ANN: EditVar/EditV32/EditV64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 v2.0

[Bill Stewart]

EditVar/EditV32/EditV64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 v2.0

Home page: http://www.westmesatech.com/editv.html

EditVar/EditV32/Editv64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 are command-line
tools designed to allow for user input in shell scripts (AKA batch
files). There are three .exe files for each program: DOS, Win32, and Win64.

EditVar works by obtaining the contents of an environment variable and
presenting it for interactive editing. If you make any changes to the
variable's contents and press Enter, EditVar writes the changed variable
to the parent environment of the program that started it (typically
Cmd.exe). EditV32 requires Windows NT 4.0 or later; for Windows 9x/Me,
use the MS-DOS version.

EditVar is similar to the Cmd.exe Set /p command in Windows 2000 and
later, but it may be preferable for the following reasons:

* It allows you to edit a variable, not just set one.
* It can limit the length of the typed variable.
* It can mask the typed input for simple password security.
* It can limit typed input to numbers only.
* It offers a timeout feature (useful when a script needs to run
unattended).
* It can automatically "escape" reserved shell characters in variables
it creates.
* It provides useful exit codes: For example, an exit code of 4 means
that the user pressed Ctrl-C to abort.
* It comes with an MS-DOS version that works in Windows 9x/Me as well as
on MS-DOS boot media.

Choose is similar to the Microsoft Choice tool, but it has more
features. Here are some reasons why it might be preferable to Choice:

* It doesn't beep when the user makes an invalid choice.
* It offers a "default key" feature, which lets a user press Enter to
select a default choice.
* It comes with a DOS version (useful for MS-DOS boot media).
* The Win32 version's timeout feature doesn't get confused when you run
multiple instances in separate console windows (this was a problem with
earlier Win32 console versions of Microsoft's Choice tool).
* It can suppress the display of the user's choice.
* It offers a "line input" mode where the user must press Enter after
making a choice.

What's new?

Version 2.0 includes 64-bit Windows versions.

[Tim Meddick]

Very interesting!......


==



Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)

Post by Bill Stewart
EditVar/EditV32/EditV64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 v2.0
Home page: http://www.westmesatech.com/editv.html
EditVar/EditV32/Editv64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 are command-line
tools designed to allow for user input in shell scripts (AKA batch files).
There are three .exe files for each program: DOS, Win32, and Win64.
EditVar works by obtaining the contents of an environment variable and
presenting it for interactive editing. If you make any changes to the
variable's contents and press Enter, EditVar writes the changed variable
to the parent environment of the program that started it (typically
Cmd.exe). EditV32 requires Windows NT 4.0 or later; for Windows 9x/Me, use
the MS-DOS version.
EditVar is similar to the Cmd.exe Set /p command in Windows 2000 and
* It allows you to edit a variable, not just set one.
* It can limit the length of the typed variable.
* It can mask the typed input for simple password security.
* It can limit typed input to numbers only.
* It offers a timeout feature (useful when a script needs to run
unattended).
* It can automatically "escape" reserved shell characters in variables it
creates.
* It provides useful exit codes: For example, an exit code of 4 means that
the user pressed Ctrl-C to abort.
* It comes with an MS-DOS version that works in Windows 9x/Me as well as
on MS-DOS boot media.
Choose is similar to the Microsoft Choice tool, but it has more features.
* It doesn't beep when the user makes an invalid choice.
* It offers a "default key" feature, which lets a user press Enter to
select a default choice.
* It comes with a DOS version (useful for MS-DOS boot media).
* The Win32 version's timeout feature doesn't get confused when you run
multiple instances in separate console windows (this was a problem with
earlier Win32 console versions of Microsoft's Choice tool).
* It can suppress the display of the user's choice.
* It offers a "line input" mode where the user must press Enter after
making a choice.
What's new?
Version 2.0 includes 64-bit Windows versions.
--
Bill Stewart

[Al Dunbar]

Ditto.

