Contents

General Overview

Installing WinMenu

Configuring Winmenu

Identifying Server and User name

Define your user's group codes

The following can be found under the Config menu in ADMIN.EXE.

Options  Setting up default switches

Allowing users to change some of the options.

Allowing users to have a personal menu section.

Select a network mapped drive to use when storing personal info.

Inserting the company name.

Accessories... Define or change the blue ribbon utilities.

Sections... Define and link menu sections

Miscellaneous

These are found under the Miscellaneous menu of ADMIN.EXE

Network News Broadcast EXTRA! EXTRA! ... How to set the Company News.

Registering Winmenu

How to Register

   For Help on Help, Press F1

An insight for those of you...

The following information allow you to directly update the configurations file using your favorite text editor program.  This information is provided for those of you who wish to learn more about all the available "switches" and parameters in Winmenu.  You may learn here about some functions that  are not currently available from the online administration facility (admin.exe).   Admin.exe is an optional administration facility that helps you configure the most  common used functions of the system .

How to manually link menu items to user's groups

WINMENU.INI

The [MenuItems] section. 	Defining menu lines.

How to manually define menu items

Using environment variables (i.e %USER% ).

The [Options] section. 	Optional switches.

Disable the RUN window

Restricting users from updating the menu.

Default switches for AutoRestore, AutoMinimize and Multiple Instance features.

The Drive= , CacheALL=  , Sound= and other commands.

The [Config] section 	Modifying a little the configuration.

The Default= parameter.

The RUN=  and LOAD=parameters.

The DefaultDLLPath= parameter

The [System] section

Shutdown=


The [MenuItems] section

 The [MenuItems] section holds the menu lines in each individual INI file. This section is automatically created online by Winmenu. However, there could be times that you may wish to manually create or modify this information.

The first line must contain the header:

 [MenuItems]

     The second line must contain:  NoOfItems=xx

     where xx is the highest menu line number used. (i.e NoOfItems=20).

     The next lines will hold each menu line information. 6 keywords

     are used for each menu line:

         AppNamexx=       ( holds the menu description (Maximum 35 characters long)

         AppFileNamexx=   ( holds the command line.  Program file name + command  parameters)

         AppWorkDirxx=    ( the default directory. Maximum 64 characters long. (optional) )

         AppRunTypexx=    ( 0= Normal Run, 1=Minimized )

         AppIconxx=  (holds the full path of a program, DLL or .ICO file where the ICON is found.

                                    If left blank, Winmenu defaults to the file found in AppFileNamexx.  You

                                   may also specify the ICON position number, starting from zero, tha you wish

                                   to extract:   Example:  AppIcon1=C:\WINDOWS\PROGMAN.EXE,3

                                   Will extract the fourth icon in progman.exe.  NOTE:  All this can be done

                                   automatically online.   Check WINMENU.HLP file.

        AppVerifyxx= (holds the full path + filename that Winmenu will use to verify the user's read permission.  See VerifyON= parameter under the The [Options] section  for more information.  If VerifyON is disabled, this parameter is ignored.  Note: This field is optional and not commonly used. You may ignore this line completely.  If needed, you must enter the value manually.

     where xx is the menu line number of reference (from 1 to 72).

     The following example defines two menu items:

    [MenuItems]

    NoOfItems=20

    AppName1=Word For Windows 2.0

    AppFileName1=e:\%USER%\winword.exe

    AppWorkDir1=d:\winword

    AppRunType1=0

    AppIcon1=

    AppName2=Quicken 6.0 - My CheckBook

    AppFileName2=c:\quick\quicken.exe  myfile

    AppWorkDir2=c:\quick\

    AppRunType2=0

    AppIcon2=MYICON.ICO

 Winmenu also support automatic insertion of environment variables.  Any  word between the percentage characters (%) is interpreted at execution time. Winmenu will replace the %variablename% with the corresponding value found in the environment.   In the example above, the word %USER% will be replaced for the value found in the environment variable USER= .  If none found, Winmenu replaces the %variablename% with  a  space.  NOTE:  This feature is  only available for the fields AppFileNamexx and AppWorkDirxx.  Also, the search is case sensitive.

The following example will force Winmenu to use the file manager associations to obtain the underlying application for files with the extension .XLS .   If the association is not found in the [Extensions] section of the WIN.INI,  then Winmenu will not be able to execute it.

    AppName3=My Spreadsheet report

    AppFileName3=D:\EXCEL3\EXPENSES.XLS

    AppWorkDir3=D:\EXCEL3

    AppRunType3=0

    AppIcon3=

    etc,etc...

