List of Changes from Version 2.61 to Version 3.00


I.   Addition of new functions:
     A.   CLEANUP - used at the end of batch files. Its purpose is
          cleaning up the mess left behind by batch routines.
     B.   EXTRACT - returns a part of a fully qualified filename.
     C.   FLUSH - clears the keyboard buffer.
     D.   GETCD - returns the current directory to the batch file.
     E.   GETVIDEO - checks what kind of video system is installed
          (eg. CGA, VGA) and return the result to the batch file.
     F.   PLAY - produces music from the speaker. BEN PLAY uses the
          same statements that the BASIC PLAY uses.
     G.   LIST - a file browser.
     H.   MESSAGE - MESSAGE draws a box on the screen and displays
          the specified message.
     I.   SAVEPATH - SAVEPATH is a environment-memory conservation
          function.
     J.   SHELL - SHELL lets the user jump to DOS in the middle of
          a batch file.
     K.   TITLEDBOX - TITLEDBOX displays a filled box with a title
          on the screen.
     
II.  Changes made to old functions:
     A.   Renames:
          1.   GOTOXY is now LOCATE.
          2.   COLORNOW is now COLOR.
          3.   ATTRIB is now CLS.
          4.   WAITKEY is now PAUSE.
          5.   INLINE is now GETLINE.
          6.   INLINEU is now GETLINEU.
          7.   INKEY is now GETKEY.
          8.   INKEYU is now GETKEYU.
     B.   Splitting of the BOX function into BOX, FILLEDBOX,
          GROWFILLEDBOX, SHADFILLEDBOX, TRANSPARENTBOX.
     C.   EGAVGA now returns errorlevels of 1 or 2, insteads of 0
          or 1.
     D.   WRITE, WRITEC and WRITEV no longer require you to specify
          the number of words to display.
     E.   WRITE and WRITEC can now "not wrap" to the next line when
          finished displaying.
     F.   CURSOR now supports four shapes: ON, OFF, FULL, HALF.
     G.   DIRDISP gets a new look, and it is now separated to
          DIRDISP and DIRDISPA.
     H.   You can now specify colors with descriptive names. For
          example, instead of "BEN COLOR 15 1", you can use "BEN
          COLOR WHITE BLUE". This is not mandatory, but it
          increases the readability of your batch file.

III. Removal of useless functions:
     A.   DEBOX
     B.   SOUND T
     C.   SCROLL T

IV.  Other changes in BEN.EXE:
     A.   You can now use the ; comment symbol in T data files.
     B.   You can now use the separator "/" when you stack BEN
          functions. For example, instead of "BEN BEEP CLS BLUE",
          you can use "BEN BEEP / CLS BLUE". This is not mandatory,
          but it increases the readability of your batch file.
     C.   Online help is now placed in BEN.HLP instead of the main
          executable BEN.EXE.

V.   BENEdit
     A.   BENEdit is a text editor that allows you to edit batch
          files and select BEN features quickly and easily.

VI.  Miscellaneous
     A.   BENDEMO.BAT is redesigned.
     B.   INSTALL.BAT is added.
     C.   BEN now uses dynamic memory allocation. This memory
          management method is much better than the static memory
          allocation method in past versions of BEN.
     D.   BEN and the associated executables are now dynamically
          compressed.
     E.   BEN now runs at a much quicker speed.
