Take Command Console (TCC), formerly known as ''4DOS for Windows NT'' (''4NT''), is a

command-line interpreter A command-line interface (CLI) is a means of interacting with software via commands each formatted as a line of text. Command-line interfaces emerged in the mid-1960s, on computer terminals, as an interactive and more user-friendly alternativ ...

by JP Software, designed as a substitute for the default command interpreter in Microsoft Windows, CMD.EXE. Take Command was the name that JP Software used for their GUI command-line interpreters for Windows 3.1 (TC16), Windows 32-bit (TC32) and later

OS/2 OS/2 is a Proprietary software, proprietary computer operating system for x86 and PowerPC based personal computers. It was created and initially developed jointly by IBM and Microsoft, under the leadership of IBM software designer Ed Iacobucci, ...

Presentation Manager Presentation Manager (PM) is the graphical user interface (GUI) that International Business Machines, IBM and Microsoft introduced in version 1.1 of their operating system OS/2 in late 1988. History Microsoft began developing a graphic user inter ...

(TCOS2). These were released concurrently with version 4DOS 5.5, 4NT 2.5 and 4OS2 2.52. The OS/2 and Windows 16-bit survived until version 2.02, they are still available for download from the FTP site on JP Software.

History

TCC is based on the earlier

4DOS 4DOS is a command-line interpreter by JP Software, designed to replace the default command interpreter COMMAND.COM in MS-DOS and Windows. It was written by Rex C. Conn and Tom Rawson and first released in 1989. Compared to the default, it has ...

command shell for

DOS DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible syste ...

, and 4OS2 for

. Beginning with version 12 of 4NT, support for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT and 2000 were removed. Beginning with version 16 of TCC, support for Windows XP was removed, although it might still run in XP. 4NT was renamed to Take Command Console as part of JP Software's Take Command version 9. Beginning with version 9, the name Take Command was applied to an entirely different assembly of products: TCI (Tabbed Command Interface) and 4NT. The original Take Command is no longer being developed. TCI was expanded to include a file manager and various other windows, while 4NT was renamed TCC, and issued in "light" form.

Features

TCC provides a rich set of

command line A command-line interface (CLI) is a means of interacting with software via command (computing), commands each formatted as a line of text. Command-line interfaces emerged in the mid-1960s, on computer terminals, as an interactive and more user ...

and batch programming capabilities. It can work in conjunction with other

scripting language In computing, a script is a relatively short and simple set of instructions that typically automation, automate an otherwise manual process. The act of writing a script is called scripting. A scripting language or script language is a programming ...

s, such as

REXX Rexx (restructured extended executor) is a high-level programming language developed at IBM by Mike Cowlishaw. Both proprietary and open-source software, open source Rexx interpreter (computing), interpreters exist for a wide range of comput ...

Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

and

Perl Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Though Perl is not officially an acronym, there are various backronyms in use, including "Practical Extraction and Reporting Language". Perl was developed ...

, or Windows Scripting languages, in the form of

Active Scripting Active Scripting (formerly known as ActiveX Scripting) is the technology used in Windows to implement component-based scripting support. It is based on OLE Automation (part of COM) and allows installation of additional scripting engines in the for ...

engines such as

VBScript VBScript (Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition) is a deprecated programming language for scripting on Microsoft Windows using Component Object Model (COM), based on classic Visual Basic and Active Scripting. It was popular with system admi ...

and

JScript JScript is Microsoft's legacy dialect of the ECMAScript standard that is used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser and HTML Applications, and as a standalone Windows scripting language. JScript is implemented as an Active Scripting eng ...

as well as

PerlScript ActivePerl is a distribution of Perl from ActiveState (formerly part of Sophos) for Windows, macOS, Linux, Solaris, AIX and HP-UX. A few main editions are available, including: Community (free, for development use only), and several paid tier ...

(via ActivePerl),

TclScript ActiveState Software Inc is a Canadian software company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. It develops, sells, and supports cross-platform software development tools, development tools and secure software supply chain solutions for d ...

(via

ActiveTcl ActiveState Software Inc is a Canadian software company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. It develops, sells, and supports cross-platform development tools and secure software supply chain solutions for dynamic languages such as ...

), PythonScript (via ActivePython), and the scripting engine version of

Object REXX Object REXX is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, object-oriented ( class-based) programming language. Today it is generally referred to as ooRexx (short for "Open Object Rexx"), which is the maintained and direct open-source success ...

to provide greater access to the

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

. TCC features a number of enhancements when compared to Product Comparison
* Additional commands * GUI commands (msgbox, querybox, etc.) * Extended functionality of existing commands * Extended

batch file A batch file is a Scripting language, script file in DOS, OS/2 and Microsoft Windows. It consists of a series of Command (computing), commands to be executed by the command-line interpreter, stored in a plain text file. A batch file may contain a ...

processing facilities * Support for command

aliases A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's ow ...

