Copyright: Copyright ® 1993 David E. Weaver


Contents

Help Index

Introducing DGi's DynaMenu for Windows

About DGi

Using DynaMenu's buttons.

DynaMenu's Graphical Editor.

How to load DynaMenu

How to add a sub-level with a launch command


Introducing TaskView for Windows

Introducing DGi's DynaMenu for Windows

Welcome to DynaMenu for Windows, the desktop menu system that works the way you want it to.

DynaMenu is a fully customizable launch menu.  With its graphical editor it is possible to create a popup menu with many different levels and sub-levels.  DynaMenu can be run directly or when loaded can be accessed by clicking on your Window's desktop with your right mouse button.

The editor has a graphical users interface.  It uses a hierarchy-type tree to display your menu.

Features of the DynaMenu Editor:

    Adds and deletes many levels and sub-levels of popup menus.

    Insert up to twenty launch items for each level, including the top level.

    Re configure any item with a click or double-click of your mouse.

    Tailor your menu tree by dragging the branches.

Graphical Editor


About DGi

     About DGi [image]:

TaskView is brought to you from David Group Innovations [image] of Annville, PA.  DGi [image] is a small computer software and information company founded by David Weaver, a mechanical engineering graduate of Penn State University.  DGi [image] is also the creator of DGi's Tasker for Windows and other useful desktop utilities.  For more information on other products offered by us, write to:

DGi

c/o David Weaver

RD#3 Box 403

Annville, PA 17003

or contact David Weaver directly via Compuserve:

70570,3710


Control Buttons
Using the DynaMenu Editor's buttons

DynaMenu uses a simple button bar instead of a menu bar to speed up the configuration time.

Save changes to current menu.  This button will save any changes you have made to you menu.  The menu will be saved in the MENUEDIT.MNU file located on your disk

Quit without saving changes.  This button will close the editor.  Any changes you have made to the menu will be lost.

NOTE: Make sure to press the Save button to save any changes before closing with this button.

Add a sub-level to the currently selected level.  This button will add a sub-level directly below the selected level in the Menu Tree Listbox.

NOTE: An error will occur if there is no level selected at the time you press this button.

Delete the currently selected sub-level.  This button will delete the selected sub-level from the Menu Tree Listbox.

NOTE: Any command items that are in the sub-level will be deleted as well, if a mistake is made, close the editor without saving and restart it.

NOTE: An error will occur if there is no level selected at the time you press this button or if you try to delete a sub-level that has its own sub-levels.

Insert a command item under the currently selected sub-level.  This button will bring up the Add Commands Dialog box to insert a new command item under the selected sub-level.

NOTE: An error will occur if there is no level selected at the time you press this button.

Remove a selected command item from a sub-level.  This button will remove a command item from the Launch Command Listbox.

NOTE: An error will occur if there is no command item selected at the time you press this button.

Help.  This button will bring up the DynaMenu's Help system.


Graphical Editor
DynaMenu's Editor

DynaMenu uses a graphical editor to configure its launch menu.

Sub-Levels

Launch Command Listbox

Status bar

Control Buttons

Name Editbox


Sub-Levels

Sub-levels in the DynaMenu Editor are represented by small boxes.  If the sub-level contains any command items, the box will appear as if it has items in it.  If the sub-level has no command items, the box will appear as if it were empty.

Sub-level boxes:

A sub-level that doesn't have any command items.

A sub-level that contains command items.

Sub-levels can be dragged and dropped to a new location in the Menu Tree Listbox.  Depending on whether or not the <Ctrl> key is depressed when performing the drag and drop the sub-level will be moved to a different location.

How to move a sub-level to a new location on the same level

1.   Select the sub-level you wish to move from the Menu Tree Listbox

2.   Press the left mouse button and hold.

3.   With the left mouse button depressed, drag the cursor to the position you want to move the sub-level to.

4.   Release the mouse button and the sub-level will move.

NOTE:  When you are dragging the sub-level, the cursor will change to the cursor shown below:

How to move a sub-level to a new location but one level lower

1.   Select the sub-level you wish to move from the Menu Tree Listbox

2.   Press the left mouse button and hold.

3.   While you are depressing the left mouse button, hold in the <CTRL> key on the keyboard.

4.   With the left mouse button depressed, drag the cursor to the position you want to move the sub-level to.

5.   Release the mouse button with the <CTRL> key still pressed and the sub-level will move to a level below the one you moved to.