  NOTE:  Please have in mind that creating menu lines manually is OPTIONAL. You

  can and should create the menu lines on-line .

.


The [Options] section

The [Options] section should manually be entered in the central WINMENU.INI file.  It is used internally by Winmenu to change or define the following options:  You do not need to add all the possible commands in winmenu.ini because they all have a default . Only when you want to change the default for any given command you must physically add it.

[Options]

AutoRestore=1

AutoMinimize=1

MIV=1

(Note: the only possible values are 1 for ENABLED and 0 (zero) for DISABLED.  Except for the Drive= parameter.)

AutoRestore=    If WinMenu is minimized and all other Windows applications are closed or minimized, then Winmenu automatically opens the menu .  Usually used in combination with AutoMinimize option. The default is ENABLED.

AutoMiniMize=  It automatically minimize WinMenu when the user executes another application from within Winmenu. The default is ENABLED.

AllowLocalMenu= Enable to allow users to create and maintain their own menu items.  Users will be able to select any defined menu section under the group header [PERSONAL]. Winmenu stores each user's menu item in the user's directory.  NOTE:  DisableLocalUpdates= must not be enabled to allow Winmenu the use of a local directory for each user.  See also the Drive= switch.

MIV= This is the Multiple Instance Verification. Each time the user executes an application, Winmenu can verify if that application is already running. If MIV is enabled, Winmenu will notify the user and allow him to recall it or to execute another instance. The default is ENABLED.

DisableRUN= When enabled (=1), the RUN window is disabled. The menu option can not be accessed.  the default is DISABLED. (The RUN window is enabled)

DisableLocalUpdates= Winmenu creates a small file (winmenu.ini) for each user in a local directory or in a directory mapped by the Drive= parameter.  User's specific information like the user's last menu section used  and the default color are stored in this small file to automatically reinstate the user choices when Winmenu runs again.    Enable this switch if you do not want Winmenu to allocate a directory for each user . If enabled, Winmenu will read the base directory to obtain initialization data when needed. The user will not be able to change some options nor automatically have reinstated their last menu section, or change any other configuration found in the Options menu at run time. Diskless workstations may used the DRIVE= parameter to map the local directory to a network drive.   The default is DISABLED.

BaseIsLocal= If enabled, Winmenu utilize the INI files found in the user's local directory (or that pointed by the Drive= parameter ) as the base files. The central Winmenu.INI file is only utilized to obtain the Drive= value.This option changes the database design of Winmenu and should only  be used for installations who prefer to generate the INI files manually and use some kind of login script to automatically store manually created INI files in the user's local directory. Default is DISABLED.  If enabled, you should also enable the DisableLocalUpdates switch.

Drive= The Drive= parameter holds the path for the user's directory.  This directory will be used to store user's personal information .   A full directory path should be entered here.  Also, the path should be unique for each user.  You may also use environment variables enclosed by the percent sign (%).  Winmenu will automatically replace the value of the environment variables at run time.  Example:   Drive=L:\LINK\%USER%   .  This option is perfect for diskless workstations.  The user must have write access to this directory.

VerifyON= When enabled (=1), Winmenu will verify the user's read permission for each menu item.  If the user do not have read permission to a menu item,  the menu item will not be displayed unless the user is a Winmenu administrator or  the user has update access to the entire menu section.  In that case, the menu item will be displayed with a small start (*) by the item number.  This function is useful when you have a general menu section that must be shared by a large group of users but you also wish to "hide" some selected applications from the menu  to one or more users in the group.  Just revoke the file read permission for the desired application to those few users that should not have access to that application but do have access to the rest of the applications in that menu section.  Winmenu will get the application's filename and working directory to obtain the user's read permission unless you have manually entered a value in the AppVerifyxx=.  For more information, see The [MenuItems] section.

 Note: Enabling this function will slow down the time it takes for Winmenu to load and display the screen at startup.  The default value for this parameter is disabled (=0).

CacheALL=  When enabled, Winmenu loads all the menu sections,menu items and menu ICONS at  startup.  The default is enabled (=1).   Disabling  this function (=0) will force Winmenu to load only the menu section that the user have selected.  The initial load will improve when this function is disabled but changing from one menu section to another could take few seconds.

Sound= Disables (=0)  or enables (=1) the sound effects.  The default is enabled.   NOTE:  If the user has no sound card installed, this parameter is ignored.  Winmenu comes with some of the sound files (.WAV) but not all that can be used.  To use your own .wav files, just  copy them into the Winmenu directory but rename them to match the names below. The following .WAV files can be used:

OPEN.WAV  - If Winmenu was minimized and automatically restores the display.

