Click here to download the SWITCHAR.ZIP file (7416 bytes)

Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 13:24:34 +0200

Message-Id: <199605011124.NAA01095@nova.auspex.fr>

To: AERO@cs.utk.edu@auspex.com

Subject: Re: alternative backslash

From: KStock@auspex.com (Kevin Stock)

Organisation: Auspex Systems European Technical Support Centre

Phone: +33 1 46 29 99 37

Reply-To: KStock@auspex.com

X-Mozilla-Status: 0011



> But Dennis asked for a way to make the os accept / for \. I don't know 

> any way to do so, but has another proposal:



Some time ago I wrote a simple program called switchar which can be

used to change the character used to introduce parameters from / to

anything of your choice (such as -). This respected by many, but by

no means all, programs.



As a side effect, several dos utilities then start using / as a

directory separator.



I don't have my Aero with me, so I can't tell you the exact size at

present. If people want, I can send it to the list, or if someone will

make it available via FTP or WWW I can email it to them. I can't

undertake to send out large numbers of individual copies.



	Kevin

NAME

	switchar - set or report the current switch character used by DOS



SYNOPSIS

	switchar [char]



DESCRIPTION

	Switchar allows the user to determine or change the switch character

	currently used by DOS. By default, this character is a slash (/),

	but this may be changed to meet the user's preference. For example,

	a Unix user may prefer to set it to a hyphen (-), liberating the slash

	for use as a path separator.



	Run without parameters, switchar reports the current switch character.



	Run with one or more parameters, the switch character is set to the

	first character of the first parameter. Subsequent parameters are

	ignored.



EXAMPLE

	The following sequence of commands shows how the switch character

	may be checked, then modified, and the change confirmed.

		

		C:\>switchar

		Current switch character is /



		C:\>switchar -



		C:/>switchar 



	Note that when the slash is no longer required for the switch character,

	DOS automatically uses it as the path separator [DR.DOS 6.0].



BUGS

	Not all DOS programs actually respect the switch character. Many

	(including some of those built into command.com) assume / as the

	switch character.



AUTHOR

	Kevin Stock

Go Back To Ruel's Compaq Contura Aero Page