The following tips help you to set up your AmigaDOS environment to suit your particular needs.
Changing the color, for example, of the prompt string with escape codes makes the prompt easier to distinguished from the rest of the command line and the output that your commands produce. This command line and the output that your commands produce. This helps you keep track of the process number and current directory that are normally part of the prompt. For more information on how to change your Shell prompt, see the PROMPT command in Chapter 6 and the example in Chapter 8.
Because gaining access to something requires knowing where it is, you should organize your disks and directories in a logical way, with names that reflect their contents. However, do not create directory structures that are heavily nested without good reason.
Characters with special meaning in AmigaDOS, such as # and ~, are allowed in names, but can cause problems when used on the command line. Use a period (.), underscore (_), or capital letters instead of spaces to separate words in a name: "Anim.file," "Anim_file," or "NimFile" rather than "Anim file."
Giving related file names a common extension or sequential numbering simplifies using pattern matching when processing files.
Assigned names allow you to type a short, easy-to-remember name rather than a long path. For example, it is quicker to type ENVARC: than SYS:Prefs/Env-archive. Make your own assigned names for directories you use often and for deeply nested directories.
If you have a variety of often-used commands or programs, adding their directories to the search path with PATH or ASSIGN makes accessing them easier.
The best way to learn how AmigaDOS works is to experiment. Provided that you use caution with potentially destructive commands, such as pattern-matching DELETEs, you can experiment freely.