SECURE.WAV - When user clicks on the "key" ICON.

EXECUTE.WAV - Each time a program is executed from Winmenu.

WELCOME.WAV - When loading Winmenu

INCORREC.WAV - When displaying a message box.

SUPER.WAV - When you are recognized as a Winmenu administrator. You have write access to the central Winmenu directory.

NEWS.WAV  - At startup is company news have not being displayed.

MESSAGE.WAV - When new broadcast messages arrives to the workstation

OK.WAV - When the user makes any changes in the Options menu or  the Sections menu.

DISCONN.WAV -  When the user is not connected to the network but ihas engaged the "Standalone" mode.

CONN.WAV - When the user has engaged the "Network " mode.

NOTE: Winmenu looks for these files in the central directory where winmenu.exe resides. If not found, no sound is produced. You need to have a sound card installed or the SPEAKER.DRV .

 See also the [Config] section


The [Config] Section

The [Config] section is optional and may be automatically updated by Winmenu at run time.

Default=

This parameter is used to set a default menu section name.  If not used, Winmenu defaults the first time to the first menu section physically found in the Sections Menu.  The next time, Winmenu will automatically open the menu section used last by the user. (Unless DisableLocalUpdates is enabled) This information is stored in the user's local winmenu.ini file.  All the local INI files are automatically created by Winmenu.

Run= and Load=

 These parameters allows you to automatically execute programs when Winmenu is initially loaded. Program names must be separated by a comma.   The LOAD= will execute programs in the background as minimized applications.  The RUN= will execute programs as normal applications and force  Winmenu. to minimize itself .   It works exactly as the RUN=  and LOAD= commands provided in the initialization file of Windows (WIN.INI).  In fact, you still can use  the WIN.INI run=  or load= lines for this purpose.   Winmenu will "look" for these keywords in the central winmenu.ini and also in each user's winmenu.ini file.   These give you an additional flexibility you may want to explore.   These parameters used in the central winmenu.ini will be executed for ALL the users when Winmenu starts.  These parameters used in a user's winmenu.ini will only be executed for that user.  There is currently no on-line facility to maintain these parameters and you must use a text editor to add them.   Examples:

[Config]

LOAD=C:\WINDOWS\CLOCK.EXE, N:\APPS\MAIL\MAILMON.EXE

RUN=L:\LINK\TODO.EXE

DefaultDLLpath=

 A value of one (1) to enable, zero (0) to disable.   Winmenu's DLL files are required to reside in the same directory where Winmenu.exe resides.  This is done to facilitate upgrades and ensure that  the correct versions of DLLs files are used .   The DefaultDLLpath can disable or enable the default path where Winmenu loads the DLLs.   If disabled (0), the DLL files MUST be found in a directory specified in the workstation's PATH= environment variable or the Windows system directory.   The default value for this command is one (1)  for enabled.

examples:

[Config]

Default=General

LOAD=clock.exe,l:\share\mailmon.exe

DefaultDLLPath=1


Menu Sections
Creating User Groups / Linking Menu Sections

 Winmenu was designed to allow users access to multiple menu sections.    Menu sections can be compared to the group windows in Program Manager.  However,  Winmenu "links"  menu sections to user groups (or categories of users) to effectively  restrict  application access to the corresponding group of users.   Each menu section  can hold up to 72 related menu items in Winmenu.   Each group of users can have many authorized menu sections.

 You must first manually define the user group codes and then define one or more menu sections for each group code.  A group code is used to relate users that share the same line of work, or the same applications.  To relate  each user to the corresponding group codes,  Winmenu checks for the user 's file scan access to the group code's control file as explained below:

Defining group codes:

 Use your favorite text editor, and create the followiing section in the file WINMENU.INI which resides where winmenu.exe is:  (Note: you may create the file winmenu.ini if it does not exist)

 [GROUPS]

Group1=groupname , group_control_filename

Group2=groupname , group_control_filename

etc.

