Re: XyShell

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from "Paul Breeze"

Paul:

The message, 'Process "*C:\WINDOWS\system32\CMD.EXE*" not
found', is NOT an error. I thought we were talking about
some sort of DOS error. In fact, it's nothing more than a
message, telling the user that the default SWitch-To process
-- the one switched to if no other process is specified when
you launch SWitch -- doesn't currently exist (isn't
currently running). Maybe I should describe SWitch in some
detail:

If, for example, you go to Start==>Run and issue "CMD.EXE",
which opens a DOS command window either on the Desktop or in
a full screen session, and you now launch SWitch without any
argument, you will switch to that process (no more "not
found" message).

If however you don't want to SWitch to the default, command
"SW *" at DOS; you'll get a list of
all running (and SWitchable) processes that you can SWitch
to. (By "switchable", I mean not detached [no longer
controlled by the GUI but running on its own as an
autonomous process], or "Invisible" and running in deep
background -- there are plenty of those, things that control
screen display for example, or sound, but they are not
focusable by users, there is nothing to see or do with
them.)

You can change the default SWitch process at XyWWWeb.REG
Variable "Default_Switch_Process_Win32". Try the following
experiment. Comment out (leading ";") your current default,
and add:

Default_Switch_Process_Win32=Program Manager

SAve it. Now command "SW" (no argument). You
switch to Program Manager (Windows' name for the Desktop
GUI). _Note_ that *no process has focus*! All Titlebars in
visible (not minimized) Desktop windows will be dimmed, and
no item in the SysTray will be selected. Why? Because
Program Manager *itself* has focus! The GUI itself is the
foreground program.

Now alter the default SW process name and deliberately
misspell it, e.g.:

Default_Switch_Process_Win32=Program Manger

"Manger", not Manager. Again command "SW" (no
argument). See what happens? Message 'Process "*Program
Manger*" not found' is displayed, followed by a list of all
running processes available to switch to (the current
TaskList).

Try command "SW prog". That's a substring of
"Program Manager". If it is a unique sub$tring in the
Tasklist, i.e. no other running program contains the $tring
"prog" (case-insensitive) in its title, then you nonstop
SWitch to Program Manager. If, however, there is more than
one title found with that sub$tring in its title, all
matches are listed for you to choose among. Assuming you
have several processes running, try commanding "SW e" or
some other letter that occurs in several titles; you'll get
a list of all matches, preceded by the message: 'Multiple
"*e*" processes found'. If you don't want any of those
programs, then hit  to see the complete Tasklist. If
you abort (Escape), you bounce right back to XyWrite. Since
SWitch _knows_ that it was launched by XyWrite, XyWrite
itself is not listed among the switchable processes -- you
just abort to return to XyWrite.

Importantly, SWitch can be used from the DOS command line as
well -- from _any_ DOS command line, in any DOS session
(whether CMD.EXE or COMMAND.COM); and if you launch SWitch
from outside XyWrite, then XyWrite _is_ listed among
SWitchable processes. If you command "SW e", it will
first list all processes with substring "e" in their title.
An empty  (no number entered) will display the full
Tasklist. A second  exits to DOS.

Optional command line switch "/C" (e.g. "sw e /c") will
not only SWitch to a selected process, but also kill (exit)
the current command line process. Otherwise (default) the
current command line process remains open and running.

The "{number}" displayed after a process Title is the
Process ID (internal handle). If you have two processes
running that both bear the same or similar Titles, you can
discriminate between them by the ProcID.

Philosophically, SWitch is a text-based, no-mouse, keyboard-
only alternative to Alt-Tab or to Taskman (C-A-D) -- the
former is disruptive and truly sucks, it often doesn't even
list all available processes (such as some full screen
processes); the latter is even more disruptive, and
furthermore is dangerous (a slip-of-the-fingers double
invocation leads to system Shutdown). SWitch also avoids
displaying the Desktop, if your system launch default is
full-screen.

A related NT-only XyShell utility is the program
XYSHLCON.REX -- command at DOS "rexx xyshlcon.rex" to
get a summary of usage. It sets the system's default to
Full screen VGA or Desktop windows, so that a command to
"shell to separate DOS session", or to open *any* kind of
text-based DOS process, knows whether to open it on the Desktop
or not. There's a pared-down version of this in U2, called
"FSWIN", which simply toggles the standard launch
mode for DOS sessions between FullScreen and Desktop
Windows. Both commands set the default in the Windows
Registry; the setting "sticks", systemwide, until you change
it again.

Let me know if this helps to resolve some of your difficulties.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
-----------------------------