NOTE:  When you are dragging the sub-level with the <CTRL> key pressed, the cursor will change to the cursor shown below:


Launch Command Listbox

The Launch Command Listbox shows all the launch commands that are in the selected sub-level.  It is divided into two columns, the left column shows the name of the launch command and right column shows the launch commands associated with the launch command name.  These can be edited by double-clicking on one with the left mouse button.  This will bring up the Add Commands dialog box where you can edit the launch command.

A launch command syntax is shown below:

NAME[(15 letters)]    COMMAND[DRIVE,PATH,FILENAME(33 letters)]


Status Bar

The status bar will display any error messages encountered when using DynaMenu.  If you hold down any of DynaMenu's control buttons, the status bar will give you a brief description of what each will do.

The status bar also enables you to see a copy of the menu you are building in the editor.

How to see a copy of your menu without leaving the editor

   Position the arrow cursor over the status bar and click the left mouse button.  A copy of your menu will appear.  You can test it to see if it launches the correct application.


Using the Name Editbox

The Name Editbox is used to change the names of the sub-levels listed in the Menu Tree Listbox.

How to change the name of a sub-level

1.   Select the sub-level you wish to change from the Menu Tree Listbox.  The name of the sub-level should appear in the Name Editbox.

2.   Type in the new name for the sub-level in the Name Editbox.


Add Commands Dialog

The Add Commands dialog box allows you to add or edit a launch command.

The Names editbox is where you enter the name of the launch command that will appear in the actual menu.  The name field will accept any amount of words up to 15 letters long, total.

The Command editbox is where you enter the launch command that is associated with the name you have entered in the names field.  The launch command is made up of a drive, path and a filename of the application you wish to launch.  It can be up to 33 letters long.

The Macros combobox contains a list of predefined launch commands that will perform certain tasks, they are:

About	Displays a DynaMenu About box
Arrange Icons	Arranges the desktop icons
Cascade Windows	Cascades the desktop windows
Close	Unloads DynaMenu
Configure	Brings up the Graphical Editor
DOS Prompt	Launches the DOS Prompt
Exit Windows	Ends your Windows session
Tile Windows	Tiles the desktop windows

Graphical Editor

Launch Command Listbox


How to add a sub-level and launch command

In order to use DynaMenu you must be able to add sub-levels and launch commands.

How to add a sub-level

1.   Load DyanMenu's Graphical Editor by launching the DYNAMENU.EXE file with the '/m' parameter (w/o the apostrophes) or by choosing the Configure menuitem in DyanMenu's menu.

2.   From the Menu Tree Listbox select the sub-level where you want the new sub-level to be inserted under.

3.   Click on the sub-level insert button  [image] .  A new sub-level will be inserted under the selected sub-level with the name menuitem.

4.   You can change the name of the new sub-level in the Name Editbox

5.   To save this configuration choose the Save button [image]  or choose the Quit button [image]  to leave without saving.

   It should appear similar to this with the new name of 'DynaMenu':

How to add a Launch Command under the new sub-level

1.   Select the sub-level where you want to add launch commands to.

2.   Bring up the Add Commands dialog by choosing the launch command insert button [image] or by double-clicking on the selected sub-level in the Menu Tree Listbox.

3.   In the Names field, enter name of the launch command that will appear in the menu.  In the Command field, enter the drive, path and filename of the executable you wish to launch.

or   Choose the Browse button and select the executable file you wish to launch.

or   Choose a launch command from the Macros combobox.

4.   Choose the OK button.

5.   To save this configuration choose the Save button [image]  or choose the Quit button [image]  to leave without saving.


How To Load DynaMenu

There are a couple of ways to load DynaMenu.  Once DynaMenu is loaded, a simple click with your right mouse button on the desktop will make the menu appear.

How to load DyanMenu's menu

   If you run the DYNAMENU.EXE file with no parameters the menu will appear.

or   it can be launched from the DynaMenu icon in Program Manager.

NOTE:  When you first load DynaMenu, the menu will not appear until you click the right mouse button on the desktop or run the DYNAMENU.EXE file again.

How to load the DynaMenu Graphical Editor

   If you run the DYNAMENU.EXE file with the '/m' parameter (w/o the apostrophes) the Editor will appear.

or  if your menu has been configured with the Configure macro, you can select that menuitem and the  Editor will appear.