  Where:

 groupname is a single word up to 40 character long (may not be separated by a space or special characters) that describe a desired user group name.

 group_control_filename is a DOS directory name or a full DOS filename including the  path.  This file is essentially a  dummy file or directory  that exist  as a flag to indicate which users are "member of" or "pertaiin to" the related group code.  If you do not specify a directory or file as group control,  then all users will automatically be members to this group.   You need to assign file scan access rights for this directory to each user that pertains to this group code .   If the user can "see" this file or directory, Winmenu assumes that he or she have access to the menu sections and menu items associated with this particular group code.  The actual file contents is irrelevant because Winmenu only check for the existence of this file or dir. .  You may use your current network utility programs to setup each user rights.  Novell network users may assign the file scan access right by setting the user as a trustee to this file.  Check your network manuals for more information on changing or assigning effective rights to files and directories.  Group codes may share the same group control filename (or dir) and a user may have access to more that one group code.

 Typically, one group code is needed for each department or organization unit in your company that shares the same applications.  Although the examples below show a typical use of the group codes, you may create group codes with different user contexts (i.e  WORDPRO,  COMMUNICATIONS,  DEVELOPMENT,  PROJECTX, etc.)

 Examples:

[GROUPS]

Group1=PERSONNEL, O:\SECURE\PERS

Group2=MANAGEMENT, O:\SECURE\MANAGMNT

Group3=EVERYONE

Group4=INVENTORY, O:\SECURE\INV

Group5=ADMIN, O:\SECURE\ADMIN.TXT

etc.

  In the above example,  the administrator must then go and create the directories and/or files above described and assign file scan access to each user in the LAN that should have access to the corresponding group code.  This is the last manual step when setting up Winmenu.  You may then proceed to use the online facility admin.exe to define and link menu sections and menu items.   You may also choose to continue setting up this information manually using your text editor.

  Manually creating and linking menu sections to group names:

NOTE: Once you have create the group codes as described above, you may execute the online program admin.exe to create the menu sections and menu items.  Run admin.exe and select the "Sections" option under the Config menu.  The information below shows you how to create and link menu sections to your groups  manually.

 For each defined group name or code, a header enclosed in brackets must be defined.:

[GROUP_NAME]

INIfile1=Section Name, INI filename

You can link up to 20 menu sections using INIFILE1=   to  INIFILE20= per group header.  The Section names must not be larger than 35 characters long.

Example:

We have planned three group names that we wish use to "attach" menu sections. The  groups  EVERYONE, FINANCIAL and MANAGEMENT will be used in this example.

in the file WINMENU.INI, you must manually insert the following lines :

 [GROUPS]

Group1=EVERYONE

Group2=FINANCIAL,O:\SECURE\FINAN

Group3=MANAGEMENT,O:\SECURE\MGT

 The users under the group EVERYONE will have access to the menu sections General,  Word Processing  and Communications.  Note in the above example,  that no control file or directory is needed with the group code EVERYONE because everyone is a member of this group.  The folks under the group FINANCIAL will only have access to one menu section (each section may hold up to 72 menu items) .  The MANAGEMENT group have access to the menu sections Report & Utilities, Word Processing & Communications.

In the file WINMENU.INI, you must also manually insert the following lines :

[EVERYONE]

INIFILE1=General,winmenu.ini

INIFILE2=Word Processing,n:\apps\sections\wordpro.ini

INIFILE3=Communications,comm.ini

[FINANCIAL]

INIFILE1=Accounting,acct.ini

[MANAGEMENT]

INIFILE1=Report & Utilities,report.ini

INIFILE2=General,winmenu.ini

INIFILE3=Communications,comm.ini

Note: the.INI files may  have a directory path specified.  Winmenu looks for these files in the source directory where winmenu.exe resides unless you have also specified a path.  The header names nor the keywords are case sensitive. [Management], [MANAGEMENT] and [INIfile1] are all correct entries.

 The above example defines the menu sections General, Word Processing and Communications for users who belong to the group code.  In turn, each menu section is linked to a .INI file.  This is a text file that is created and maintained by Winmenu and will eventually  hold the individual menu line definitions. You do not need to create manually the individual INI files. (Use admin.exe or run Winmenu )  Create all the group headers and desired menu section in WINMENU.INI as shown above.  Save the WINMENU.INI file in the central directory where Winmenu resides.  You are ready now to create the menu items on-line.  Run Winmenu  to create and or modify menu items under each section.  Running Winmenu directly to create the menu items will also require you to be a member of each group code.  Using the "Section" dialog of admin.exe instead, do not requires you to be a member .

 . See also Options Section .

NOTE:  Winmenu verifies your write access to the central directory where Winmenu resides. If you have such access, you are considered an administrator and have full access to change menu items and the configuration.  Hence, It is of most importance that only administrators have write access to the central directory of Winmenu.

.


