DOSKey

DOSKey is a utility for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows that adds command history, macro functionality, and improved editing features to the command line interpreters COMMAND.COM and cmd.exe. It was included as a TSR program with MS-DOS and PC-DOS versions 5 and later, and with Microsoft's Windows 95/98/Me.

In current Windows NT-based operating systems DOSKey's functionality is built into cmd.exe, although the DOSKey command is still used to change its operation.

Usage

DOSKey allows the use of several command switches:

DOSKEY [/switch ...] [macroname=[text]]

/REINSTALL	Installs a new copy of DOSKey.
/LISTSIZE=[size]	Sets size of command history buffer to size.
/MACROS	Displays all DOSKey macros.
/MACROS:ALL	Displays all DOSKey macros for all executables which have DOSKey macros.
/MACROS:[executable name]	Displays all DOSKey macros for the given executable.
/HISTORY	Displays all commands stored in memory.
/INSERT	Specifies that new text you type is inserted in old text.
/OVERSTRIKE	Specifies that new text overwrites old text.
/EXENAME=exename	Specifies the executable.
/MACROFILE=filename	Specifies a file of macros to install.
[macroname]	Specifies a name for a macro you create.
[text]	Specifies commands you want to record.

During a DOSKey session, the following keyboard shortcuts can be used:

Up and Down	Recall commands
Esc	Clears command line
Ctrl-Home	Clears command line from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
Ctrl-End	Clears command line from the cursor to the end of the line.
F7	Displays command history
Alt-F7	Clears command history
F8	Searches command history
F9	Selects a command by number
Alt-F10	Clears macro definitions

DOSKey implements support for command macros, a simple text-substitution facility which is used somewhat like command line aliases in other environments.

$T	Command separator. Allows multiple commands in a macro.
$1-$9	Batch parameters. Equivalent to %1-%9 in batch programs.
$*	Symbol replaced by everything following the macro name on command line.

Alternatives

The absence of a command history in COMMAND.COM was a serious inconvenience from the earliest versions of MS-DOS. Numerous third-party programs have been written to address the issue; many were available long before Microsoft supplied DOSKey. Some of these also provide additional editing capabilities lacking in DOSKey, such as filename completion. Some of the better-known DOSKey alternatives are Chris Dunford's ced, Sverre Huseby's dosed, Ashok Nadkarni's cmdedit, Steven Calwas's Anarkey, Eric Tauck's Toddy, and Paul Houle's enhanced DOSKey.

See also

• List of DOS commands
• MS-DOS

External links

• Doskey.exe on Windows NT
• Microsoft TechNet Doskey article
• DOSKey Examples
• Paul Houle's enhanced DOSKey