I ran across a DOS-only *.com utility somewhere long ago (in the pre-NT era)
that accepted input into an environment variable whose name was hardcoded. I
adapted it to accept a variable name parameter:

CIAO varname=prompt

and included a few other optional features like masking the input as typed
and outputting arbitrary string with CRLF suppression. Bing written in
assembler it was tiny (about 1K IIRC). I used it lots and finally toasted it
when I found I was no longer working in DOS. Shortly thereafter I kicked
myself as a practical application presented itself in our environment!
Workaround was to open a text file in a tiny .com text editor, but it was
way uuuugly. So ugly I gave up on it, so now I'll try it with Bill's
utility. Way to go.

/Al

Post by Tim Meddick
Very interesting!......
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)

Post by Bill Stewart
EditVar/EditV32/EditV64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 v2.0
Home page: http://www.westmesatech.com/editv.html
EditVar/EditV32/Editv64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 are command-line
tools designed to allow for user input in shell scripts (AKA batch
files). There are three .exe files for each program: DOS, Win32, and Win64.
EditVar works by obtaining the contents of an environment variable and
presenting it for interactive editing. If you make any changes to the
variable's contents and press Enter, EditVar writes the changed variable
to the parent environment of the program that started it (typically
Cmd.exe). EditV32 requires Windows NT 4.0 or later; for Windows 9x/Me,
use the MS-DOS version.
EditVar is similar to the Cmd.exe Set /p command in Windows 2000 and
* It allows you to edit a variable, not just set one.
* It can limit the length of the typed variable.
* It can mask the typed input for simple password security.
* It can limit typed input to numbers only.
* It offers a timeout feature (useful when a script needs to run
unattended).
* It can automatically "escape" reserved shell characters in variables it
creates.
* It provides useful exit codes: For example, an exit code of 4 means
that the user pressed Ctrl-C to abort.
* It comes with an MS-DOS version that works in Windows 9x/Me as well as
on MS-DOS boot media.
Choose is similar to the Microsoft Choice tool, but it has more features.
* It doesn't beep when the user makes an invalid choice.
* It offers a "default key" feature, which lets a user press Enter to
select a default choice.
* It comes with a DOS version (useful for MS-DOS boot media).
* The Win32 version's timeout feature doesn't get confused when you run
multiple instances in separate console windows (this was a problem with
earlier Win32 console versions of Microsoft's Choice tool).
* It can suppress the display of the user's choice.
* It offers a "line input" mode where the user must press Enter after
making a choice.
What's new?
Version 2.0 includes 64-bit Windows versions.
--
Bill Stewart

[Tim Meddick]

I believe that the [NT] utility NIRCMD.exe available from:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.zip

...can do what you described (the use of 'masked' input in a dialogue set up
to set an environment variable).

==



Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)

Post by Al Dunbar
Ditto.
I ran across a DOS-only *.com utility somewhere long ago (in the pre-NT
era) that accepted input into an environment variable whose name was
CIAO varname=prompt
and included a few other optional features like masking the input as typed
and outputting arbitrary string with CRLF suppression. Bing written in
assembler it was tiny (about 1K IIRC). I used it lots and finally toasted
it when I found I was no longer working in DOS. Shortly thereafter I
kicked myself as a practical application presented itself in our
environment! Workaround was to open a text file in a tiny .com text
editor, but it was way uuuugly. So ugly I gave up on it, so now I'll try
it with Bill's utility. Way to go.
/Al

Post by Tim Meddick
Very interesting!......
==
Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)

Post by Bill Stewart
EditVar/EditV32/EditV64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 v2.0
Home page: http://www.westmesatech.com/editv.html
EditVar/EditV32/Editv64 and Choose/Choose32/Choose64 are command-line
tools designed to allow for user input in shell scripts (AKA batch
files). There are three .exe files for each program: DOS, Win32, and Win64.
EditVar works by obtaining the contents of an environment variable and
presenting it for interactive editing. If you make any changes to the
variable's contents and press Enter, EditVar writes the changed variable
to the parent environment of the program that started it (typically
Cmd.exe). EditV32 requires Windows NT 4.0 or later; for Windows 9x/Me,
use the MS-DOS version.
EditVar is similar to the Cmd.exe Set /p command in Windows 2000 and
* It allows you to edit a variable, not just set one.
* It can limit the length of the typed variable.
* It can mask the typed input for simple password security.
* It can limit typed input to numbers only.
* It offers a timeout feature (useful when a script needs to run
unattended).
* It can automatically "escape" reserved shell characters in variables
it creates.
* It provides useful exit codes: For example, an exit code of 4 means
that the user pressed Ctrl-C to abort.
* It comes with an MS-DOS version that works in Windows 9x/Me as well as
on MS-DOS boot media.
Choose is similar to the Microsoft Choice tool, but it has more
* It doesn't beep when the user makes an invalid choice.
* It offers a "default key" feature, which lets a user press Enter to
select a default choice.
* It comes with a DOS version (useful for MS-DOS boot media).
* The Win32 version's timeout feature doesn't get confused when you run
multiple instances in separate console windows (this was a problem with
earlier Win32 console versions of Microsoft's Choice tool).
* It can suppress the display of the user's choice.
* It offers a "line input" mode where the user must press Enter after
making a choice.
What's new?
Version 2.0 includes 64-bit Windows versions.
--
Bill Stewart

