BeebDOS Manual reproduced by:

Conor O'Rourke (corourke@ccvax.ucd.ie).

Any comments to this text have my initials after them. No problem with
full distribution of this manual but please, please leave my name on it.
Thank you.
Conor (02/Sep/1996)
---



Originally written by:
    MicroBOSS Limited
    Business Orientated Software Systems
    3 Hadleigh Road,
    Frinton-on-sea, Essex
    CO13 9HG
    Tel: (0255) 671095

All attempts to contact above have failed.

Manual originally from Mr. Davies, Staffordshire, England. With Thanks.

-------------
B E E B D O S
-------------


BeebDOS utility summary
Automatic defaults with ; as far as I can tell, I placed in {} (COR)

                                                                    Page
(DFS)  BACC <Bafsp>,<lock(L){ }>,<prompts{Y}(N)>;
(ADFS) BACC <Bafsp>,<lock(E)(L)(R)(W){ }>,<prompts{Y}(N)>;
Lock or unlock BBC files..............................................6

(DFS)  BBACK <source Bdrv{0}>,<destination Bdrv{1}>;
(ADFS) BBACK <source Bdrv{0}>,<destination Bdrv{1}>;
Backup a BBC disk.....................................................7

(DFS)  BCAT <Bdrv{1}>,<sort names(Y){N}>;
(ADFS) BCAT <Bdrv{1}>,<display format (L){S}>;
Display a BBC disk catalogue..........................................8

(ADFS) BCDIR <Bdrv path>,<directory name>;
Create an ADFS directory..............................................9

(DFS)  BCOMP <Bdrv{1}>;
(ADFS) BCOMP <Bdrv{1}>;
Compact a BBC disk...................................................10

(IBM)  BCONV <alteration Ifsp>,<source Ifsp>,<destination Ifsp>
Apply standard alterations to a file.................................11

(DFS)  BCOPY <source (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,<destination (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,
             <prompts(Y){N}>;
(ADFS) BCOPY <source (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,<destination (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,
             <prompts(Y){N}>,<IBM extension(Y){N}>;
Copy BBC and IBM files...............................................12

(ADFS) BDIR <Bdrv path>;
Change the current ADFS directory....................................13

(IBM) BDOS <filing system>;
Change active BBC filing system......................................14

(DFS)  BFORM <Bdrv{0}>,<title{""}>,<boot option {0}(1)(2)(3)>,
                       <tracks(40)(80)>;
(ADFS) BFORM <Bdrv{0}>,<title{""}>,<boot option {0}(1)(2)(3)>,
                       <tracks(40)(80)(160)>;
Format a BBC disk....................................................15

(IBM) BGRAPH <BBC screen Ifsp>,<mode>,<width>,<top left x>,<top left y>,
             <vertical compress>,<bload Ifsp><graphics adapter>;
Display and save a BBC screen dump...................................16

(ADFS) BMAP <Bdrv{1}>;
Display a MAP of free space on an ADFS disk..........................18

(DFS)  BREN <old Bafsp>,<new Bafsp>,<prompts(Y){N}>;
(ADFS) BREN <old Bafsp>,<new Bafsp>,<prompts(Y){N}>;
Rename BBC files.....................................................19

(DFS)  BTOPT <Bdrv>,<title>,<boot option(0)(1)(2)(3)>;
(ADFS) BTOPT <Bdrv path>,<title>,<boot option(0)(1)(2)(3)>;
Alter the title and boot option of a BBC disk........................20

(DFS)  BWIPE <Bafsp>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;
(ADFS) BWIPE <Bafsp>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;
Delete BBC files.....................................................21


Page 1

SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

IBM Microcomputer requirements
------------------------------
IBM PC-XT-AT or compatible
Minimum 128K RAM (user memory)
At least one 40 track 360K floppy disk drive, or high capacity 80 track
1.2meg floppy disk drive.
80 column display suitable for:
CGA, EGA, MGA, HGC or others.
BGRAPH can only be used CGA, EGA, HGC and EGH (super EGA and VGA)

BBC Microcomputer requirements
------------------------------
BBC Model B, B+, Master or Electron
At least one 40 track, 40/80 track switchable, or 80 track floppy drive.
One of the following disk filing systems (or compatible system):
    ACORN ADFS
    ACORN 1770 DFS with ACP DDFS ROM
    WATFORD DDFS
    SOLIDISK DDFS versions 1, 2, 2.1, 2.2 and ADFS
    UDM DDFS (MICROWARE)
    OPUS DDOS (Challenger)
    ACORN DFS

Special Requirements
--------------------
Acorn 80 track single density DFS disk format is not supported.
Acorn 40 track single density DFS and compatible disk formats are
only supported with the following equipment:
    IBM PC AT-XT286 or AT compatible with at least one 360K (not 1.2MB)
    floppy disk drive.
BBC 80 track double density disk formats are only supported on IBM PC
AT-XT286 or AT compatible which have at least one 1.2MB floppy disk drive.

Page 2

INSTALLATION PROCEDURES

<SNIP!> Just copy the files to an appropriate directory will ya! (COR)


Page 3

BEEBDOS UTILITIES

Using the utilities

This section deals with the general principles involves in using the
BeebDOS utilities.