Overview

WinMenu provides a clever and cost effective Corporate menu facility under Windows 3.1 or above.   Administrators may define menu items for all users.  You define your compnay user groups that share the same applications access and then define menu section(s ) for each user group in your organization. This feature allows you  to display pre-authorized menu items to all the users based on the  group codes they belong to.  Since Winmenu uses a NNS (No Network Specific) approach, any network capable of assigning users rights to files and directories may use Winmenu.  There are a lot of possibilities you can easily setup to meet your company needs and organization requirements.  You may define authorized menu sections by departments, application types, or any other conceivable unit.   All you need to do is to define a group code for each organization unit that you wish to assign menu sections.  Creating menu section, menu items and linking them to user group codes are simple steps you may do using your favorite text editor or the online administration facility of Winmenu.  Wimenu may be installed once in a Network directory or may optionally be installed at the user's hard disk.

 You may even setup Winmenu to discriminate some users for a particular application in a menu regardless of the groups he or she belongs to.  This tool allows for a much easier transition to the Windows environment by providing an easy to use menu program which combine the conventional features found in DOS menus with state-of-the-art functions of the Windows graphical environment. All level of user's sophistication has been taken in consideration at design time.   You may replace program manager with Winmenu to obtain full control and minimize the support calls.

   Administrators can setup company news to be automatically displayed on each user's workstation at startup.  Winmenu administrators create and organize menu items into "menu sections", which are then linked to group of users providing an effective way to control menu access.  Each menu section can hold up to 72 items.  Multiple menu sections can be associated to a group  and each user may belong to multiple groups.

         Winmenu  scans the initialization file WINMENU.INI  to obtain all the available group names and then check the file scan rights of the user to determine which group codes the user belongs to .  The central WINMENU.INI file also contains the associated menu section names and INI file names for each group code.  All you need as an adminstrator is a text editor to make changes and create the group code associations.   This do not require your network to support  Novell bindery or any other network specific function.  (Note: A special version of Winmenu supports the Novell bindery and may use the existing group codes to link menu sections.  Contact author for more info. )

 The person(s) in charge to administrate Winmenu defines the menu sections and menu items using the administration facility program ADMIN.EXE included with Winmenu 4.0.   Menu items can be "dragged-and-dropped" from the File Manager to Winmenu's ICON to facilitate adding new menu items.

 The users are not allowed to change the  menu items or configurations defined by the network administrator but may optionally maintain at least one "personal" menu  for its own private use.   If the user belong to multiple groups, and each group has a series of menu sections defined in the central WINMENU.INI, then up to 20 distinct menu sections from all the authorized groups will show up listed under the "Sections" menu of Winmenu. Winmenu recognize distinct sections by the INI file name. You create and maintain the individual INI files on-line using the Administration facility and Winmenu.

 See Installing WinMenu

NOTE:  Winmenu checks the write access rights to the central directory where Winmenu resides. If you have such access, you are considered an administrator and have full access to change menu items and the configuration.  Hence, It is of most importance that only administrators have write access to the central directory of Winmenu.

  Support

 The author of Winmenu provides free support and fixes for the Winmenu software via Compuserve electronic mail.  If you do not have a Compuserve account,  you may still receive and send e-mail messages to the author of Winmenu via the INTERNET.  Most online services (i.e America Online, BIX, Prodigy, etc. ) and e-mail services have the capability to exchange mail messages with the INTERNET.   Some of those e-mail services can also receive and send binary files from and to Compuserve's gateways.  If you can send mail to INTERNET addresses,  you can access the author (see Registering Winmenu for e-mail address).   If you do not have access to such e-mail services, fixes can be sent via US mail when necessary.  In some countries outside US, you may be required to pay shipping and handling.    Any bug or program error reported will be fixed and sent  immediately at no cost to the customer via e-mail.


How to Register

Evaluation and Registration

This is not a free software. This license allows you to use this software for evaluation purposes without charge for a period of 20 days.  If you use this  software after the 20 day evaluation period,  a registration fee is required.  When payment is received you will be sent your registration license number and will be entitled to obtain or download the latest version of WinMenu .  Any "please register" windows will not show again after you enter your reg#.   .

Please make payment by check or money order (in US funds) payable

to: Ricky Freyre

    6373 Bell Haven Ln.

    Riverdale, GA 30296

CREDIT CARDS ONLY:

 NOTE: THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY!. Also, when ordering, please specify the number of users license desired. No technical questions are  answered because this is an independent service and the author of Winmenu   can not be accessed here.  You can order with MC, VISA, Amex or Discover   from the Public (software) Library by calling 800-2424-PsL or (713)524-6394   or by FAX to (713)524-6398 or by CIS Email to 71355,470.  You can also mail   credit cards orders to Psl at P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705.

