Editing 4DOS

{{Short description|Command line interpreter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox software
| name = 4DOS
| logo = 4DOS icon.png
| screenshot =
| caption =
| developer = JP Software
| latest_release_version = 8.00 ([[Source available]] in 2009)
| latest_release_date = 7.50.130 (JPSoft in 2004)
| operating_system = [[MS-DOS]], [[Windows]]
| genre = [[Shell (computing)|Command shell]]
| license = modified [[MIT License]] that does not qualify as open source by [[Open Source Initiative]] or [[Free Software Foundation]] standards
| website = [http://www.4dos.info/ 4dos.info]
}}

'''4DOS''' is a [[Command-line interface#Command-line interpreter|command-line interpreter]] by JP Software<!-- originally written as J.P. Software -->, designed to replace the default command interpreter <code>[[COMMAND.COM]]</code> in [[MS-DOS]] and [[Windows]]. It was written by Rex C. Conn and Tom Rawson and first released in 1989. Compared to the default, it has a large number of enhancements.

[[4OS2]] and [[Take Command Console|4NT]] are similar products that replace <code>[[cmd.exe]]</code> in [[OS/2]] and [[Windows NT]] respectively.

==Overview==
4DOS is most often used as a command-line replacement for the following operating systems:
* command-line: [[MS-DOS]], [[IBM PC DOS]], [[DR-DOS]].
* graphical: [[Windows 95]] to [[Windows 98]], [[Windows 98SE]].

Since Windows NT and Windows 2000 includes both <code>COMMAND.COM</code> and <code>cmd.exe</code>, 4DOS and [[4NT (shell)|4NT]] and derivatives can both be installed. Earlier versions of [[4OS2]] can be run under Windows NT, and OS/2 can run the two DOS and Windows NT shells, all three can be used on Windows NT-type machines and OS/2 multiple boot machines.

Among the many commands, statements and functions in 4DOS and lacking in DOS/Windows 95–98 <code>COMMAND.COM</code> are reading keyboard input and a simpler method of working with colors of screen and text.

The default file extension for 4DOS scripts is .btm.

A graphical version of 4DOS, 4OS2, and 4NT, called [[Take Command Console|Take Command]], was released with a feature set corresponding to version 4DOS 5.5, 4OS2, and 4NT 2.5 and updated after this. Development on this line stopped with the corresponding [[text mode]] versions. There was a graphical program [[Take Command Console|Take Command/16]], for Windows 3.1.

[[4OS2]] is a similar replacement for IBM's [[OS/2]] command interpreter. This was first released at the same time as 4DOS version 4, and has a similar feature set. Like 4DOS, this is released as open source. It appeared in the feature set of 2011's [[eComStation]] 2.10, in the freeware os2free project, and is included with [[ArcaOS]].

4NT was first released as ''4DOS for Windows NT'' (versions 1.x, 2.x), but became 4NT until the restructure after version 8. The program is a recompilation of 4OS2, and continues to have features of OS/2's command processor (<code>cmd.exe</code>), such as running [[REXX]] scripts, and EXTPROC support. A corresponding ''[[Take Command Console|Take Command/32]]'' exists for this, version 1 corresponding to 4NT 2.5. 4NT and Take Command/32 were released in both [[Windows code page#ANSI code page|ANSI]] (Windows 9x) and [[Unicode]] (Windows NT) forms, with the ANSI version dropped at version 5.

A new Win32 program [[Take Command Console#TCI|Tabbed Command Interface]] (TCI), was released at the time of 4NT version 7. This program allowed one to attach (thereby reducing screen clutter) and detach tabbed consoles to a single window. This program requires [[Windows XP]] or later.

A new version of Take Command extends the original Tabbed Command Interface, expanded with extra windows to allow input to be composed, to graphically navigate directories and files, and extra features. 4NT is bundled as Take Command Console. A light feature-reduced version of TCC is released as a free download.

JP Software then released:
* TC (full pack of TCI + TCC)
* TCLE (TCI + TCC/LE)
* TCC (just the command utility)
* TCC/LE
This has been released from versions 9 to 12.1, corresponding to the underlying 4NT/TCC version.

== Features ==
4DOS features a number of enhancements compared to <code>COMMAND.COM</code>:<ref name="4DOS_8.00_HELP"/>

* Additional commands
* Extended functionality of existing commands
* Extended [[batch file]] processing facilities
* Improved command line editing, including [[Command-line completion|filename completion]] and [[command history]]
* Support for command [[alias (command)|aliases]], also in scripts
* Enhanced [[wildcard character|wildcards]] and the ability to filter by file sizes, date and time stamps, and other file characteristics
* Extended syntax for [[Redirection (computing)|redirection]] and piping
* Context-specific help
* Colored directory listings
* Internal variables and variable functions
* A [[Paging|memory swapping]] mechanism that yielded more free [[conventional memory]]
* An interactive debugger for batch files
* A mechanism for creating, maintaining and displaying [[Metadata|file descriptions]]<ref name="JP_1989_DESC"/><ref name="Paul_2001_CPI"/><ref name="Paul_2001_NECPINW"/><ref name="Optimasc_2006"/><ref name="Stackoverflow_2009"/><ref group="nb" name="NB_IDs"/>
* Configuration stored in an [[INI file]]
* Support for the Windows [[Clipboard (computing)|clipboard]]

