leif@ambush.UUCP (Leif Andrew Rump) (05/02/88)
In article <2501@ihuxy.ATT.COM> vg55611@ihuxy.ATT.COM (Gopal) writes: >Perhaps the problem can be avoided altogether by setting up one directory >(let's say c:\bin) that contains .bat files to execute your programs >stored in other directories. >This a) makes the PATH short - perhaps all it may be is: c:\bin; c;\dos; > b) makes it shorter to find a program since all the directories in > the path does not have to be searched. > c) also provides a way to set up the environment for that particular > program. For example, let us say that a program called "someprog" > requires an environment variable called "someenvv" to be set. You > can set up this variable using the batch file, execute the program, > and then scrap this variable so that it does not take up any > environment space. > sp.bat = set someenvv=whatever > c:\somedir\someprog > set someenvv= >'tis what I do and has worked well for me. You probably want to add an >"echo off" also to the batch file. I'm working with a whole bunch of programmers that use hours to find the file they made 2 days ago! It takes me 10 seconds to find mine - because I'm using the same system as above - in a bit extended form - which I will describe now for anybody who's interrested. My first point is to keep my root directory as empty as possible - no files and only a few directories. But as you may have guessed DOS (I hate that system!) imposses some rules that I can't break so I end up with two files: AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS (plus of course IBMIO and IBMSYS - or something simular), but that's better than page and page of files. My directory tree lookes something like this: AUTOEXEC.BAT CONFIG.SYS 2 hidden files | +- TMP is deleted everytime the computer bootes | +- UTIL contains one file programs | +- APPLIC contains a lot of .BAT-files | | | +- PROCOMM all my PROCOMM-files | | | +- TP4 my Turbo Pascal 4.x directory (when I get it!) | | | | | +- SRC... | | ... | | | ... | +- USR empty! | | | +- COMPILER my homebuild testcompiler | | | +- MIDNIGHT my midnight program | | | +- FORTUNE my fortune program | | | ... | +- GAMES where else? | +- LC if I got it, it won't go anyother place - stupid program | ... My CONFIG.SYS-file looks something like: COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /e:512 /p ... And my AUTOEXEC.BAT contains f.x.: set path=C:\DOS;C:\APPLIC;C:\UTIL set comspec=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM if not exist C:\TMP\*.* goto noexist echo y | del C:\TMP :noexist ... CON's: It's fast and it works - I ALLWAYS know where my files are! PRO's: every single .BAT-file eats 2K of my harddisk space! Leif Andrew Rump, Ambrasoft A/S, Roejelskaer 15, DK-2840 Holte (Denmark) UUCP: leif@ambush.dk, phone: +45 2424 111, ABC BBS: +456800544 "It tasted almost but not entirely unlike tea" - The Hitch hicker's Guide to the Galaxy