DOS and SASI

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DOS and SASI

• How to make parts of your life with SASI
  easierFor the SASI Users Group, George Young,
  Poquoson City Schools, April 28, 2005

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Huh? Why are you here?

• What you can do with DOS, and Why
• How to do some common tasks
• The details

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Some things you can do

• Collect all (changed) qualified files from all
  schools with a single stroke of the mouse
• Handy when your collecting data for submission to
  DOE (ISRC)
• Update a datafile folder in your SASI Testing
  setup
• A copy of SASI that you can play with and not
  mess up your real- data
• Push out updated version of the SRC to all users

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When does it pay?

• Any task that is performed routinely, or
  repeatedly
• Will you do something more than twice, for any
  reason?
• Today and again tomorrow? Or next week?
• Or, it doesnt work as intended? (see 2nd item
  below)
• Tasks that have critical outcomes
• Can you stand an unexpected outcome?
• Tasks that are complex have many parts or many
  steps
• Can you do it (exactly) the same way twice?

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Typical School Division
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Collecting Data from Elsewhere

• Say you have a setup of SASI used to produce the
  ISRC submissions D\sasixp.mine
• Each school is accessible from your PC via the
  LAN/WAN
• You wish to copy all recently updated qualified
  files from a school to your SASI setup for ISRC
• xcopy \\phs1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\datafile\????401
  0. D\sasixp.mine\datafile /I /Y /D /E
• xcopy
• \\PHS1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\datafile\????4010.
• D\sasixp.mine\datafile
• /I /Y /D /E

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Updating a SASI sandbox

• Say you provide a SASI setup where lead users can
  experiment
• You wish to provide your users with the means to
  update this sandbox with the latest operational
  data
• Place in a file named update_data.bat the
  following
• xcopy \\phs1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\datafile\????401
  0. D\sasixp.exp\datafile /I /Y /D /E
• xcopy
• \\PHS1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\datafile\????4010.
• D\sasixp.exe\datafile
• /I /Y /D /E
• Put the file update.bat on the users desktop

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Pushing out SRC Version

• Say you have installed SRC on key users
  computers
• You wish to push out an updated version of the
  SRC, or maybe a new server.dat file
• xcopy \\phs1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\SRC\.
  \\userpc\c\Program Files\Virginia SRC Companion
  SE /I /Y /D /E
• xcopy
• \\PHS1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\SRC\.
• \\userpc\c\Program Files\Virginia SRC Companion
  SE
• /I /Y /D /E /S

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Some Philosophy

• Work Hard to Be Lazy
• Be Observant
• Be Ready to Encounter the Unexpected
• Be Careful
• You are entering a Construction Zone
• Wear your Hardhat

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The Environment

• Containers
• 1st Level Disk Drives (C\) Network Shares
  (\\server\sharename)
• 2nd Level(s) Directories (or Folders)
• Objects
• Files

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Objects Files, Referring to Them

• Filename
• Filename Extension
• .exe, or .doc, or .jpg, or .dbf, or .mdx .
• Wildcards
• any sequence of any characters
• ? an occurrence of a any single character
• Examples
• All data files .dbf
• All files .
• All files with names starting with a a.
• Any file with 4 in the fourth position ????4.

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Names for Files and Directories

• Some notes about Names in DOS
• Case doesnt matter
• May use Numbers, Letters, and many special
  characters
• ? / \ the comma, the period, and quotes
  cannot be used in names
• If a name includes a space, the whole name must
  be enclosed in quotes (double or single)

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Paths

• Identifying the object, and the nesting of
  containers where it resides
• Local Disk Drive
• C\Program Files\SASIXP\SASIXP.exe
• Network Share
• \\phs1\staffapps\sasixp.phs\sasixp.exe
• Example of UNC Universal Naming Convention

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Paths - Relative vs Absolute

• Absolute Complete, explicit Path Expression
• C\Program Files\SASIXP\SASIXP.exe
• Relative to the Current Directory
• sasixp\datafile or ..\dir1\dir2
• Special symbols
• Leading whack (backslash, or \) Signifies
  Root Directory (drive or sharename container)
• Leading Double dot (..) Signifies Parent
  Directory (directory closer to the root)

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The Command (DOS) Prompt

• Command line interface to the DOS computer
  (programming) language

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A Sample Command help
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Sample Commands cd dir
1 - Change Directory to C\program files 2 -
Display list of contents of that directory
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DOS Commands

• Interactive or Batch
• XCOPY (or COPY)
• CD (Change Directory)
• DIR (Directory List)
• DEL (Delete)
• MKDIR (Make Directory)
• HELP
• NET USE (Map network share to local drive letter)

• Batch
• PAUSE (wait for input)
• ECHO (Print on screen)
• REM (Remark)
• IF (Do task if condition is true)
• CALL (subprogram)

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Command Syntax

• Command ( dir )
• Parameters ( c\program files )
• Switches ( /p )
• Examples
• dir c\program files /p
• copy e\test\sample.exe f\test2\sample2.txt
• copy /y f\mine\. \\phs1\testing\mine
• copy /?

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Switches

• Modify how a command performs
• Example xcopy
• /s Copies files in directory and copies all
  subdirectories
• /d Replaces older files with newer ones
• /h Copies System and Hidden Files
• /y Overwrites without asking (use in batch files
  that are proven- and run unattended)

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Interactive vs Batch

• Interactive Entered at the DOS Prompt
• Batch DOS commands contained in a file, whose
  File Name Extension is .bat
• Example putfiles.bat xcopy datafile.4.pps\????4
  . ..\datafile /y /d xcopy datafile.4.pes\????4
  . ..\datafile /y /d xcopy datafile.4.pms\????4.
  ..\datafile /y /d xcopy datafile.4.phs\????4.
  ..\datafile /y /d pause
• DOS runs Batch Files like a computer program
  performs the tasks of all the commands contained
  in the file.

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Batch Files

• Execute sequence of tasks, over and over again,
  always the same way, with a single command (or
  click of the mouse)
• May set up Schedule to perform a set of tasks
  every day, once a week, etc.
• May set up parameters to create subprograms

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Some Techniques (remember the Hard Hat?)

• Check you work before and after(ie, does the
  command do what you want?)
• Example copy abc.txt from d\a to e\b
• Is abc.txt at d\a? gtdir d\a
• Do it. gtcopy d\a\abc.txt e\b
• Is it there? gtdir e\b

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Some Techniques (remember the Hard Hat?)

• Example copy all .dbf files from d\dir1 to
  e\dir2
• What files will I get with the wildcard?
  gtdir d\dir1\.dbf
• Make note of dates and filesizes
• What is at e\dir2? gtdir e\dir2
• Make note of dates and filesizes
• Do it. gtcopy d\dir1\.dbf e\dir2
• Is it there? gtdir e\dir2\.dbf
• Make note of dates and filesizes

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Some Techniques (remember the Hard Hat?)

• Example delete .tmp files from d\dir1
• What files will I get with the wildcard?
  gtdir d\dir1\.tmp
• Do it. gtcopy d\dir1\.dbf e\dir2
• Other examples in handout

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Real World Examples

• Collecting data in one place for ISRC
• Getting current data in an experimental SASI
  setup
• Getting copies if specific SASI data files for
  review
• Pushing out SASI files to all schools to insure
  commonality among schools

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DOS SASI

• You may get this presentation from
• www.poquoson.org/atoz/library
• George YoungPoquoson City Schoolsgyoung_at_sbo.poqu
  oson.k12.va.us(757)592-3051