BeebDOS utility names are prefixed with the letter B to enable them to
be easily recognised and to avoid conflict with MS/PC-DOS commands. When
using the utilities disk drives are specified in IBM (A: B: C: D: etc)
or BBC (:0, :1 etc) notation. BBC DFS or DDFS drives occupy one side of
a diskette and allowable drives are as follows:

    :0 - lower side of disk in drive A:
    :1 - lower side of disk in drive B:
    :2 - upper side of disk in drive A:
    :3 - upper side of disk in drive B:

BBC ADFS drives occupy one or both sides of a diskette and allowable
drives are as follows:

    :0 - lower or both sides of disk in drive A:
    :1 - lower or both sides of disk in drive B:

In the same way file names or specifications are entered in IBM
(e.g. A:REPORT.TXT) or BBC (e.g. :1.T.REPORT) notation. The complete
rules governing these specifications can be found in your IBM and BBC
disk operating guide. In certain circumstances file specifications can
be made ambiguous by use of the following wildcard characters:

    ? - match with any character at this position
    * - match with any character(s) from this position onwards

In describing the utilities, various abbreviations are used as follows:

    Bfsp - BBC file specification  e.g.  :2.$.BEEPROG
                                         :0.BASIC.BEEBPROG  (ADFS)
    Bafsp - BBC ambiguous file specification including wild cards.
                                   e.g.  :3.?.BEE?PROG
                                         :0.BE*
                                         :0.BASIC.BE*   (ADFS)
    Bdrv - BBC disk drive number i.e. :0 :1 :2 or :3
    Ifsp - IBM file specification  e.g.  C:\BEEBDOS\READ.ME
                                         A:AUTOEXEC.BAT
    Iafsp - IBM ambiguous file specification including wild cards
                                   e.g.  C:\DOCUMENT\*.TXT
                                         A:AU?OEXEC.*


page 4

Each utility requires a certain amount of information to be able to
function, for example BCAT must be told which drive contains your
diskette. The utility can be supplied with this information in two
ways.

The first and simplest method is to type the name of the utility and
press return. This will start the utility and you will receive a series
of prompts. Type your reply and press return to each prompt. If your
reply is invalid the prompt will be repeated. With some prompts you can
just press return and a default reply will be taken. Default replies are
enclosed in square brackets within the prompt.

example
BCAT and press RETURN

The second and more advanced method is to type the name of the utility
followed by each item of information required (in the correct sequence
and separated by commas or spaces) and press return. This will cause the
utility to run without issuing prompts. If you do not enter enough
items, or an item is incorrect you will receive prompts. If you type a
semicolon after the utility name or any item and press return, all
further items will be given their default values. Also an individual
item may be omitted in the same way by only typing a comma (to advance
you to the next item).

example
BCAT :3 Y and press RETURN

Once a utility is running you can end it prior to its normal end by
pressing Ctrl-Break.

All of the BeebDOS utilities except BCONV and BGRAPH are used to read
and write to BBC diskette formats. Each of the utilities except BDOS.COM
have a file extension of .EXE. The utilities do not use time transients
or overlays (e.g. to run BCOPY you only need BCOPY.EXE).





Page 5

BEEBDOS UTILITIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

This section provides a detailed description of each BeebDOS utility. It
is important that the BDOS utility description is read before using the
other BeebDOS utilities to read and write BBC diskettes.

Each description begins with the utility syntax prefixed by:

(DFS)  -  for DFS and DDOS syntax
(ADFS) -  for ADFS syntax
(IBM)  -  for IBM syntax

Some utilities may have more than one syntax.


--------
(DFS)  BACC <Bafsp>,<lock(L)( )>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;
(ADFS) BACC <Bafsp>,<lock(E)(L)(R)(W)( )>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;

This utility is used to prevent files of a BBC diskette from being
overwritten or deleted by accident. It works by "locking" or "unlocking"
the file. When locked the file can be copied but not renamed. Prompts
can be requested so that each file requires confirmation before it is
locked or unlocked.

With ADFS disks each file may have several attributes as follows:

E - Set execution only access (BCOPY ignores this when reading)
L - Lock the file
R - Set read access allowed (BCOPY ignores this when reading)
W - Set write access allowed

Examples
BACC :0.A.INVOICE L N       Lock the file INVOICE in directory A of the
                            BBC diskette on drive 0.

BACC *.?A*;                 Prompt to unlock each file on drive 1 (the
                            default) which contains A in the second
                            character of the name irrespective of
                            directory.

BACC :0.* W Y               Prompt to allow write access to all the
                            files in the current directory of the ADFS
                            disk in drive 0.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*ACCESS

Page 6

(DFS)  BBACK <source Bdrv>,<destination Bdrv>;
(ADFS) BBACK <source Bdrv>,<destination Bdrv>;

This reads all the data on one BBC diskette and makes an exact copy of
it on another BBC diskette. The contents of the destination diskette
will be completely overwritten and it is not necessary to format this
diskette beforehand. If the source and destination specify the same
physical drive a message will be issued to enable the diskette to be
changed.

Examples
BBACK :1 :3                 Copy the complete contents of the disk in
                            drive 1 onto the disk in drive 3 (the other
                            side).

BBACK;                      Copy drive 0 to 1 (default drives).

BBACK :0 :0                 Copy drive 0 and prompt to change disks.

Remarks
BBC DFS drives occupy one physical side of a diskette and so BBACK must
be run for each side if the complete diskette is to be copied.
ADFS drives may occupy both sides of the diskette (i.e. 160 format).

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*ENABLE and *BACKUP


Page 7

(DFS)  BCAT <Bdrv>,<sort names(Y)(N)>;
(ADFS) BCAT <Bdrv>,<display format (L)(S)>;

For DFS:
The catalogue of all the files on the BBC diskette is displayed with an
option to display in ascending directory and name sequence.

For ADFS:
The catalogue of all the files in the current or specified directory of
the BBC diskette is displayed. There is an option to display the
information in long (use the DOS pause key to stop the display
scrolling) or short form. ADFS files are already held in name sequence
on the diskette.

Example
BCAT :3,Y                   Display the catalogue in directory and name
                            sequence of the BBC diskette in drive 3.

BCAT :0.docs l              Display the contents of the directory called
                            "docs" in long format (with addresses) for
                            the ADFS disk in drive 0.

BCAT;                       Catalogue of the disk in drive 1 (default).

