copy file, delete file, read file, etc.
Note:
Unregistered users cannot use the 115200 BPS connection speed.

10. Options configuration
You may be dissatisfied with certain parts of DN, but that is all right, perfectly normal. Through Options you can make it just the way you like. DN allows you to configure almost every part of it. Such a powerful degree of openness makes Options rather complicated, with menu after menu. Anyone who has never used it really may feel at a loss.
Here you can configure things such as enabling or disabling fast copy (Disable XMS/EMSusage), enabling or disabling disk editing (Direct access), enabling or disabling DN's editor or viewer from remembering the last position (ClearHistory), and so on. As long as you make good use of these settings, everyday work will become much more efficient. Below are the most important Configuration settings menus in Options.
Configuration settings:
System Setup:
Internal editor: use the internal editor.
Internal viewer: use the internal viewer.
Use system clipboard: use the system clipboard.
Show hidden files: show hidden files.
Advanced copy: advanced copy function.
Clear read－only from CD: clear the read-only attribute from CD files.
Disable XMS/EMSusage: disable use of XMS/EMS memory.
Direct access: allow direct disk access.
Verify disk writes: verify writes.
Startup options:
Auto run User Menu: automatically run the user's menu.
Clear History: clear previous memory.
Load overlays to XMS: load overlay modules into XMS memory.
Load overlays to EMS: load overlay modules into EMS memory.
Autosave Desktop: automatically save the desktop.
Interface:
Clock: display the time.
Hide menu bar: hide the menu bar.
Hide status line: hide the status line.
Track editing history: track the editor's past operations.
Track viewing history: track the viewer's past operations.
Hide Command Line: hide the command line.
Auto hide Command Line: automatically hide the command line.
Confirmations:
Erase single file: deleting a single file.
Erase multiple files: deleting multiple files.
Erase non－empty sub－dir: deleting a non-empty subdirectory.
Erase read－only files: deleting read-only files.
Create non－existing dir: creating a directory that does not exist.
Close CDplayer: closing the CD player.
Drag－and－drop operations: drag-and-drop operations.
Exit confirmation: confirm exit.
Screen savers: screen savers.
Printer setup: printer settings.
Country support: settings for time, currency, etc.
Mouse: mouse settings.
Communications.: MODEM settings.
Editor/Viewer: editor and viewer settings.
Terminal: terminal emulation settings.

Here is DN's download address: http://www.ritlabs.com/dn/ (with source code)

You said a whole lot, but it seems no one is interested. Maybe it comes from people's habits in using DOS. Besides, compared with Windows users, the number of people using DOS is pitifully small.

Haha! Yeah, even for us, what we use most in daily life is WINDOWS. After all, there aren't many people who understand DOS now.

Good post

It really is a good thing. Is there a cracked version?? Of course, if there were a Chinese one or a Chinese-localized version, that would be even better, hehe

That's the freeware version! No crack needed.

Where's Part 2?

Oh, I couldn't find Part 2...