DOSKEY explained

DOSKEY is a command in DOS, OS/2,^[1] Windows,^[2] and ReactOS^[3] that adds command history, macro functionality, and improved editing features to the [[COMMAND.COM]] and [[cmd.exe]] command-line interpreter shells.

History

The command was included as a terminate-and-stay-resident program with MS-DOS and PC DOS versions 5 and later,^[4] then Windows 9x,^[5] and finally Windows 2000^[6] and later.

In early 1989, functionality similar to DOSKEY was introduced with DR-DOS 3.40 with its [[HISTORY (CONFIG.SYS directive)|HISTORY]] CONFIG.SYS directive. This enabled a user-configurable console input history buffer and recall as well as pattern search functionality on the console driver level, that is, fully integrated into the operating system and transparent to running applications. In the summer of 1991, DOSKEY was introduced in MS-DOS/PC DOS 5.0 in order to provide some of the same functionality. DOSKEY also added a macro expansion facility, though special support was required before applications such as command line processors could take advantage of it. Starting with Novell DOS 7 in 1993, the macro capabilities were provided by an external DOSKEY command as well. In order to also emulate the DOSKEY history buffer functionality under DR-DOS, the DR-DOS DOSKEY worked as a front end to the resident history buffer functionality, which remained part of the kernel.

DOSKEY has also been included in IBM OS/2 Version 2.0.^[7]

In current Windows NT-based operating systems, the DOSKEY functionality is built into CMD.EXE, although the DOSKEY command is still used to change its operation.

The DOSKEY command is not available in FreeDOS, which has such features built into the command interpreter.^[8]

Usage

Command switches

DOSKEY allows the use of several command switches:

DOSKEY [/switch ...] [macroname=[text]]

Installs a new copy of DOSKEY.

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