==History and current status==
Originally distributed as [[shareware]], 4DOS has been later released as unsupported [[freeware]]. Currently, the source code is available under a modified [[MIT License]] but it "may not be used in any commercial product without written permission from Rex C. Conn"<ref name="License"/> and "may not be compiled for use on any operating system other than [[FreeDOS]]" – so does not qualify as open source as defined by [[Open Source Initiative]].<ref name="Hall"/><ref name="OpenSource"/>

The last update by JP Software was version 7.50.130, released in August 2004. During its 15-year history, 4DOS underwent numerous updates; here are a few of the most significant.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{sronly|History and current status}}
|-
! scope=col | Version
! scope=col | Released
! scope=col | New features
|- id="2.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;" | 2.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1989-02-15
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Original release. Improved command-line editing, filename completion, command history, aliases, improved wildcards, online help, internal variables, swapping to disk or [[Expanded memory|EMS]], file descriptions,<ref name="JP_1989_DESC"/> command separator, key stacker.
|- id="2.20"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"| 2.20
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1989-07-05
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Executable extensions.
|- id="3.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"| 3.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1990-03-07
| style="vertical-align:top;"| [[Batch file|BTM]] batch files (cached to memory for speed), [[extended memory]] (XMS) swapping, variable functions, bracket variable-name syntax.
|- id="4.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"| 4.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1991-11-01
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Colored directory listings, 4DOS.INI configuration file, include lists, command groups, implied CDD, DOS 5 [[Upper memory area|Upper Memory Blocks]] (UMB) support.
|- id="5.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;" | 5.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1993-11-23
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Date, time, and size ranges; compressed batch files.
|- id="5.51"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"| 5.51
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1995-08-22
| style="vertical-align:top;"| [[Long filename]] support, [[Rexx|REXX]] in .BAT files (as in PC&nbsp;DOS 7.0).
|- id="6.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"| 6.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 1997-07-24
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Extended directory searches, interactive configuration (OPTION command), exclusion ranges, interactive batch file debugger.
|- id="7.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"|7.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 2001-06-18
| @file lists (as in [[DR-DOS]]).
|- id="7.50"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"|7.50
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 2003-02-24
| User-defined functions.
|- id="7.50.1"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"|7.50.1
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 2006-11-13
| Source available version of 7.50. Luchezar Georgiev and Jaelani Utomo have continued developing 4DOS.<ref name="Revived"/>
|- id="8.00"
! scope=row style="vertical-align:top;"|8.00
| style="white-space: nowrap; vertical-align:top;"| 2009-02-27
| Latest version.<ref name="4DOS_8.00_HELP"/>
|}

==NDOS==
<!-- Section header linked to from redirects -->
Some versions of the [[Norton Utilities]] for DOS included modified copies of 4DOS called '''NDOS'''. The last version of NDOS was bundled with Norton Utilities 8, and corresponded to 4DOS 4.03.

==See also==
* [[AUTOEXEC.BAT]]
* [[Comparison of command shells]]
* {{anchor|DESCRIPT.ION}}[[FILE_ID.DIZ#DESCRIPT.ION|DESCRIPT.ION]]
* [[ZCPR]] – a CCP replacement for CP/M