Remarks
BCAT will display the following information about the disk:

            DIRECTORY NAME          (ADFS ONLY)
            DIRECTORY ATTRIBUTES    (ADFS ONLY)
            PARENT SECTOR ADDRESS   (ADFS ONLY)
            DISK TITLE              (DIRECTORY TITLE FOR ADFS)
            BOOT OPTION
            NUMBER OF FILES
            TOTAL SECTORS
            FREE SECTORS            (DFS ONLY)

and the following information about each file on the disk:

            DIRECTORY               (DFS ONLY)
            NAME
            SEQUENCE NUMBER         (ADFS ONLY)
            LOCK INDICATOR          (ATTRIBUTES FOR ADFS)
            LOAD ADDRESS
            EXECUTION ADDRESS
            LENGTH (IN CHARACTERS)
            SECTOR ADDRESS


Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*CAT *INFO *MAP


Page 8

(ADFS) BCDIR <Bdrv path>,<directory name>;

This utility creates a new empty directory with the specifies name in
the directory hierarchy specified by the drive and path. The directory
is assigned DLR attributes (see BACC) and a master sequence number of
zero.

Examples
BCDIR :0.$,test             Create a new directory called "test" within
                            the root directory of the disk in drive 0.

BCDIR :0.docs,private       Create a new directory called "private"
                            under the parent directory "docs" on the
                            diskette in drive 0.

BCDIR;                      Prompt for the information to create a new
                            directory.

Remarks
None

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*CDIR


Page 9

(DFS)  BCOMP <Bdrv>;
(ADFS) BCOMP <Bdrv>;

This utility will compact a BBC diskette. Compacting a diskette may
release space for more files. The reason for this is that in the course
of saving, copying and deleting files, gaps may be left between files.
By moving the files together all these small gaps are combined into one
more usable space at the end of the disk.

When this utility is used with an ADFS diskette the free space map of
the diskette (sectors 0 and 1) will also be reorganised.

Examples
BCOMP :3                    Compact the BBC diskette in drive 3.
BCOMP;                      Compact the disk in drive 1 (default).

Remarks
To find out how much space has been freed display a catalogue (using
BCAT) before and after running BCOMP. For ADFS diskettes use the BMAP
utility to display a map of the space available.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*COMPACT


Page 10

(IBM)  BCONV <alteration Ifsp>,<source Ifsp>,<destination Ifsp>

This utility will apply standard alterations to an IBM file and create a
new version of that file. The alterations are contained in a simple text
file. Several pre-written alteration files are supplied with BeebDOS and
these have a DOS filename extension of ALT. For a full discussion of how
to create your own alteration files see appendix B. BCONV will check the
complete contents of the alteration file to be valid before applying any
new attributes.

Examples
BCONV BBCTOIBM.ALT BBC.TXT IBM.TXT  Create a new file IBM.TXT by
                                    applying the alterations contained
                                    in BBCTOIBM.ALT to the file BBC.TXT

BCONV BASIC.ALT BBAS IBAS           Create a new file IBAS by applying
                                    the alterations contained in
                                    BASIC.ALT to the file BBAS.TXT

BCONV                               Prompt for the alteration, input and
                                    output file names.

Remarks
All of the parameters are required with this utility and so you can not
terminate them with a semicolon. This utility is generally used in
conjunction with BCOPY for converting text files. However, it can be
used in any situation where multiple changed must be applied to a file.


Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
None


Page 11

(DFS)  BCOPY <source (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,<destination (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,
             <prompts(Y)(N)>;
(ADFS) BCOPY <source (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,<destination (Bafsp)(Ifsp)>,
             <prompts(Y)(N)>,<IBM extension(Y)(N)>;

This utility copies the specified file(s) from the source BBC or IBM
disk to the destination BBC or IBM disk. Files can be copied BBC to IBM,
IBM to BBC and BBC to BBC but not IBM to IBM. The source and destination
file names can be different. Prompts can be requested so that each file
requires confirmation (by typing Y or N) before it is copied. If the
source and destination parameters specify the same physical drive a
message will be issued to enable the diskette to be changed. Path names
may be used in the IBM and ADFS file specifications.
IBM extension to be used - this parameter is only used when copying
files for IBM to ADFS disk and is intended to avoid duplicate ADFS file
names being used. By specifying Yes the IBM name and extension will be
used to create the ADFS names (e.g. letter.doc becomes letterdoc).

Example

BCOPY A:*.* :0.*.* Y        Copy all files from the IBM disk in drive A
                            onto the BBC disk in drive 0 prompting for
                            change of disk and request confirmation
                            before each file is copied.

BCOPY c:\docs :0.doc.* y    Copy all files from the "docs" directory of
                            the IBM hard disk drive C into the BBC ADFS
                            disk directory called "doc" in drive 0, and
                            request confirmation before each file is
                            copied.

BCOPY A:*.TXT :0.D.* N      Copy all files with an extension of TXT from
                            the IBM disk in drive A into directory D of
                            the BBC disk in drive 1 without prompting.

BCOPY                       Run BCOPY and prompt for the parameters it
                            requires.

Note that BCOPY :0.$.* C:\DOCS does not work as expected. :-)
Use       BCOPY :0.$.* C:\DOCS\*.*          (COR)

Remarks
When copying from IBM to BBC the file names and extensions may be
truncated because of the different naming conventions. The LOAD and
EXECUTION addresses will be lost when copying BBC to IBM.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*COPY (BCOPY syntax is more like the IBM DOS COPY command)


Page 12

(ADFS) BDIR <Bdrv path>;

The path supplied is used to alter the current directory for the
specified drive. If the path begins with $ it will replace the existing
current directory, otherwise it will be appended to the end of the
current directory. In addition this utility displays the current
directories for drives 0 and 1.

Examples
BDIR :0.$.data              Select "data" as the current directory for
                            drive 0.
BDIR :0.docs                Append "docs" to the current directory name
                            for drive 0.
BDIR :1.$                   Select $ (root) as the current directory on
                            drive 1.
BDIR;                       Display the current directories for drive 0
                            and 1.

