DELF.COM
                         (C)1989 Jeffrey S. Morley
                            All Rights Reserved

                                Version 1.1


4DOS users, please don't leave without reading the 4DOS NOTES below..

Delf.Com is a replacement for the DOS command DEL.  It isn't for everyone,
but has value for some people, and in some instances.  I wrote Delf.Com
to meet a need that I have, but see no reason not to share with the PC
community.
 
The differences between Delf.Com and the DOS command DEL are twofold. 

First, Delf WILL NOT ask "are you sure(y/N)?" when presented with a
file specifcation resulting in "*.*".  This is of value to me in batch
files, and because YES DAMNIT, I'M SURE OR I WOULDN'T HAVE ASKED.

 Alright, for those who aren't perfect like me, I have included two
 versions of Delf.Com.  One is named Delf.Com (just a coincidence),
 and will NOT ask "are you sure(y/N)?".  The other is named Delfyn.Com,
 and WILL prompt you before executing on *.* filespecs.  I won't go into
 the subtilties of the REN command here...

Second, Delf allows the BUT parameter, which has the effect of erasing
everything in the drive\path\filespec specification EXCEPT the indicated
filespec.  This means that "DELF BUT *.COM" will erase all files in the
current directory EXCEPT the .COM files, and that "DELF BUT A:*.BAT" will
erase all files on A: EXCEPT the .BAT files.


Delf.Com is completely compatible with the way that DOS parses commands as
far as I have been able to tell.  This means that the Delf command will 
behave exactly as you would expect the DEL command to.  But, novice users
should be aware that it is not going to give you second chances.  Be sure
you are pretty comfortable with DOS subdirectories and filespec/wildcards
before you switch from DEL to Delf.  Your minimum PROMPT statement in 
AUTOEXEC.BAT shoud be "PROMPT $P$G" so the current path is always displayed
on the command line, otherwise you will be meeting a tall dark stranger
named Peter Norton very soon.

Examples:

COMMAND:                 WILL ERASE:

DELF *.*                 Everything in the current directory
DELF *.???               Same thing...
DELF C:\DBASE            The DBASE directory and/or DBASE. in C:\
DELF A:*.*               Everything in the current directory of A:
DELF C:\TEMP\*.BAT       All .BAT files in C:\TEMP
DELF D:\123\BUDGET.WK1   The BUDGET.WK1 file in D:\123

DELF BUT *.*             Nothing...
DELF BUT *.COM           Everything in the current directory EXCEPT .COM's
DELF BUT DELF.COM        Everything in the current directory EXCEPT DELF.COM
DELF BUT C:\TEMP\*.BAT   Everything in C:\TEMP EXCEPT the .BAT's

Just as a thought, CED could be used to assign the command DEL to Delf.Com.
That way you don't have to teach your hands new habits.

*****************************************************************************
A NOTE TO 4DOS USERS
*****************************************************************************

4Dos is a fantastic replacement for COMMAND.COM, and I for one will "never go
back" (E. Murphy).  The DEL command as implemented by 4Dos version 2.1 and
below leaves a bit to be desired however.  They are using a routine that 
forces the command to look at each file as an individual, which causes the
DEL *.* command to take a very long time in a crowded directory.  DELF will
behave precisely as MicroSoft's DEL does, and is a whole lot faster.

Now, the problem is that few of us could ever train ourselves to use "DELF"
in place of "DEL" when flying around a hard drive pretending to be productive.
The solution is to use the 4Dos "ALIAS" command.  This is one of the best
parts of 4Dos!  What you do is issue the following command in AUTOEXEC.BAT:
 
ALIAS DEL `C:\UTILS\DELF`  (Watch that you use ` and not ')
 
This will result in all DEL commands in DOS being re-routed to the DELF
command.  Since Delf.Com works exactly like DEL, you will soon forget it
is even there.  It will just be a whole lot faster, won't assume that you
are as dumb as you look, and will allow the optional BUT parameter.

I added another ALIAS to my startup file, so that I don't have to waste
a keystroke on the space between DEL and BUT (Sheesh! This guy is lazy!)

ALIAS DELBUT `C:\UTILS\DELF BUT`

By the way, if you worry about not being able to get to the original DOS
or 4Dos DEL command, remember that ERASE means the same thing, and won't
be re-routed to DELF.

*****************************************************************************

Delf.Com is NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN.  I reserve all rights to it, with the
exception noted below:

You may use and distribute Delf.Com without any expectation of renumeration
by me.  This means that it's MINE, but you can use it for free, and give it
to friends and neighbors.

I ask only that you distribute the file in its original condition, complete
with unmodified documentation.  I also ask that you download a copy of 4Dos
from your local bulletin board, and after becoming completely hooked,
register the program with it's authors.


Delf.Com was written using QuickBasic 4.5, with significant help from
Hammerly Computer Services' ProBas version 3.0.

Version 1.1 is a minor cosmetic bug fix ("Can't match *.*\*.*")


Jeffrey Morley, Sysop
The Interconnect BBS
(703)425-2505