  Tell the operartor you wish to buy a license for Winmenu for  Networks. Specify the number of users you wish to buy the license for, and  the price as indicated below. Also, be sure the operator knows  your e-mail address (Compuserve or INTERNET) because you can receive the registration number back in approximately 48 hours.  Also, your e-mail address is used to send youu fixes and upgrade notifications.

ON-LINE VIA COMPUSERVE

You may also charge it to your compuserve account. Just GO SWREG and  enter the registration id# shown below  that corresponds to the number of users you wish to register.  The author of Winmenu will send your registration number in ~48 hours to your compuserve account mailbox.

THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY!!!

 Any question about the status of the shipment of order, registration options,  product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site  license, etc, must be directed to the author's Email address. (See below)  If you do not have Email access, FAX you questions to (404)907-4855.

 ACCESS THE AUTHOR FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT AT:

  Compuserve# 70154,2635

  INTERNET:   70154.2635@compuserve.com

  or FAX you questions to (404)907-4855

 The author of Winmenu  offers free support and fixes for the Winmenu software via Compuserve and INTERNET electronic mail.  If the customer do not have access to such e-mail services, fixes can be sent via US mail.  In some countries outside US, you may be required to pay shipping and handling.    Custom modifications can be arranged for a small fee.  Any bug or program error reported will be fixed immediately at no cost to the customer via e-mail.   Please, be sure you include an e-mail address if you have it.

LICENSE FEE PER COMPANY SITE / REGISTRATION FEE

The fees below are per company site .   Regardless of the number of LANs installed.  Building structures from the same company but  separated by at least one mile requires separate licenses.

                                                                                               on-line                 FYI

      # Users        Price          GO SWREG      Price

       -------       -------        Reg.id#:    per station

          1 - 4    $   60.00         1153	 $15.00

          5 - 9    $  100.00         1154	 $11.11

         10 - 24   $  200.00         1155	 $ 8.33

         25 - 49   $  450.00         1156	 $ 9.18

         50 - 99   $  750.00         1157	 $ 7.57

        100 - 199  $ 1200.00         1158	 $ 6.03

        200 - 299  $ 1500.00         1382	 $ 5.01

        Unlimited  $ 1800.00         1384	 less than $5

*Source code is never included.

Print Mail order form.


Order Form

WINMENU  for  networks.       Please, print  and mail this form!

MAIL ORDER FORM:

Send via mail

to: Ricky Freyre

    6373 Bell Haven Ln.

    Riverdale, GA 30296

    USA

Indicate desired number of users license :  _______________________________________

Company site License Fee  $US _______________  (U.S. FUNDS ONLY)

Please specify the diskette size(s) that are acceptable for you:            ___ 5.25"    ___ 3.5"

        Contact Name :________________________________________________

               Company :_____________________________________________________

                 Address :_____________________________________________________

                               _____________________________________________________

                               _____________________________________________________

      Phone   ____________________    FAX #  ________________________

Winmenu's author will attempt to deliver your registration license number via Email, FAX or regular

US mail.  Please, indicate which is preferred : ________________________

 *   COMPUSERVE or INTERNET  e-mail address:__________________________________

     America Online, Prodigy, Others e-mail address:  _______________________________

     Which network do you have in your site?:  __________________________________________

      Where did you get WINMENU? __________________________________

      What version number of Wimenu you have?: __________

        Comments: ____________________________________________________________

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT!


Installing WinMenu

Create a private directory (Read Only) in the network.  Copy all the files.

Create a network directory to hold the WINMENU files with read only access.

  Example: N:\APPS\WINMENU

  Be sure to copy all the WINMENU files to this directory.

     WINMENU.EXE	  	program file

     WINMENU.TXT	  	This document.

     WINMENU.HLP	User's Online help

     WINMNEWS.EXE	  News broadcast

     ADMIN.EXE	Administration Facility Program

     ADMIN.HLP       	 Administration Online help

     ORDER.TXT     	How to register online or by mail.

  The following files are needed in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory and

  should already be found there as part of the Windows 3.1 system files:

     COMMDLG.DLL

     SHELL.DLL

     TOOLHELP.DLL

     MMSYSTEM.DLL

   Winmenu will create the directory C:\WINMENU on each workstation that runs the program. (Note: You may change the path used. See under  Options  .)