Remarks
None

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*DIR



Page 13

(IBM) BDOS <filing system>;

Select the filing system to be used by the BeebDOS utilities. This
filing system will remain active until another is selected or the
computer is reset. If BDOS is not used the default filing system will be
SOL31. BDOS can be used to display the current filing system without
changing it. Allowable filing systems are:

WAT31                       Watford Electronics double density filing
                            system in 31 file mode.
SOL31                       Solidisk double density filing system.
                            Compatible with Solidisk 1.x 2.0 2.1 2.2
                            provided standard 31 file catalogues are
                            used.
UDM31                       Microware UDM double density filing system
                            in 31 file mode.
OPUS31                      Opus DDOS double density filing system in 31
                            file mode (Volume A only).
DFS                         Acorn or compatible single density filing
                            system in 31 file mode.
ADFS                        Acorn or compatible advanced double density
                            filing system with hierarchical catalogue
                            structure.

The double density filing systems do not allow dual double and single
density operation (e.g. WAT31 will not read/write Watford single density
disks, you should select DFS for this).

Examples
BDOS                        Display the active filing system and wait
                            for a new system to be entered.
BDOS;                       Display the active filing system.
BDOS WAT31                  Change to the Watford double density filing
                            system.
BDOS D                      Change to the Acorn single density filing
                            system.
BDOS A                      Change to the Acorn advanced double density
                            filing system.

Remarks
Only one BBC filing system can be active at any time. To copy files from
one BBC DFS to another it is necessary to temporarily store the files on
an IBM disk.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
None.


Page 14

(DFS)  BFORM <Bdrv>,<title>,<boot option (0)(1)(2)(3)>,<tracks(40)(80)>;
(ADFS) BFORM <Bdrv>,<title>,<boot option (0)(1)(2)(3)>,<tracks(40)(80)(160)>;

This utility is used to format BBC diskettes according to the active
filing system. The pattern recorded on the magnetic surface of the disk
guides all subsequent read and write operations. All existing
information on the disk is erased. The title, boot option and number of
tracks for the disk can be specified. Boot options are a single digit
the same as those used in the Acorn DFS *OPT 4,n command as follows:

                0 - do not load, run or exec any file
                1 - *LOAD the !BOOT file
                2 - *RUN the !BOOT file
                3 - *EXEC the !BOOT file

The number of tracks can be specified as follows:

                40 - format a 40 track disk
                80 - format a 80 track disk
               160 - format an ADFS double sided 80 track disk (volume)

Examples
BFORM;                      Format the BBC disk in drive :1 (default)
                            with no title and boot option 0 (default).
BFORM :3,LETTERS,3          Format the BBC disk in drive :3 with the
                            title "LETTERS" and an auto startup option
                            to *EXEC the !BOOT file.
BFORM :0                    Format the BBC disk in drive :0 and supply
                            the title and boot option interactively.

Remarks
Disks formatted using BFORM cannot be used as IBM format disks until
they have been reformatted using the PC/MSDOS format program.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*ENABLE and *FORM40 or *F40, *TITLE, *OPT4


Page 15

(IBM) BGRAPH <BBC screen Ifsp>,<mode>,<width>,<top left x>,<top left y>,
             <vertical compress>,<bload Ifsp><graphics adapter>;

This utility is used to display BBC screen dump files on the IBM colour
monitor and optionally save the screen in a BLOADable form for use
within IBM BASICA. The best way of describing this utility is to explain
each parameter it requires:

BBC screen Ifsp - name of the IBM file which contains the BBC screen
                  dump. One method of creating this file is to use the
                  *SAVE command on your BBC i.e. to save a mode 0 screen
                  into a file called IMAGE type *SAVE "IMAGE" 3000+4000

mode            - allowable BBC screen modes are:
                    0 - displayed as 2 colours      640 x 256
                    1 - displayed as 4 colours      320 x 256
                    4 - displayed as 2 colours      320 x 256
                    5 - displayed as 4 colours      160 x 256
                    2 - displayed as 16 colours     160 x 256

width           - width of the BBC screen file (in pixels). The maximum
                  value is 9999 and all values will be truncated to a
                  multiple of 8 for two colour modes and 4 for four
                  colour modes.

top left x/y    - these are the co-ordinates (in pixels) within the BBC
                  screen of the top left corner of the screen area to be
                  displayed. These values are truncated in the same way
                  as the width.

vertical compress - this allows you to drop horizontal scan lines from
                    your displayed image and compress its vertical
                    aspect. Type 0 to drop no lines, 1 to drop every 2nd
                    line, 2 every 3rd ... etc. BBC screens contain 256
                    horizontal lines but the IBM colour graphics adapter
                    can only display 200 of these. (Hah! - this means
                    the BBC in 1981 was better than the IBM in 1986 -
                    COR) By specifying 4 you can prevent the image from
                    being truncated and appearing elongated. For the
                    best aspect ratio specify:
                            0 for the ega and Hercules adapters
                            4 for the cga adapter

bload Ifsp      - the screen will be saved under the IBM file name
                  provided here and the file may then be displayed in
                  BASICA using the BLOAD command. This feature is not
                  supported with the EGA and Hercules display modes.

graphics adapter - allowable screen types are:
                    cga  -  standard colour graphics       (320x200x4)
                    ega  -  enhanced colour graphics       (640x350x16)
                    hgc  -  Hercules monochrome graphics   (?)
                    egh  -  Super EGA + VGA                (640x480x16col)


Page 16

BGRAPH CONT'D

Special keys    - while BGRAPH is displaying an image on the screen the
                  + - and space keys may be used to alter the screen
                  colours.

For CGA and HGC modes the + and - keys will rotate forwards and
backwards through the available colour combinations.

For EGA the space key will select the colour on the screen to be changed
and the + and - keys will rotate forwards and backwards through the
available colours and shades.

Examples

BGRAPH B:SCREEN.DMP;        Display the BBC screen file "SCREEN.DMP"
                            using default values for mode, width, top
                            left x and y and compress (1, 320, 0, 0, 4).
                            Do not create a BLOADable file.

BGRAPH AMXART.IMG 1,800,80,24,0,STORY
                            Display part of the mode 1 file "AMXART.IMG"
                            which is 800 pixels in width with no
                            compression and save the BLOADable file
                            "STORY".

