SHELL "PATH=\..." Affects Only a Local Copy of DOS (22015)

SUMMARY

SHELLing to the DOS PATH command fails to change the default directory search path when you exit QuickBasic. BasicA Version 3.10 behaves similarly.

The following is an example:

   SHELL "PATH=\Basic"
				

According to Page 458 of the "Microsoft QuickBasic Compiler" manual for Version 3.00 and Page 396 of the "Microsoft QuickBasic Version 4.0: Basic Language Reference" manual, the SHELL statement allows execution of DOS commands such as DIR, PATH, and SORT.

When you invoke a SHELL command from a QuickBasic program, a local copy of COMMAND.COM and the DOS environment is spawned. When paths are changed, only the local environment copy is changed, not the original DOS environment.