---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Setting up a "NEAT-O" Multi Menuing system on PCBoard! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have had quite a few callers state that they don't care much for seeing a lot of the PCBoard commands included in their menus, when they don't really want to use all that is listed in the normal PCBoard fashion. They say that it confuses them! (Sheesh!) Anyway, to make everyone happy, I have created 4 separate menus that a caller can choose from their command line, which will include the commands they need at the time that they wish to choose them. There is a 5th one which has just the SysOps commands included in it. I find that I like this method myself, as I always see the callers menu, and can call up the SysOps menu, just by entering SO from the command line. Kinda NEAT-O! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is how I set up my multi-menuing system. Try this out on a separate test node first (if you are able) though, to see if you like it. 1... Firstly, run PCBSetup in the usual fashion. Select J for Main Board Configuration. Scroll down to Name/Loc of Users Menu: MENU At this area, enter just the file name of MENU Scroll down to Name/Loc of SysOp Menu: MENU At this area, enter just the file name of MENU Firstly, in your Main Conference area setup in PCBSetup, set your User and Sysop Menu path & filename to indicate just MENU. That's right Jack, just MENU - NO path included - Just MENU. This way, each node will check its own home directory for the file name of MENU, and display to the caller that particular menu. By doing this, each caller can have displayed to them a separate menu, depending upon what that caller is using at the time. Yep - if you have 3 nodes, and have 3 callers on at one time, it is possible that all 3 callers might have a different menu displayed to them! Neat eh? Example: Now, in your Nodes Home directory, you will have a file by the name of MENU, which will be the name of the file that PCBoard will display to your callers as their menu. (C:\PCB\N1\MENU) 2... I created a separate directory called C:\PCB\MENU which holds all of the menu files. You can use a different one if you wish. Copy all of the *.MNU files to that directory. They are found in the included ZIP file called MENUS.ZIP. 3... Edit your $$LOGON.BAT file so that it looks similar to the sample one that I included with this bunch of files. That way, when each caller logs onto the system, that batch file will copy M0.MNU over to the new file called MENU in that nodes home directory, and the caller will always have the MAIN menu after they have logged onto your system. 4... Now, run PCBSetup again. Go into your Main Board setup, and choose the DOORS.LST. Edit this so that the menu batch files are available to the caller. Eg: M0, M1, M2 and M3 (you can add more if you wish - GO WILD!) Make sure that you have them set up as SHELLED batch files so that the menu changing will be transparent to your callers. I don't run very many doors from my Main Board area, so I start mine from Door #11. Set your security to these 4 batch files so that lesser access callers can still use them. Mine are set to a security of 0. Do this as you see fit - I realize that just about every sysop runs their particular system the way that is easiest for each. If a caller wishes the File Menu, they would enter M1, and the door batch file also called M1 will then copy the M1.MNU file over top of the file called MENU in that nodes home directory. Same is true for M0, M2, M3 and SO (SysOps Menu). Make sure that the SO batch file to copy your SO.MNU (SysOps Menu) has a high enough security level so that wandering fingers don't try something sort of rude to your system. Just set SO to your own SysOps security level. 5... Now, make sure that you have the files M0, M1, M2 and M3 in your door batch file area, and that should about do it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Files that I included with this setup: 1... MULTMENU.TXT -- You're reading it now 2... MENUS.ZIP -- These are the sample menus, using the @-variables for color, etc. Alter them as you would like. I don't think that you would like to see the name of my system being displayed at the top of YOUR systems menus though! 3... DORBATCH.ZIP -- These are the sample door batch files used to copy the menu files to the nodes MENU display file. This also includes a copy of my $$LOGON.BAT file. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- My file directory topography for this setup: Menus are found as follows: C:\PCB\MENUS ÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄ> M0.MNU ÃÄÄÄÄ> M1.MNU ÃÄÄÄÄ> M2.MNU ÃÄÄÄÄ> M3.MNU ÀÄÄÄÄ> SO.MNU Door menu batch files are as follows: ÄÄ¿ C:\PCB\DOR ÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄ> DOORS ³ This is just an example. I have other ÃÄÄÄÄ> DOORS.LST ³ door batch files included in this ÃÄÄÄÄ> M0 ³ directory, but for simplicity sake, I ÃÄÄÄÄ> M1 ³ just indicate the files that are ÃÄÄÄÄ> M2 ³ included in the file DORBATCH.ZIP. ÃÄÄÄÄ> M3 ³ Don't forget that the $$LOGON.BAT file ÀÄÄÄÄ> SO ³ goes into your C:\PCB, or where ever ÄÄÙ normally keep it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I run my system as a fun thing for mainly myself now, and I find it very interesting to play with it, and come up with new and interesting ways to present it to the callers that I do have. It keeps me out of trouble. However, if you do have any problems with setting this up on your own system, please feel free to give my little system a call, and try it out there. You might get a better picture if you see it in action. I will be happy to help you out if you don't understand the concept. Just post me a "C"omment to the SysOp, and I'll answer you as soon as I am able. I hope that the above setup is not too confusing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harv Welch: SysOp of City Bytes NightLine, Victoria BC, Canada (604)595-1523 Supra 14400 v32 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------