BGRAPH WATFORD.DIG          Prompt for mode, width etc before displaying
                            the BBC screen file "WATFORD.DIG".

Remarks
BGRAPH will hold the image on your IBM display until you press a key
(not a special key). This allows you to import the image into other
graphic software using picture grab techniques.


Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
None


Page 17

(ADFS) BMAP <Bdrv>;

A map of the free space available on the specifies ADFS diskette is
displayed.

Examples
BMAP :0                     Display the free space map of the ADFS
                            diskette in drive 0.

BMAP;                       Display the free space map of the ADFS
                            diskette in the default drive 1.

Remarks
BMAP will display the following information about the disk:

            DIRECTORY NAME
            DIRECTORY ATTRIBUTES
            PARENT SECTOR ADDRESS
            DIRECTORY TITLE
            BOOT OPTION
            NUMBER OF FILES
            TOTAL SECTORS
            TOTAL FREE SECTORS
            TOTAL USED SECTORS

and the following information about each free space entry:
            START ADDRESS
            LENGTH


Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*MAP *FREE



Page 18

(DFS)  BREN <old Bafsp>,<new Bafsp>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;
(ADFS) BREN <old Bafsp>,<new Bafsp>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;

This utility will change the name and directory of the specified file(s)
on a BBC diskette. The old and new names must specify the same disk
drive. ADFS file specifications may include path names, but the source
and destination path names must be the same.

Examples
BREN $.GAME G.GAME          Rename the file GAME on the BBC diskette in
                            drive :1 from the $ to the G directory.

BREN :3.$.LETTER :3.$.TEXT  Rename the file $.LETTER in drive :3 to
                            $.TEXT

BREN                        Prompt for the old and new BBC file
                            names and the rename the specified files.

BREN :0.doc.L* :0.doc.T*    Rename all the files (which begin with L)
                            in the directory called "doc" on the ADFS
                            diskette in drive 0 to begin which the
                            letter T.


Remarks
ADFS directories can be renamed with this utility. Files which have been
locked (or do not have write access under ADFS) cannot be renamed.


Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*RENAME



Page 19


(DFS)  BTOPT <Bdrv>,<title>,<boot option(0)(1)(2)(3)>;
(ADFS) BTOPT <Bdrv path>,<title>,<boot option(0)(1)(2)(3)>;

This utility will alter the title and boot option of the BBC diskette in
the specified drive. For ADFS diskettes it is the title of the specified
directory which is altered. The boot option is a single digit as used in
the BBC *OPT 4,n command as follows:

                0 - do not load, run or exec any file
                1 - *LOAD the !BOOT file
                2 - *RUN the !BOOT file
                3 - *EXEC the !BOOT file

Examples
BTOPT :0,,3                 Change the boot option of the BBC diskette
                            in drive 0 to 3 without altering its title.

BTOPT :3,PRESENTATION;      Change the title of the BBC diskette in
                            drive 3 to PRESENTATION without altering the
                            boot option.

BTOPT :2                    Prompt for a new title and boot option for
                            the BBC disk in drive 2.

BTOPT :0.doc,documents;     Change the title of the "doc" directory on
                            the ADFS disk in drive 0 to "documents"
                            without altering the boot option.

Remarks
Use BCAT to display the new title and boot option.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*TITLE, *OPT4


Page 20

(DFS)  BWIPE <Bafsp>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;
(ADFS) BWIPE <Bafsp>,<prompts(Y)(N)>;

This utility will delete file(s) from a BBC diskette. Prompts can be
requested so that each file requires confirmation before it is deleted.

Examples
BWIPE :0.*.* y              Display all files on the BBC disk in drive
                            :0 and request confirmation before deleting
                            each file

BWIPE :0.test.* y           Display all files in the "test" directory of
                            the ADFS disk in drive :0 and request
                            confirmation before deleting each file.

BWIPE :3.?.??F* n           Display and delete (without confirmation)
                            all files on drive :3 which contain F in the
                            third character of the name.

BWIPE $.* n                 Display and delete (without confirmation)
                            all files in the $ directory of the disk in
                            drive :1.

Remarks
Files which are locked (or ADFS files which do not have write access)
will not be deleted.

Equivalent BBC DFS, DDFS, DDOS or ADFS commands
*WIPE



Page 21

AVOIDING PROBLEMS

With any filing system which saves information to magnetic medium there
is always the possibility that sooner or later information can become
corrupt or lost. By following the recommendations in this section you
can avoid any unnecessary loss of data.

GENERAL DISKETTE PROBLEMS.

Keep your diskettes away from heat, dust, smoke, grease and magnetic
appliances especially permanent magnets and telephones.

Always use the correct specification diskettes in your drive i.e. do not
use single sided disks with double sided drives (I think they mean don't
format them to double sided - COR), or single density disks in double
density drives.

Never open the door of a disk drive, or insert a diskette, or remove a
diskette while the drive is in use (i.e. while the drive light is on).

BEEBDOS PROBLEMS

Make sure you have selected the correct BBC filing system using BDOS.

If BCOPY (or another BeebDOS utility) appears to hang after displaying
the first file, it could be waiting for you to type Y or N (if you
replied Y to prompts).

Read the information displayed by your BeebDOS utility carefully and
ensure you place the correct disks in the correct drives. Placing an IBM
diskette where a BBC diskette is expected and vice versa may cause loss
of data if BeebDOS is writing to that diskette.

If you have 80 track drives on your BBC system then it is advisable to
use BeebDOS to format the BBC 40 track diskettes you will be using to
transfer files between the two computers. This will ensure that the wide
magnetic heads on your IBM 40 track drives will never become confused by
dual thin lanes of information recorded under 80 track drives.

If you have problems reading BBC disks on the IBM equipment, it is
better to format those disks used for interchange using BFORM.



Page 22

APPLICATIONS AND USES

There are many application areas where BeebDOS can be used and this
section is intended to highlight some of these and help you use BeebDOS
more effectively. The .ALT, .BAT, .IMG, .MNU and .PIF files provided
with BeebDOS are not subject to copyright, and in fact you are
encouraged to alter, copy and provide your own improvements to these.

