xecho.txt - readme file for the program xecho.com

usage: xecho "<string>"

xecho is to echo what xcopy is to copy:
it is a more sophisticated version of the Dos-command echo.
But it does not work the same way, the <string> characters
are put in the Keyboard buffer, thus <string> may be 0 - 15
keystrokes long.
The following special sequences are allowed:

\b   Backspace
\e   Escape
\n   Enter
\t   TAB
\f0  F0
...
\f9  F9
\F:  F10

masked chars:
\\   backslash (\)
\"   quote (")

I wrote xecho to solve this problem:
suppose I have a program X (let's be honest: a game),
that at startup asks me

- What Graphic Card (<C>GA,<E>GA,<V>GA) : _
- What Sound Card (<A>dlib,<S>oundblaster,<N>one) : _
- What Computer (<3>86,<4>86,<5>86) : _

So, I always would have to type VS5 before I can start.

It would not help to make a batch file with a line

echo "VS5" | X
or
type param.txt | X (in param.txt I could place Esc or
Enter)

because the pipe for stdin (input) would remain open
until the program X has ended. If the program X would
later ask me to type something else (for example my
name for a highscore), it would not wait that this comes
from the keyboard, but from echo or type.

With xecho, my solution is either a batch file with
2 lines:
xecho "VS5"
X

or a single line (in Windows)
xecho "X\nVS5"

There is one rare case where this does not work: this
is for programs X that flush the keyboard buffer when
they start.

known bugs:
if string is 16 keys long, only the 15 first are put in
the buffer
if string is longer than 16 keys, there is an unwanted
loop in the program that puts the 15 first keys infinitly
in the buffer (*)
if there is a syntax error (missing argument or "), the
program just beeps (*)

(*) If the program should not exceed 256 bytes (I don't
know why), there is not much left to improve it.

The source code (assembler 8086) is available, xecho.src;
as I am happy with the program as it is, there will be
no bugfixes.

Author: Patrick Hahn (phahn@vo.lu)
Date of this readme: 1997-09-04.