[Bill Stewart]

Post by Tim Meddick
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.zip
...can do what you described (the use of 'masked' input in a dialogue set up
to set an environment variable).

Hi Tim, I pulled up the 'nircmd' web page, and I didn't see where it can
create a password-input dialog...? (I may have missed it; I didn't look
that hard...)

In any case, a password-input dialog box is not the same as reading from
console input, like EditV32/EditV32 does (as does the ScriptPW.Password
COM object, which mysteriously disappeared from Windows Vista).

In my (admittedly biased) opinion, EditV32/EditV64 is better than the
ScriptPW.Password COM object because it has more features.

[Bill Stewart]

Post by Al Dunbar
I ran across a DOS-only *.com utility somewhere long ago (in the pre-NT era)
that accepted input into an environment variable whose name was hardcoded. I
CIAO varname=prompt
and included a few other optional features like masking the input as typed
and outputting arbitrary string with CRLF suppression. Bing written in
assembler it was tiny (about 1K IIRC). I used it lots and finally toasted it
when I found I was no longer working in DOS. Shortly thereafter I kicked
myself as a practical application presented itself in our environment!
Workaround was to open a text file in a tiny .com text editor, but it was
way uuuugly. So ugly I gave up on it, so now I'll try it with Bill's
utility. Way to go.

Thanks!

[Al Dunbar]

Post by Bill Stewart

Post by Al Dunbar
I ran across a DOS-only *.com utility somewhere long ago (in the pre-NT
era) that accepted input into an environment variable whose name was
CIAO varname=prompt
and included a few other optional features like masking the input as
typed and outputting arbitrary string with CRLF suppression. Bing written
in assembler it was tiny (about 1K IIRC). I used it lots and finally
toasted it when I found I was no longer working in DOS. Shortly
thereafter I kicked myself as a practical application presented itself in
our environment! Workaround was to open a text file in a tiny .com text
editor, but it was way uuuugly. So ugly I gave up on it, so now I'll try
it with Bill's utility. Way to go.

Thanks!

You're welcome.

I tried using your utility, and am happy to say that it was a complete
success. In fact, it is superior to my now lost CIAO.COM utility in its
editing

[Al Dunbar]

[where's that dang disable built-in trackpad switch!]

Post by Al Dunbar

Post by Bill Stewart

Post by Al Dunbar
I ran across a DOS-only *.com utility somewhere long ago (in the pre-NT
era) that accepted input into an environment variable whose name was
CIAO varname=prompt
and included a few other optional features like masking the input as
typed and outputting arbitrary string with CRLF suppression. Bing
written in assembler it was tiny (about 1K IIRC). I used it lots and
finally toasted it when I found I was no longer working in DOS. Shortly
thereafter I kicked myself as a practical application presented itself
in our environment! Workaround was to open a text file in a tiny .com
text editor, but it was way uuuugly. So ugly I gave up on it, so now
I'll try it with Bill's utility. Way to go.

Thanks!

You're welcome.

I tried using your utility, and am happy to say that it was a complete
success. In fact, its editing facility made it much more useful in my
application than my much simpler input routine.

/Al

[Bill Stewart]

Post by Al Dunbar
I tried using your utility, and am happy to say that it was a complete
success. In fact, its editing facility made it much more useful in my
application than my much simpler input routine.

That is gratifying to hear. Thanks for posting.