USING BEEBDOS FROM RAM DRIVE

If you are running BeebDOS from diskette and are constantly having to
swap your BeebDOS diskette with data diskettes in a particular drive you
may prefer to run BeebDOS from RAM drive. By installing a RAM drive as
say D: and copying the BeebDOS utilities on to this you can effectively
run the utilities as RAM resident commands. If your PC contains
expansion memory you will probably find RAM disk software has been
provided with it.

Using BeebDOS with FDO

If you are using BeebDOS from hard disk and you have installed IBM's
Fixed Disk Organiser on this disk, you will find that BeebDOS, like
other products, can be run in a more friendly manner from this menu
system. There is a preset menu file called BEEBDOS.MNU on your BeebDOS
diskette which you can copy to you FDO directory. To use this menu you
must enter FDO's Menu Maintenance and add a new option to your menu
which passes control to "BEEBDOS".



Page 23

Using BeebDOS with Microsoft Windows(TM)

There are a number of .PIF files provided with BeebDOS which allow you
to run BeebDOS utilities under MS Windows. (Windows 386 that is - COR).
These .PIF files should be copied into your BeebDOS directory. All the
utilities except BGRAPH will run within a window and you can copy their
displayed output into other Windows applications using the "System Menu"
box or the Alt-PrtScr keys (for BGRAPH). The BeebDOS utilities are not
specifically written for use with Windows and so you must make sure you
never have situation where two BeebDOS utilities are accessing the same
BBC disk drive.

BGRAPH DEMONSTRATION

There are a small number of BBC screen dump files supplied on your
BeebDOS diskette for demonstration purposes. To display these tun the
DOS batch file "SHOW.BAT" by typing:

SHOW CGA, SHOW EGA, SHOW HGC or SHOW EGH

ALTERATION FILES

A number of pre-written alteration files are provided with BeebDOS and
these have a file name extension of ".ALT". If you are transferring text
files between your computers, you are almost certain to require one of
these. Each alteration file contains (at the beginning) a brief
description of its function and so the best way of finding out what they
do is to display or print them.

Page 24

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: ERROR MESSAGES

This appendix lists, in alphabetic order, the messages produced by
BeebDOS. The message is indicated here by bold type, and the description
follows the message.
The first word of the description will be the name of the utility that
generated the message or BEEBDOS (if the message is not specific to one
utility).
Error messages issued by MS or PC DOS are not covered in this Appendix.

Abort, Retry?
BEEBDOS. A disk read or write error has occurred. The operation was
repeated three times without success. Do not change diskette until you
have replied to this message by keying:
A - The utility will abort (end) and return to DOS.
R - The utility will retry the disk read/write operation another three
times.

Access denied [IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. The utility being run is unable to create the specified file,
because the file already exists and is read-only, or there is a
directory of the same name on the disk. Re-run the utility and specify a
different file name or alter the existing file to allow write access.

ASCII code contains invalid digits - digits should be 0-9, A to F
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is invalid and has caused BCONV to
cancel without applying any alterations. An ASCII code contains a bad
digit or requires a hex suffix "H". Ensure commas and quotes are used
correctly.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

ASCII code has too many significant digits
BCONV. See the error message "ASCII code too large - must be in the
range 0-255 (FFH)."

ASCII code too large - must be in the range 0-255 (FFH)
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is invalid and has caused BCONV to
cancel without applying any alterations. Ensure commas and quotes are used
correctly.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.


Page 25

Bad FS map
BEEBDOS. Sectors 0 or 1 (free space map) of the BBC ADFS disk being used
are corrupted, or the disk is not an ADFS format disk.

BBC disk drive is specified incorrectly
BEEBDOS. See the message "BBC disk file specification contains invalid
drive"

BBC disk file name is invalid
BEEBDOS. The BBC file name is more than 7 (10 for ADFS) characters long,
or it contains invalid characters such as colons or full stops. Retype
the file specification and press return.

BBC disk file name is missing
BEEBDOS. The BBC file name is required in addition to the drive. Retype
the file specification and press return.

BBC disk file specification contains invalid drive
BEEBDOS. The drive number is invalid. Valid drive numbers are 0,1,2 or 3
(0 or 1 only for ADFS) prefixed by a colon and if followed on, suffixed
by a full stop.
Retype the file specification and press return.

BBC disk library and/or filename is missing
BEEBDOS. The BBC file specification is incomplete; the file name must be
entered after the drive or library.
Retype the file specification and press return.

BBC path or file name is invalid
BEEBDOS. An illegal path name or file name was used. See the message "BBC
disk file name is invalid". A component of the path name is zero or more
than ten characters in length, or special characters (i.e. $ or :) are
misplaced.
Retype the file specification and press return.

BBC screen file empty
BGRAPH. The BBC screen file is zero length and so cannot be displayed.

Cannot convert file onto itself
BCONV. The source and destination file name supplied to BCONV must not
be the same. BCONV cancelled without applying alterations.

Cannot copy files from IBM to IBM - use the DOS COPY command
BCOPY. The source and destination file name supplied to BCOPY must not
both be for IBM files.

Page 26

Cannot find [BBC or IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. The utility being run was unable to locate the BBC or IBM file
on the drive specified.
Change the diskette or the file specification and try again.

Cannot find directory: [BBC drive or path]
BEEBDOS. The utility being run was unable to locate the specified
directory on the specified ADFS disk.
Check the default directory (using BDIR) and ADFS disk are correct, or
change the directory and try again.

Character string is not followed by , or \
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is incorrectly specified and has
caused BCONV to cancel without applying any alterations. A character
string is enclosed correctly in quotes but not separated from the next
item by a comma or reverse oblique.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Characters found after 3rd delimiter (\)
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is incorrectly specified and has
caused BCONV to cancel without applying any alterations. Only tab
characters or remarks preceded by a semicolon are allowed at the end of
the line.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Conversion file empty
BCONV. The alterations file is zero length and so BCONV cancelled without
applying any alterations.

