How to use use a .CFG file?

[Peter Onion]

Is there a utility that uses .CFG files to modify .COM files ?

I'm adding a couple of options to a version of ZXD and I see there is a ZXD.CFG file and a ZXDCFG.SRC which seems to be the definitions to build ZXD.CFG which I assume is then used by some other utility to actually modify ZXD.COM.

PeterO

[ladislau szilagyi]

Hi Peter,

in CP/M, I do not know any system function able to automatically read a .CFG file, in order to modify a .COM file.

I used .CFG files a couple of times, to customize the behavior of certain executables.

Example: for my TE.COM text editor, I recently added the possibility to have a TE.CFG file, read at the TE's startup, to configure the editor screen size (rows, columns).

For TE.CFG loaded with the following contents: T4 H60 W120 , when using: >TE64 test.txt , the screen will be configured as 60 lines x 120 cols, with TAB positions = multiple of 4.

Of course, specifying an option in the command line has precedence, e.g.: >TE -w140 -h50 test.txt , will open test.txt using an 140 x 50 screen, regardless on TE.CFG is present or not.

Ladislau

[Wayne Hortensius]

On Sun, 8 Jun 2025 00:09:06 -0700 (PDT)
'Peter Onion' <rc201...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

> Is there a utility that uses .CFG files to modify .COM files ?

ZCNFG CONFIGURATION UTILITY, V2.4 (12/12/92)

Configures option data in Executable files (TFS), using a configuration
data file (FS) which may be in a LBR (/FS or [DIR:]FN.LBR).

Syntax: ZCNFG TFS [[/]FS] [[/]FS]


http://cpmarchives.classiccmp.org//cpm/Software/WalnutCD/zsys/znode-12/s/zcnfg24.lbr

[Peter Onion]

Thanks Wayne, that looks like exactly what I'm looking for :-)

PeterO

[ladislau szilagyi]

As far as I know, ZCNFG runs only on Z3PLUS, The Z-System for CP/M-Plus.

Am I wrong?

Ladislau

[Wayne Hortensius]

On Sun, 8 Jun 2025 08:11:26 -0700 (PDT)
ladislau szilagyi wrote:

> As far as I know, ZCNFG runs only on Z3PLUS, The Z-System for
> CP/M-Plus. Am I wrong?

I've been using it for many years on ZCPR3.3 and ZCPR3.4 with ZSDOS and
ZRDOS.

[Peter Onion]

On Sun, 2025-06-08 at 08:11 -0700, ladislau szilagyi wrote:
> As far as I know, ZCNFG runs only on Z3PLUS, The Z-System for CP/M-Plus.
> Am I wrong?
>

I'm using Z3PLUS :-)

> Ladislau

[ladislau szilagyi]

Very nice Peter, next time you raise a question, please specify exactly the context.

I was focused on the "basic" CP/M.

thanks,

Ladislau

[Wayne Warthen]

On Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 8:11:26 AM UTC-7 ladislau szilagyi wrote:

As far as I know, ZCNFG runs only on Z3PLUS, The Z-System for CP/M-Plus.

Am I wrong?

I have used it many times on vanilla CP/M 2.2.  While it certainly came from the ZCPR world, it seems to work fine on any CP/M variant.  Just pay attention to the rules for locating the .CFG files.

Thanks, Wayne 

[Peter Onion]

After finding  myload.lbr and zcnfg24.lbr  I've now got all the bits I need to be able to build a new ZXD.CFG, but I think I'm going to leave learning about that until tomorrow morning as I've been at this all day..

PeterO

[Peter Onion]

A little later that I wanted I've got a small example application AND a .CFG file working with it :-)

PeterO

[Mark Pruden]

Good progress, I was going to mention but couldn’t find specifically since overseas at moment, there were many articles written back in the day , specifically,  “the computer journal”,  z-letter, z-news, etc, and think remember seeing articles on zcnfg buried in these journals. Hard to find by google  because they are so buried, if you have (or someone has) downloaded it makes local search alot easier

[Peter Onion]

I had found ZCFG.HLP and ZCNFG.HLP and ZCNFGOVL.DOC which between them gave me all I needed.

The thing that does seem lacking is anyway to use a menu item to take to to another screen.

Tomorrow I'll put my new found knowledge into making "sort by timestamp" configurable in ZXD.

PeterO