WHAT TO DO NEXT:

Only Winmenu's administrators must have write access to the central Winmenu directory.  Read the Overview  section for a basic understanding of how Winmenu works.  Create manually the user group codes to organize your users in logical units that share the same applications or line of work.    Create the  menu sections  for each desired user group  using the administration facility.  Also, use the administration facility to "edit" the menu section names and create the menu items.

 Your users may now execute Winmenu.  Users will have access to the menu sections defined under each  group code which they have file scan access.

FYI:

      A version for NOVELL networks is available.

      A version with screens translated to GERMAN is available

      through a German distributor.

      A version for portable computer users who also need to connect to a

      Novell network is available.

      A Standalone version for single computers (no network) is also available.

      Winmenu is constantly updated and upgrades are uploaded to

      Compuserve forums regularly. Please, send a note to the author

      to verify you have the latest version.


Options

The Options dialog allows you to configure Winmenu's behavior.  These switches can be accessed from the Options menu item under the Config menu of ADMIN.EXE .

Create a directory for each user:

This option allows Winmenu to store personal data for each user in a local or network directory.  User's personal configuration choices  like Minimize on Use and Auto Restore options will be stored and restored  if this option is enabled (X).  This option is also required if users are allow to have their own personal menu.  Winmenu will create a directory (C:\WINMENU) in each user's workstation unless you have specified a path in the  "User path:" field.  For detailed steps on how to enable a personal menu for each user, see  Allowing users a personal menu.

User Path :  ______________________________________.

If "Create a directory for each user" is marked (X) or enabled,  Winmenu will automatically create the local directory C:\WINMENU on each user's workstation to store personal data.  You may  also instruct Winmenu to use a different directory path to store the data for each user.  Just enter here the full directory path to use.  The path must  be unique for each user .  Consider using an environment variable for this purpose.  For example,  you may enter a path like this L:\LINK\%USER%  which will be resolved by Winmenu at run time.  Winmenu will scan the workstation environment table to replace  the variable %USER% for the value found.  Environment variables can also be setup in the user's  login script.  For more information on environment variables, please consult your DOS manuals.  (Or ask me!)

Allow users to have a personal menu.

Users may have at least one personal menu where they can maintain their own menu items in Winmenu.  If you enable this option, you must also create at least one  menu section name under the code PERSONAL using the Sections dialog in admin.exe.  See Sections for more information.

"Run" window disabled.

 Mark (X) this option to disable the RUN window in Winmenu. The RUN window allows users to browse the disk drives directories and execute programs not found in the menu.

Enable sound effects.

Mark (X) to enable event driven sound effects.  Users equipped with a sound card or the speaker.drv may listen voice notifications and sound effects for some of the WInmenu events. You may also replace each sound with the .WAV of your choice by simply renaming as indicated below:

The following .WAV files are used:

OPEN.WAV  - When Winmenu restores the menu display after being minimized.

SECURE.WAV - When user clicks on the "Screen saver" button.

EXECUTE.WAV - Each time a program is executed from Winmenu.

WELCOME.WAV - When loading Winmenu

INCORREC.WAV - When displaying a message box.

SUPER.WAV - When Winmenu starts and it recognizes you as a Winmenu administrator.

OK.WAV - When the user makes any changes in the Options menu or  the Section menu.

NEWS.WAV - When new company  news are available .

ALARM.WAV - When Winmenu must notify a user of a critical even. (i.e Shutdown in progress).

NOTE: Winmenu looks for these files in its own directory. If not found, no sound is produced.

Force display of network news

Default Menu options

The following options may also be changed by each user if you have marked the "Create a directory for each user" option.   If so, you may set the initial default here.

Minimize on use  -  Allow Winmenu to minimize itself when a program is executed.

Auto Restore - Allow Winmenu to automatically restore the menu when minimized.

Verify Instances - Winmenu alerts users if the program is already running.

Sound - Enable or disable sound effects.


Force display of network news at startup.

You may setup network news to be displayed at each user's workstation when they initially run Winmenu.  Mark this option to force the user  to look at the news, otherwise, they will have the option to open the news at their convenience by clicking on the newspaper ICON.  See also Define Network News


Accessories...

The accessories are up to nine user define utility programs that can be executed from Winmenu's  accessories menu, the blue ribbon and the system menu while Winmenu is minimized.  These programs are common to all users and  can be accessed regardless of the current menu section the user is working on.  Use this option to define frequently use programs like e-mail, DOS (Command.com) , Calculator, etc..  You may create and/or change accessory programs using the Accessory dialog from the Config menu in admin.exe.