Conversion file too large
BCONV. The alterations file is over 4096 characters in size. Reduce the
size of this file and re-run BCONV.

Destination file is locked
BCOPY. Attempted to copy into a BBC file which already exists and is
locked. BBC locked files may not be overwritten.
Use a different destination file name or unlock the file with BACC and
re-run BCOPY.

Destination file is locked, read only, exec only or a directory
BCOPY. Attempted to copy into an ADFS file which already exists and has
an attribute which prohibits it being overwritten.
Use a different destination file name or alter the attributes of the
existing file with BACC and re-run BCOPY.

Page 27

Disk fault on drive :x (IBM drive x:)
BEEBDOS. A disk read or write error has caused the utility to cancel
while using the BBC diskette in the specified drive. This message will
appear if the diskette is not (BBC) formatted, corrupted, or damaged, or
if the disk drive is faulty.

Disk file [BBC filename] already exists
BREN. Request to change the name of a BBC file to a name which is
already in use on the diskette.

Disk file [IBM filename] already exists - do you wish to overwrite
(Y/N)?
BEEBDOS. Request to copy to a file under a file name which is already
being used on this BBC or IBM diskette.
Type Y to replace the contents with the file being copied, or N to
preserve the original file.

Disk file name does not conform to DOS standards
BEEBDOS. The utility has not been supplied with a valid PC/MSDOS file
name.
Consult your DOS manual, re-enter the file name and press return.

Disk file name must be prefixed by drive (i.e. A: or :1.)
BEEBDOS. The file specification supplied to this utility must contain a
valid BBC or IBM drive.
Re-enter the specification and press return.

Disk is full BBC drive :n (IBM drive n)
BEEBDOS. The utility being run is unable to create a file on the
specified drive because there is no more available space on the disk.
Delete unwanted files from this disk or use another disk before trying
again.

Disk is full while writing to [IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. See the message "Disk is full BBC drive :n (IBM drive n)"

Disk write protected on drive :x (IBM drive x:)
BEEBDOS. Attempted to write information to the specified drive, but the
BBC diskette in this drive has its write enable notch covered by a tab.
Remove the tab and try again.


Page 28

Drive :n (IBM drive n) not ready - Time out
BEEBDOS. The utility being run failed to get a response from the
specified drive. The drive door is not closed properly or the drive is
faulty. This message may also be displayed if the utility is being run
on a PC which has a fast CPU clock speed.
Switch the PC to a slow clock speed or close the drive door and try
again.

File error [IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. The utility cancelled while reading or writing to the IBM file
on the specified drive. The file or part of the disk may be corrupt or
the drive may be faulty.
Check the disk in another drive if possible, or recover/repair the disk
and try again.

File not found [IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. The utility being run was unable to locate the IBM file on the
specified path and drive.
Change the diskette or file name and try again.

File or directory already exists
BCDIR. Attempted to create a directory with the same name as a file or
directory which already exists on the specified BBC disk.
Try again using a different file name or remove the existing file or
directory.

File to be converted is empty
BCONV. The file has a zero length and so alterations cannot be applied
to it.

Free space map full BBC drive :n (IBM drive n:)
BEEBDOS. The utility being run failed because there is no more available
space in the free space map (sectors 0 and 1, 82 entries maximum) of the
ADFS disk.
Compact the disk using BCOMP and try again.

Free space map error - unable to compact disk
BCOMP. The utility failed because the free space map on the specified
ADFS disk is not compatible with BeebDOS. The entries are not in
numerical start address sequence, or there are blank entries in the
middle of the map.

Incorrect value specified, allowable values are:
BEEBDOS. The utility being run has been supplied with an incorrect
parameter which has caused the utility to halt.
Enter one of the drives specified in this message and press return.

Page 29

Insufficient memory available
BEEBDOS. The amount of available memory is too small to allow this
utility to function.

Invalid disk drive
BEEBDOS. The IBM disk drive letter supplied to this utility is
incorrectly specified.
Enter a valid drive suffixed by a colon and press return.

Invalid filing system specified allowable values are: xxx, xxx, etc
BDOS. An incorrect filing system has been specified.
Enter one of the values displayed in the message and press return, or
just press return.

Invalid hex
BEEBDOS. The utility being run has been supplied with an invalid
parameter which has caused the utility to halt.
Enter a valid hexadecimal number and press return.

Invalid numeric
BEEBDOS. The utility being run has been supplied with an invalid
parameter which has caused the utility to halt.
Enter a valid integer and press return.

Invalid or too many parameters supplied format should be:
BEEBDOS. The utility cancelled because characters were found after the
last parameter. This message can be caused by a misplaced parameter
separator.
Use the information displayed to correct the parameter line and try
again.

Invalid parameter separator
BEEBDOS. Re-run the utility using a comma or a space between each
parameter.

Line incomplete
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is incorrectly specified and has
caused BCONV to cancel without applying any alterations. Check that
\ symbols are used correctly.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Line must start with @ ; or \
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is incorrectly specified and has
caused BCONV to cancel without applying any alterations. Each alteration
line must begin with one of the symbols displayed in this message.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Page 30

No directory name supplied
BCDIR. The ADFS directory specification is incomplete; the path or
directory name must be entered after the drive.

No more directory space (>31 files DFS or >47 files ADFS) on BBC
drive :n (IBM drive n:)
BEEBDOS. The utility being run is unable to create a file on the
specified drive because there is no more available space in the disk's
directory.
Delete unwanted files from this disk or use another disk before trying
again.

No search string between the first two delimiters (\)
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is incorrectly specified and has
caused BCONV to cancel without applying any alterations. Alteration line
must not begin with \\.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Old and new file names specify different directories
BREN. The name of the file can only be changed to a different name in
the same ADFS directory.

Old and new file names specify different drives
BREN. The name of the file can only be changed to a different name on
the same BBC diskette (logical drive).

Parameter too long
BEEBDOS. The utility being run has been supplied with an invalid
parameter which has caused the utility to halt. Too many characters were
entered.
Enter the correct value (excess characters will be rejected with a beep)
and press return.

