The
Electronic Filirc Cabinet
VECTOR 4
USER1S
MANUAL
VECTOR 4 OPERATING COMMANDS
A
computer
file
is much
like
a file in a desk drawer or filing cabinet: both
consist of single access points where related information is stored.
The
paper
file
has a
folder
and
perhaps
a
typed
label
to
maintain
its
integrity
and
identity. The computer file
has
some
space
allocated
on a disk or
diskette
and a name in the directory.
Computer file names follow a few easily understood rules. For your Vector 4,
which
uses
the
VECTOR 4 CP/M operating system, the file
names
can
be
up
to
eight
letters
or alphanumeric characters long. Type.llIB in response
to
the
"A>"
prompt to illUstrate this.
Bu t
youtll
also
notice
that
after
the
eight
(or fewer)
characters
of
the
filename, there is a space, followed
by
three
more
characters.
These
three
characters
are
called
the
extension.
Basically, the difference between the
filets
name and
its
extension
is that the
name
identifies the contents, while
the extension tells the computer what kind
of
file
it
is.
WRd
Cards
Note
that
the
directory
on your
console
screen
lists
several files with
an
extension of
COM.
(That extension means that these
are
command
files,
and
will be
treated
in a special way which will be explained shortly.)
If
you wanted
to
look
at
a directory of all your
.COM
files and
no
others, you
have
a way
of
doing
this:
a wild
card
character.
The
phrase
"wildcard"
comes from a common term in card games such as "deuces wild". This means,
of course,
that
the
"deuce" (a two card)
can
substitute
for
any
other
value
card.
With
the
Vector
4 CP/M
operating
system,
you
can use a wild card
character
to
stand
for
another
letter
or combination of
letters.
On
your
Vector 4, the wild cards are the asterisk (*) and the question mark (1).
The question mark is a single-character wild
card.
It
represents
any
single
character
that
can
be
entered
in
the
location
of
the
question mark. The
asterisk,
on
the other hand, can represent
any
combination
up
to
the maximum
number of characters (eight or three).
Why Use
Wild
C8l'ds!
The
wild
card
gives
you a simple
way
to
look
at
groups of files
that
share a
similar characteristic such as type (example:
all
files
with a .BAS
extent)
or
title
(example:
all
files which are titled JANS3). The wild card lets you enter
one command
to
cOVer
many
files.
For
example,
if
you
wanted
(as we discussed a few paragraphs back)
to
look
at
only the files with an extension of
COM,
you
could enter the command:
A)nm
*.CQM [RETURN]
Rev. A - 9-01-82
PIN 7100-0001 V-5
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