APPLICATION NOTE #101:
 XYWRITE III AS A DOS SHELL
 Rev. 01


 XyWrite is more than a word processing tool -- it also allows you to 
manage your disks and run other programs. You can even set up XyWrite 
to act as a DOS shell by following the instructions in this 
application note.

 WHAT IS A SHELL?
 A shell program is a command processor: it interprets the commands 
you enter and then runs the appropriate programs. The DOS shell 
program, called COMMAND.COM, contains internal commands that allow 
you to perform disk management functions, and a routine to load and 
execute external commands to run other programs.

 COMMAND.COM is one of three files that make up DOS. (The other files 
may be called IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS or IBMBIO.COM and IB.COM, 
depending on the version of DOS you are using.) DOS normally requires 
that all three files be on the disk you use to start your computer, 
but with XyWrite you have the option of eliminating COMMAND.COM.
 XYWRITE FLEXIBILITY
 Unlike most application programs, XyWrite has a command interpreter 
built into it, which means you can start other programs from within 
XyWrite. You simply execute a DO command (see the XyWrite III 
Reference Guide for a description of the DO command); the program you 
are starting responds just as if you executed the command from DOS.

 In addition, XyWrite includes a variety of internal commands which 
allow you to perform disk management tasks without exiting to DOS. 
The table at the top of the next column lists these commands and 
provides a brief description. For detailed information, refer to the 
XyWrite III Reference Guide.

 SETTING UP XYWRITE AS A SHELL
 For XyWrite to act as a DOS shell:

*  Be sure you have enough memory.  You need at least enough
   memory to run both XyWrite and any other program you want to
   use. We recommend that you have 640K of memory to use XyWrite
   as a shell.

*  Add the following line to the end of CONFIG.SYS:

      SHELL=EDITOR.EXE

 CONFIG.SYS is a DOS file that helps configure your system when you 
first start it. The file must be on the disk you use to start your 
computer (or in the root directory if you are using a hard disk). If 
the file does not already exist, create it and insert the 
SHELL=EDITOR.EXE line into it.


       XyWrite Disk Management Commands

 Command   Description

 A:        Sets the default drive.
 APPEND    Adds one disk file to the bottom of another.
 CHDIR     Changes to a new subdirectory.
 MKDIR     Creates a new subdirectory.
 R         Removes a subdirectory.
 COPY      Copies a file.
 DIR       Displays a disk directory.
 DIRL      Displays a disk directory that includes the first few
          lines of text.
 DSORT     Sets the sorting order for a directory display.
 DO        Runs an external program.
 DOS       Loads a copy of COMMAND.COM into memory. (COMMAND.COM
          must be on the default drive.)
 ERASE     Deletes a file from disk.
 EXIT      Returns to XyWrite from COMMAND.COM.
 FIND      Searches through all files on a disk for a file you
          specify.
 RENAME    Changes the name of a file.
 TREE      Displays all of the subdirectories.

 Once you have changed CONFIG.SYS, you can delete COMMAND.COM from 
your disk.


 STARTING THE XYWRITE SHELL
 To begin using XyWrite as a DOS shell program, all you need to do is 
restart your computer. DOS will process the CONFIG.SYS file and load 
XyWrite instead of COMMAND.COM.


 QUITTING XYWRITE
 When you are using XyWrite as a DOS shell, the only way you can quit 
XyWrite is to turn off your computer. (Be sure all of your files are 
stored first!) Do not use the QUIT command or the Ctrl-Alt-Del key 
combination: both will lock up your computer.