, also in scripts * Enhanced wildcards and the ability to filter by file sizes, date and time stamps, etcetera * Context-specific offline or online help * Colored directory listings * More internal variables * Variable functions *

Integrated development environment An integrated development environment (IDE) is a Application software, software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source-code editor, build automation tools, an ...

(IDE) * An interactive

debugger A debugger is a computer program used to test and debug other programs (the "target" programs). Common features of debuggers include the ability to run or halt the target program using breakpoints, step through code line by line, and display ...

for batch files, including a built-in

syntax highlighting Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors that is used for programming language, programming, scripting language, scripting, or markup language, markup languages, such as HTML. The feature displays text, especially source code, in differe ...

text editor A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. An example of such program is "notepad" software (e.g. Windows Notepad). Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be used to c ...

* Configuration stored in an INI file * Support for several

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

communication protocol A communication protocol is a system of rules that allows two or more entities of a communications system to transmit information via any variation of a physical quantity. The protocol defines the rules, syntax, semantics (computer science), sem ...

s: **

File Transfer Protocol The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network. FTP is built on a client–server model architecture using separate control and d ...

(FTP) **

Trivial File Transfer Protocol The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple Lockstep (computing), lockstep communication protocol for transmitting or receiving files in a client-server application. A primary use of TFTP is in the early stages of nodes booting on a l ...

(TFTP) **

FTPS FTPS (also known as FTP-SSL and FTP Secure) is an extension to the commonly used File Transfer Protocol (FTP) that adds support for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and, formerly, the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL, which is now prohibited by RFC756 ...

(FTP Secure) **

HTTP HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, wher ...

HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It uses encryption for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet. In HTTPS, the communication protoc ...

** Jabber

instant messaging Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of synchronous computer-mediated communication involving the immediate ( real-time) transmission of messages between two or more parties over the Internet or another computer network. Originally involv ...

* Support for plugins to provide custom functionality * Multiple command shells in tabbed windows

Take Command

Take Command is a

for the

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

line of operating systems. Its advantages over the regular

command shell An operating system shell is a computer program that provides relatively broad and direct access to the system on which it runs. The term ''shell'' refers to how it is a relatively thin layer around an operating system. A shell is generally a ...

are analogous to those of

over the COMMAND.COM supplied with

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

. Beginning with version 9, Tabbed Console Interface and 4NT have been merged into the Take Command product line. 4NT was renamed to Take Command Console, with a Lite Edition (TCC/LE) released as

freeware Freeware is software, often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the free ...

. Take Command includes a tabbed interface, configurable toolbars, and an integrated graphical

file explorer File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application and default desktop environment that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user i ...

. Take Command adds a built-in batch file editor and debugger, FTP and HTTP file access in commands, network file system access,

integration, system monitoring commands, and

Windows service In Windows NT operating systems, a Windows service is a computer program that operates in the background. It is similar in concept to a Unix daemon. A Windows service must conform to the interface rules and protocols of the Service Control Manag ...

controls. Features of note include: * Command aliases *

Command-line completion Command-line completion (also tab completion) is a common feature of command-line interpreters, in which the program automatically fills in partially typed commands. Command line interpreters are programs that allow a user to interact with the ...

Command history Command history is a feature in many operating system shells, computer algebra programs, and other software that allows the user to recall, edit and rerun previous commands. Command line history was added to Unix in Bill Joy's C shell of 1978; ...

* File globbing / Wildcards * Redirection and

piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accomp ...

* Direct access to

FTP The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network. FTP is built on a client–server model architecture using separate control and dat ...

, TFTP and

* Context-specific

online help Online help is a form of user assistance that provides topic-oriented, procedural or reference information designed to assist in using a software application, web application or operating system. Online help linked to the application's state ( ...

* Colored directory listings * Variable functions * Fully customizable

References

{{Reflist

External links

JP Software4DOS.INFO
– Klaus Meinhard's 4DOS support site with many batch examples, related docs and programs * ews:comp.os.msdos.4dos comp.os.msdos.4dos– Usenet group covering 4DOS and other JP Software shells; also accessible vi
Google Groups
(historic, now obsolete) Windows command shells Scripting languages Windows-only proprietary software

History

Features

Take Command

See also

References

External links