Parameter found after the semicolon
BEEBDOS. The semicolon is used to indicate no further parameters are
being supplied to the utility, and so no characters should be entered
after it.
Re-run the utility with no characters after the semicolon.

Path not found [IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. The utility being run was unable to locate the IBM directory on
the specified path and drive.
Change the diskette or directory name and try again.

Page 31

Screen width exceeds screen file size
BGRAPH. The screen file is not large enough to display even one row of
pixels at the specified screen width and mode. The width parameter is
incorrect (too large), or the wrong file is being used.

Single density DFS only valid on AT with 360K drive
BDOS. Acorn and compatible single density BBC disk formats can only be
selected/used on an IBM PC-AT or compatible which has a 360K diskette
drive fitted.

The ADFS file system is not selected
BEEBDOS. The BCDIR, BDIR and BMAP utilities can only be used with ADFS
disks.
The ADFS filing system must be selected using BDOS before these
utilities are run.

This parameter is mandatory
BEEBDOS. The utility being run is expecting a value to be entered in
this parameter. Enter the correct value and press return.

Too many commas
BCONV. The alteration line displayed is incorrectly specified and has
caused BCONV to cancel without applying any alterations. A redundant
comma was found. A comma must not be used in any of the following ways
unless it is part of a character string:   \,    ,,    ,\
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Too many open files [IBM filename]
BEEBDOS. Too many files are open (to DOS) at the same time. The maximum
number of files which may be open at any one time is set by DOS. Consult
the DOS reference manual for a description of the FILES command within
the CONFIG.SYS.

Top left x co-ord too large
BGRAPH. The value specified for the x co-ordinate is greater than the
screen file width.
Re-run BGRAPH with these parameters specified correctly.

Top left y co-ord too large
BGRAPH. The value specified for the y co-ordinate is greater than the
screen file depth. This depth is derived from the screen file size and
the screen width supplied.
Re-run BGRAPH with the correct y co-ordinate and screen width specified
and the correct screen file.


Page 32

Unexpected end of conversion file
BCONV. The last alteration line is incomplete and has caused BCONV to
cancel without applying any alterations. Check that \ symbols are used
correctly.
Correct this line of the alteration file and re-run BCONV.

Wild cards "?" or "*" not allowed in disk file name
BEEBDOS. The utility being run does not allow ambiguous file names to be
used. Re-run without wild card characters.

Zero length file - not copied
BCOPY. The source file specified did not contain any data and so it was
not copied to the destination file.


Page 33

APPENDIX B: BCONV CONVERSION FILE


This appendix describes how to create an alteration file for use with
the utility BCONV.
An alteration file can be given any valid DOS file name and extension.
You create the file using a text or line editor (EDLIN, WORDSTAR non
document, BRIEF, VIEW, WORDWISE *BUILD etc) or by using the COPY command
directly from the keyboard. The file comprises a number of lines each
containing text or alteration instructions. Three types of line can be
entered in the format described below:

@           If a line begins with this symbol the rest of the text on
            the line is displayed on the screen and is treated as a
            comment. You can use these lines to describe the purpose of
            your alteration file.

            Example
                @Assist in altering BBC basic progs to IBM

;           If a line begins with this symbol the rest of the text on
            the line will be treated as comments and will not be
            displayed on the screen. You can use these lines to annotate
            your alterations.

            Example
                ;The next line will get rid of all tabs.

\<old string>\<new string>\     Lines entered in this format specify the
            alterations to be applied. Every occurrence of <old string>
            is replaced by <new string> to create a new version of the
            file.
            Old and new strings can be different lengths. Strings are
            applied using any combination of the three methods described
            below separated by commas:

1.  String of characters enclosed in quotes e.g. 'ABC' or "a"
2.  An ASCII code specified in decimal in the range 0 to 255 e.g. 60
3.  An ASCII code specified in hex and suffixed by H in the range 00H to
    FFH. e.g. BFH

Examples
\'print'\'PRINT'\               Change every occurrence of print to upper
                                case.
\10,13\13,10\                   Reverse every line feed and carriage
                                return.
\32,20H,'  ',32,32,20H,' '\9\   Change every occurrence of 8 spaces to a
                                tab character. This example shows how
                                ASCII, hex and character strings can be
                                mixed.
\'        '\9\                  A better approach to the last example.
\' '\\                          Remove every space.

Page 34

File limitations

An alteration file may contain any number of lines and these may be any
length, provided the overall file size does not exceed 4096 characters.
The sizes of the files being converted by BCONV are only restricted by
the amount of space available on the disk and the limits imposed by DOS.

Examples
Let us assume that we have a text file called OLD.TXT containing many
abbreviated words, and we wish to create a copy of this file called
NEW.TXT in which certain abbreviations are expanded.

* Create ABBREV:

@Remove abbreviations from any computer text
;     Change IBM to International Business Machines
\'IBM'\'International Business Machines'\
\'I.B.M.'\'International Business Machines'\
;     Disk System abbreviations
\'DOS'\'Disk Operating System'\
\'DFS'\'Disk Filing System'\

* Then type:
BCONV ABBREV OLD.TXT NEW.TXT

BCONV will now use the alteration file ABBREV to create the file
NEW.TXT.

For more examples of alteration files try displaying the contents of any
alteration file supplied with BeebDOS.

The content of an alteration file has a similar function to the REPLACE,
TRANSLATE or CHANGE facilities found in many word processors or text
editors except that with BCONV:

a.  You can apply many alterations in one go.
b.  You only specify alterations once and because they are held in a
    file they can be used any number of time.
c.  Alterations can be applied to any type of file.
e.  Any sequence of characters in a file can be altered because ASCII
    codes can be specified.
f.  You can only apply changes against the whole file.

Page 35



T H E     E N D
---------------

Manual typed up by Conor O'Rourke. Manual placed in Public domain.
Manual is faithfully reproduced (except for page 3) from the original
documentation dated 1986.

eof
