BasicMenu Controls:
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Main Menu:
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D   = Delete Sub-Menu
A   = Add New Sub-Menu
1-8 = Access Sub-Menu
H   = BasicMenu Help
S   = Shell to DOS
ESC = Quit BasicMenu

Sub-Menu:
────────
D   = Delete Program Entry
A   = Add A New Program Entry
1-8 = Execute Program
H   = BasicMenu Help
S   = Shell to DOS
ESC = Return to Main Menu

    Simple as it sounds, these are really all the controls
you need to know to operate BasicMenu. Once you have them
mastered running the program will be simple.

Adding A Sub-Menu:
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    Adding a new sub-menu begins by choosing 'A' (for Add
Sub-Menu) from the Main Menu. The steps involved are these:
    1. Enter a name for the sub-menu - Any name you like.
       The only limitation is that the name must be less
       than 35 characters in length."
    2. Enter a filename for the sub-menu - This must be a
       valid DOS filename of eight (8) characters or less
       with no extension (i.e. don't add .TXT or .MNU, or
       any other extender to the name you choose).
    Your new sub-menu will now appear on the Main Menu. It
will contain one 'dummy' program which you can delete as
soon as you've added at least one program to the sub-menu.

    If you change your mind after you start to add a sub-
menu, just hit ENTER to abort.

Adding A Program To A Sub-Menu:
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    This begins by choosing 'A' from the sub-menu you wish
to add a program to. The steps are:
    1. Enter the drive on which the program is located. This
       will be a letter such as C or D or some other. You
       can add the ':' (colon) after the letter if you want.
       If you don't add the colon, BasicMenu will add it for
       you.
    2. Enter the path to the program you wish to add. If you
       wanted to add a program called MYFILE.EXE in the path
       C:\DOCS\TEXT (remember you've already entered the
       drive letter), you would enter \DOCS\TEXT and nothing
       else. DON'T add any trailing backslash here. BasicMenu
       will do that for you. If you enter a path that doesn't
       exist, BasicMenu will tell you so. Should that happen,
       you can either try again, or hit ENTER to abort the
       process. Remember, if BasicMenu tells you a path
       doesn't exist, it could be either the path you
       entered or the original drive letter, since they're
       both checked at the same time.
    3. Next, you will add the name of the program itself.
       In the example we have discussed the name would be
       MYFILE.EXE. The extender is NOT optional, because
       BasicMenu will check out the program to make sure
       it's where it's supposed to be. If not, it'll tell
       you and give you the chance to enter the data again.
       If the program you are adding is a batch file (which
       ends in the extender .BAT), BasicMenu will detect the
       extension and deal with it appropriately. If
       BasicMenu tells you the filename (as you've entered
       it) doesn't exist, you'll have a chance to enter it
       again, or just hit ENTER to abort. If the program
       (filename) reported as non-existent, then you may
       have made a mistake as to which drive it's on, what
       path it's in, or else mistaken the name of the
       program itself.
    4. Finally, you will be given the opportunity to add any
       command line switches required by the program. Most
       programs these days don't require any at all, so most
       likely you can just hit ENTER here and enter nothing.

    If you have followed the above steps correctly you now
have a program which you can run from BasicMenu, and for
which you will not need to enter any information again,
unless you delete it from BasicMenu's files.

Deleting An Entire Sub-Menu:
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    You can delete entire sub-menus from the Main Menu. This
is done by pressing 'D' from the Main Menu, then pressing the
number of the sub-menu you want to delete. BasicMenu will
then beep once, and ask you if you are SURE you want to
delete this sub-menu. If you answer anything but Yes (via
either keyboard or mouse), BasicMenu will take no further
action. If you do answer Yes, BasicMenu will then delete the
entire sub-menu. Only the sub-menu itself is actually deleted
of course, and not any programs that might have been listed on
it!

Deleting A Program From A Sub-Menu:
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    Deleting a program from a sub-menu is much like deleting
an entire sub-menu, that except you START from the sub-menu
itself, instead of from the Main Menu. From the sub-menu
which contains the program you want to delete, you begin by
pressing 'D' (for delete). BasicMenu then asks you which
program number you want to delete. Finally you will be asked
if you are SURE you want to delete the program from that
sub-menu. Again, if you answer anything but Yes (via
keyboard or mouse), then nothing else will happen. If you DO
answer Yes, the program you selected will be deleted from
that sub-menu. Again, only the information about the
program's whereabouts is deleted from BasicMenu's files -
nothing at all happens to the program itself!