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="nb"|refs=
{{r|group="nb"|name="NB_IDs"|r=Known IDs include <code>0x10</code> for general metadata in [[Extensible Metadata Platform|XMP]] format,<ref name="Optimasc_2006"/> <code>0x23</code> ('#') as used by various utilities written by Matthias R. Paul for space-separated lists of text [[key=value pair]]s holding file properties as [[extended attribute]]s like CP (codepages), PC (language codes), CW (bit-width), XS (page width), YS (page length), XO (print x-offset), YO (print y-offset), CR (copyright), URL (source link), etc.<!-- Example: https://web.archive.org/web/20190601152204/https://www.sac.sk/download/text/mpdostip.zip -->,<ref name="Paul_2001_CPI"/> <code>0x25</code> ('%') being used by programs using CUI_LIB to store [[pseudo-environment variable]]s,<ref name="Paul_2001_CPI"/><ref name="Paul_2001_NECPINW"/> <code>0xED</code> being reserved for [[Digital Research]]/[[Novell]]/[[Caldera (company)|Caldera]], <code>0xC2</code> used by [[Total Commander]] for multiline file descriptions,<ref name="Stackoverflow_2009"/> and <code>0xFD</code> reserved for [[FreeDOS]].)}}
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="License">{{cite web |title=4DOS 7.50.1 |date=2006-11-13 |type=README.TXT |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/user/4dos/7.50.1/4dos7501.zip |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181709/http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/user/4dos/7.50.1/4dos7501.zip |archive-date=2016-03-03}}</ref>
<ref name="Hall">{{cite web |url=http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=634635 |first=James F.|last=Hall |author-link=Jim Hall (computer programmer) |title=4DOS announcement}}{{dead link|date=September 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="OpenSource">{{cite web |title=4DOS released as open source software |first=James F. |last=Hall |author-link=Jim Hall (computer programmer) |work=freedos-devel |date=2006-11-14 |url=http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=1163523328.3263.35.camel%40x94-129-196.oit.umn.edu  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404122428/http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=1163523328.3263.35.camel%40x94-129-196.oit.umn.edu |archive-date=2008-04-04}}</ref>
<ref name="Revived">{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Revived 4DOS! |url=http://4dos.hit.bg/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091226144809/http://4dos.hit.bg/ |archive-date=2009-12-26}}</ref>
<ref name="4DOS_8.00_HELP">{{cite book |title=4DOS 8.00 online help|first1=Hardin|last1=Brothers|first2=Tom|last2=Rawson|first3=Rex C.|last3=Conn|first4=Matthias R.|last4=Paul|first5=Charles E.|last5=Dye|first6=Luchezar I.|last6=Georgiev |date=2002-02-27}}</ref>
<ref name="JP_1989_DESC">{{cite web |title=Technical Note – Using DESCRIPT.ION |date=1989 |publisher=JP Software Inc.|location=Chestertown, Maryland, US |url=https://jpsoft.com/ascii/descfile.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318122322/https://jpsoft.com/ascii/descfile.txt |archive-date=2016-03-18}}</ref>
<ref name="Optimasc_2006">{{cite web |title=4DOS/4NT Description file extensions proposal |first=Carl Eric|last=Codère|date=2006-12-23 |orig-date=2004-09-14 |publisher=Optima SC Inc. |id=SPC-S200401-00 |url=http://www.optimasc.com/products/fileid/4dos-descext.pdf |access-date=2023-11-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128214400/http://www.optimasc.com/products/fileid/4dos-descext.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-28}}</ref>
<ref name="Stackoverflow_2009">{{cite web |title="descript.ion" file spec? |author=DVK |date=2018-03-13 |orig-date=2009-11-27 |website=stackoverflow.com |url=https://stackoverflow.com/a/15808848/2576070 |access-date=2023-11-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128214537/https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1810398/descript-ion-file-spec/15808848#15808848 |archive-date=2023-11-28}}</ref>
<ref name="Paul_2001_CPI">{{cite web |title=Format description of DOS, OS/2, and Windows NT .CPI, and Linux .CP files|first=Matthias R.|last=Paul |date=2001-06-10|ref=none|edition=1.30 |orig-date=1995 |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/MatthiasPaulCPI.zip<!-- not an official distribution archive, but contains an older version of CPI.LST --> |access-date=2016-08-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420065252/http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/MatthiasPaulCPI.zip |archive-date=2016-04-20}} (NB. As a usage example this archive contains a DESCRIPT.ION file defining some [[key=value pair]]s as '#'-style [[extended attribute]]s. It also contains a CPI file analyzer & decompiler named CPI.EXE, which happens to be a CUI_LIB-enabled DOS executable optionally supporting many [[pseudo-environment variable]]s defined in '%'-style DESCRIPT.ION file entries.)</ref>
<ref name="Paul_2001_NECPINW">{{cite web |title=Specification and reference documentation for NECPINW |edition=2.08<!-- Newer 3.xx revisions exist as well --> |work=NECPINW.CPI – DOS code page switching driver for [[NEC Pinwriter]]s |at=FILESPEC.TXT from NECPI208.ZIP |first=Matthias R.|last=Paul |date=2001|ref=none|orig-date=1996 |url=https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/print/cpi/NECPI208.ZIP<!-- http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/print/cpi/ --> |access-date=2013-04-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910202610/http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/print/cpi/NECPI208.ZIP |archive-date=2017-09-10}}<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20090215001349/http://www.uni-bonn.de:80/~uzs180/mpdokeng.html#M.NECPINW --> (NB. As a usage example this archive contains a DESCRIPT.ION file defining some [[key=value pair]]s as '#'-style [[extended attribute]]s.)</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [http://jpsoft.com/ JP Software], creator of 4DOS but no longer supports it. Currently sells similar ''Take Command'' for Windows.
* [http://www.4dos.info/ Unofficial 4DOS support site with many batch examples, related documents and programs]
** [http://www.4dos.info/v4dos.htm 4DOS shareware and freeware downloads]
** [http://www.4dos.info/docs/jpref50.zip 4DOS 7.50 Reference Manual (2 MB PDF)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:4dos}}
[[Category:1988 software]]
[[Category:DOS software]]
[[Category:DOS command shells]]
[[Category:Windows command shells]]