To execute a command, type it in the input pane and press Enter. You can also click the Execute Selection button on the toolbar or choose Edit|Execute Selection. You can delete commands like any other text. The commands you enter in the Command window remain there until you close the window or exit dBASE Plus.

Because pressing Enter executes the command line, you must press the down-arrow key to enter more than one line into the Command window. The maximum number of characters per line is configurable in the Editor Properties dialog box. The maximum number of lines the input pane can hold is limited by virtual memory.

The command line defaults to insert mode, as indicated in the status bar. To switch between insert and overwrite modes, press the Ins key.

Executing a block of commands

In addition to typing multiple command lines, you can paste lines of command text from another source. You can also execute a block of command lines, provided the block does not contain nested structures or methods.

To execute more than one line of text in the input pane, select the lines with the mouse or use Shift and the arrow keys. Press Enter, or click the Run button on the toolbar, or choose Edit|Execute Selection.

Reusing commands

To reuse commands you’ve already entered in the input pane,

  1. Scroll the window, if necessary, to display the commands you want.

  2. Click the command line you want, or select a block of commands.

  3. Execute the command (or commands) by pressing Enter, clicking the Run button, or choosing Edit|Execute Selection.