Running A Program From BasicMenu:
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    This is easiest of all BasicMenu's functions. Simply
choose the sub-menu where you have entered the program
information, then press the number of the program you want to
run. The program will run, and when it concludes you will be
back in BasicMenu again! If you run a program from
BasicMenu, finish it, and for some reason you DON'T end up
back in BasicMenu again, then your installation of BasicMenu
must have been faulty. Make sure that the directory where
BasicMenu is located is included in your PATH or SET PATH
statement in your autoexec.bat file.

Shell to DOS Function:
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    You can shell out to DOS from the Main Menu, or from any
sub-menu screen. To do so, press 'S'. Once shelled out, you
can execute normal DOS functions, but trying to run another
program wouldn't be a real good idea. The function was really
only included in versions 1.05 or higher to give the user a
way to check DOS filespecs without leaving BasicMenu entirely
and having to run the program again. Once you're shelled out,
type EXIT (and hit ENTER) to return to BasicMenu. Don't type
MENU or BMENU again if you're shelled out, because having
BasicMenu running more than once at a time on your computer
could cause wholly unpredictable results, and would probably
make your system crash.

BasicMenu Features:
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    BasicMenu takes up absolutely NO memory in your
computer when it is running programs. With it, you can
have up to eight sub-menus, with up to eight programs on
each of them, giving you the possibility of running 64
different programs from BasicMenu. BasicMenu also has a
built-in screen saver that activates if, while waiting at
the Main Menu or any sub-menu, you don't press any keys for
90 seconds. To get back to the Main Menu after the screen
saver is activated, simply press any key.

What BasicMenu Does and Does Not Do:
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    BasicMenu (like all other menu programs) gives you the
ability to enter the information needed to run a program
only ONE TIME. After that, you can always run the program by
a simple two-key sequence. It leaves absolutely no part of
itself whatever in your computer's memory while a program is
running, so you can use it to run any DOS software which your
system is capable of running, no matter how large. It also
contains a built-in screen saver which automatically
activates any time you leave BasicMenu on the Main Menu or
any sub-menu screen for more than 90 seconds. This is to
save your computer monitor from 'burn-in.'
    BasicMenu DOES check for valid DOS information when you
enter data (drive:\path\filename.ext) for a new program.
    Finally (and this should be evident), BasicMenu will not
give your computer the capability to run any software that
it could not run before. It does not add anything at all to
the limitations of your system: it merely makes your system
and the software on it easier for you to access when you
want to.

Disclaimer:
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    BasicMenu is provided to you as FREEWARE. That means
you're not expected to pay the author (that's me!) any
money for it. It is however provided AS IS. Absolutely
NO guarantees or warranties of any kind implicit or
explicit apply as to BasicMenu's applicability, suitability
or anything else, except that it will take up some space on
your hard drive. If you use BasicMenu, you do so entirely
at your own risk.

Support:
═══════

    You may send (via Internet email) any comments you have
or questions regarding BasicMenu to schiele@inetdirect.net
(my Internet email address). I do not guarantee to respond
(after all it didn't cost you anything), but I may do so
if time permits.


Credits:
═══════

    BasicMenu was written originally in Microsoft's QBasic.
Additions were made and the program was compiled with
Microsoft's QuickBasic v4.5. Thanks to David L. Poskie of
Madison, WI. for his sub-program to place data in the PC's
keyboard buffer. Without that, the rest of this would've
been an exercise in futility. Also, many, many thanks to
Christy Gemmell (major author of the "QuickBasic Bible"), of
Leicester, England, U.K., for her wonderful QuickBasic
toolbox of assember language routines. I owe to her more
than I can say for the wonderful graphics, file-handling
routines, and much, much more. Christy, the check's in the
mail!!!

QBasic and QuickBasic are (c) Microsoft Corporation
The "QuickBasic Bible" is (c) Microsoft Press.
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