Description

Since COMMAND2.COM version 2.40, you can directly access many internal variable functions of the MSX-DOS 2 system.

Variable functions are similar to MSX-DOS 2 Internal Variables, but they take one or more arguments, and they return a value. The variable functions are useful in aliases and batch files to check on available system resources, manipulate strings and numbers, and work with filenames.

Usage

• Like all environment variables, these variable functions must be enclosed in percent signs in normal use (%@ALIAS%,  %@ASCII%, etc.). All variable functions must have square brackets enclosing their argument(s).

• If you embed a variable function in the PROMPT environment variable, it must be enclosed in either single (') or double quotes (").

• Instead of a parameter, a variable function can also include another variable function, or internal variable, whose value serves as a parameter for the previous variable function. For example: A:\>ECHO %@DISKFREE[%_DISK%:,K]% - it will return the free amount of disk space on the current active drive.

• The depth of the recursive use of variable functions is unlimited, as long as it fits on the command line, which has a maximum length of 127 characters.

• When an error occurs either in the given parameters, or during disk access, then a null string is returned.

List of Internal Variable Functions

Version = COMMAND2.COM version that introduces or improves this variable function.