The second method for obtaining help is to use HELP, followed by the keyword you want information about. If you don’t know the keyword you are looking for, just type HELPand you are presented with a list of command keywords from which to choose.
The online help system displays a detailed description of the command’s function, correct syntax, available switches, and a detailed explanation of the effect of each switch.
The online help system also contains special notes and examples related to each command, which enables you to view information on related commands or topics by using only a few keystrokes. If you have a mouse, using the online help system is a snap. You even can print information on selected commands.
To get the complete online help for the DIRcommand, for example, type the following and then press Enter:
HELP DIR
DOS displays the online help screen shown in Figure 3.2.
Navigating the Help System
The online help system contains a great deal of information and provides several ways for you to locate, view, and print topics of interest to you. You can use either a mouse or the keyboard to issue commands in the online help system; this section describes both methods.
Most of the keystrokes and mouse movements are the same for the help system as they are for the DOS Shell program.
➔ For more detailed information about moving around a window, see Chapter 4, “Using the DOS Shell,”
p. 57.
Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
DIR [drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list.
/P Pauses after each screenful of information.
/W Uses wide list format.
/A Displays files with specified attributes
attribs D Directories R Read-only files H Hidden files
S System files A Files ready to archive - Prefix meaning
“not”
O/ List by files in sorted order.
sortord N By name (alphabetic) S By size (smallest first)
E By extension (alphabetic) D By date & time (earliest first)
G Group directories first - Prefix to reverse order C By compression ratio (smallest first)
/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories.
/B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary).
/L Uses lowercase.
/C[H] Displays file compression ratio; /CH uses host allocation unit size.
Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable. Override preset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen) -- for example, /-W.
48 Chapter 3 Using DOS Commands
Because the HELPcommand provides such complete information, information about a topic or command usually requires more than one screen. To view all the information about a topic, you must scroll the display forward and backward.
To scroll through the text one line at a time, use one of the following methods:
■ Click the downward-pointing scroll arrow in the scrollbar at the right edge of the screen to move forward one line. To move backward, click the upward-pointing scroll arrow.
■ Press the Ctrl+down arrow key combination to move forward; press the Ctrl+up arrow key combination to move backward.
To scroll through the text one screen at a time, use one of these methods:
■ Click the scrollbar below the scroll box to move forward one screen; click above the scroll box to move backward.
■ Press the PgDn key to move forward one whole screen; press the PgUp key to move backward.
In Figure 3.2, notice the words Notes and Examples near the top-left corner of the screen.
Each word is enclosed within solid, triangular characters. Each of these specially marked words is a jump. A jump provides a link to additional information on the currently selected topic or to related topics.
Jumps in the body of the help system’s text are marked with angle brackets (<>). The brack-ets are colored to help you more easily see them if your video card and monitor support color. Although not shown in Figure 3.2, the word <TREE>at the end of the DIRhelp text is another example of a jump.
When you select a jump, the online help system displays the text related to the topic named by the jump word. To select a jump, use one of the following methods:
Figure 3.2 The DOS online help facility shows syntax, notes, and examples about each DOS command.
Getting Help 49
■ Click the jump with the mouse.
■ Move the cursor over the jump and then press Enter.
If you select the <Examples>jump shown in Figure 3.2, the help system displays a screen containing examples of the DIRcommand and explanations of each example. Selecting a jump such as <TREE>causes the help system to display the help for the TREEcommand.
In Figure 3.2, the solid bar across the top of the screen with the words File and Search is the help system’s menu bar. You use the help system’s pull-down menus in the same way you use the pull-down menus in the DOS Shell.
➔ If you are unfamiliar with using pull-down menus, see Chapter 4, “Using the DOS Shell,” p. 57.
The choices on the File menu enable you to print a topic or exit the online help system.
The choices on the Search menu enable you to search for a topic, word, or phrase and repeat the last search.
Another solid bar appears at the bottom of the screen (refer again to Figure 3.2). The bottom-right corner of this area of the help screen displays numbers indicating the current line and column number of the cursor. In Figure 3.2, the cursor is at line 1, column 2 of the help text for the DIRcommand.
At the left edge of this area, three keystroke combinations and their functions are displayed:
<Alt+C=Contents> <Alt+N=Next> <Alt+B=Back>
Each label enclosed in brackets also doubles as a command button if you have a mouse. You can click the command button or press the key command, Alt+C, causes the online help sys-tem to display its table of contents. Each isys-tem in the table of contents is a jump. The Next command, Alt+N, causes the online help system to display the next topic. The Back com-mand, Alt+B, causes the online help system to display the last topic you looked at.
Table 3.1 summarizes the command keys, and their actions, available in the online help system.
Table 3.1 Online Help Command Keys
Key Action
Alt Activates the help system menu
Alt+B Returns to the last topic you viewed
Alt+C Displays the list of topics covered in the help system
Alt+F Opens the File menu
Alt+S Opens the Search menu
Alt+N Moves to the next topic
Ctrl+down arrow Scrolls the screen down one line Ctrl+up arrow Scrolls the screen up one line
3 I
Part
Ch
50 Chapter 3 Using DOS Commands
Ctrl+Home Moves to the beginning of the current topic Ctrl+End Moves to the end of the current topic
Enter Selects a menu command or selects the jump under the cursor (the DOS help system displays the text for the jump topic)
Esc Cancels a command; closes a menu or dialog box without making a selec-tion or carrying out the acselec-tion
F1 Displays context-sensitive help on using the online help system
F3 Repeats the last search
A–Z Moves to the next jump beginning with the letter pressed Shift+letter Moves to the previous jump beginning with the letter pressed
PgUp Scrolls the text up one screen
PgDn Scrolls the text down one screen
Shift+Ctrl+F1 Moves to the preceding topic
Tab Moves clockwise to the next jump
Shift+Tab Moves counterclockwise to the next jump
Printing a Topic
The online help system enables you to print the text for the currently displayed topic. You may optionally send the output to a file on your disk instead of to the printer. The Print command is located on the File menu.
When the help system displays the File menu, click the Print command. The help system opens the Print dialog box shown in Figure 3.3.
➔ For information on using dialog boxes, option buttons, text boxes, and command buttons, see Chapter 4, “Using the DOS Shell,” p. 57.
Table 3.1 Continued
Key Action
Figure 3.3 The online help system’s Print dialog box.
To print the current topic on your printer, simply press Enter or click the OK command button. To send the text for the current topic to a disk file, select the File option button;