Creating or changing an accessory program.

Click once over the accessory button you wish to create or update.  Fill in a short description and the command line information. You may use the Browse button to browse the hard disk files.  Winmenu automatically extracts the associated ICON from the program file.  Use the Change Icon button if you want to associate another ICON to the program.  Press the SET button to store the accessory program information.  Repeat these steps for each accessory you wish  to add or change.  NOTE:  Changes made to the accessories will  be reflected at the user's workstation  the next time they execute Winmenu.


Sections...

Ref. Program: ADMIN.EXE

 Here you may change or define menu sections and menu items. Menu sections are Winmenu's unit used to link related menu items to user group codes.  A group code is a word that describe related users who shares the same applications and or line of work.  Please, see the Menu Sections for instructions to define the user group codes in winmenu.ini file.  This is the first thing you should do to implement a menu access scheme that fits your organization needs.  Once you have define the group codes in the file winmenu.ini , you may use the program ADMIN.EXE to create and link menu sections.

  A menu section  holds related menu items.  For instance, a menu section named "Word Processing"  may hold all those program that perform word processing tasks.  The menu items are stored internally by Winmenu in DOS files with the extension of .INI .   These files are automatically created and maintained by WINMENU.EXE.  The Section dialog of the administration facility allow you to attach menu section names to its corresponding INI file and links menu section names to user group codes.

  You can "links" menu section names to one or more  group code defined in the [GROUPS] section of WINMENU.INI.  Since Winmenu authorization scheme is based on the groups the user "belongs to",  you may decide to do some planning before creating the menu sections names.   Users should be members of at least one group code that reflects their type of work or organization hierarchy (i,e  MANAGEMENT, ADMIN, CLERKS , etc.).  Now you need to create menu section names that are intuitive to the type of application they  enclose.

 A basic configuration:

A basic configuration for small shops is to only use two  group codes:  EVERYONE and ADMIN for assigning menu access.  For instance, create at least one menu section name (i.e General ) under the user group EVERYONE and one menu section name (i,e Administration) under the  group ADMIN.    Define menu items that may be accessed by all the users in your LAN site under the menu section GENERAL and define those sensitive applications under the menu section name ADMINISTRATION.

All others...

 Some large shops have more than one software of a certain type of application and may decide to create menu section names as Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Financial  to enclose all related applications.  Other shops may prefer to create menu section names based on work types like Management, Administration, etc.  . Regardless,  you should use  intuitive menu section names because Winmenu might present a list of authorized menu section names to the users.  Once they select the menu section name, all the related menu items are presented.

Select the user group code to work with.

 ADMIN.exe will present all the group codes currently defined in the [GROUPS] section of the file WINMENU.INI  for you to pick. Select a group code from the list  to see the current menu section names that are authorized to users members of that particular group code.  All the menu sections you create or modify will be linked to the selected group code.

    NOTE:  Besides the defined group codes, the group code PERSONAL is included in the group code's list.   Any menu section name defined under the PERSONAL group code could show on each user's workstation regardless the group codes they belong to.  Menu items under these sections can be changed and deleted by each user.  You must have defined the "Allow local menu" and  "Allow a directory"  switches as enabled.  See Allowing users a personal menu  .

Change a menu section name.

 To change an existing menu section under the selected group code,  click over the desired menu section name shown.  Make the desired changes to the name or the associated .INI file name as  needed.  You may also click the EDIT button to invoke Winmenu which will allow you to create or change the menu items for the selected menu section name.   Minimize Winmenu when done to continue with the menu sections.  Click OK when done or select another user group code to work.    NOTE: Changes for menu sections under the group code PERSONAL are not allowed since each user maintain its own menu items.

Enter a new menu section name.

Once you have selected the desired group code, fill in the new menu section name in the Menu Section Name field and also enter the associated .INI file name.  The .INI name must conform to DOS file naming conventions and must end with the extension .INI file (i,e WORDPRO.INI,  MGMT.INI, etc.).  Winmenu stores and maintain the associated menu items in this INI file.  The .INI file do not have to exist at this time but the name should be unique among your menu section names. You may also use an existing  INI file that is already use on another group code.  It is common to share  menu sections among group codes.  You may now click the EDIT button to create the menu items or click the ADD/CHANGE button to add the menu section name without creating the menu items at this time .

Note:  The INI files will be automatically created and maintained in the same directory where WINMENU.EXE resides unless you have also specified a complete path.  You must then have write access to this directory.   I recommend not to specify a directory path with your INI file names and allow all your INI files to exist in Winmenu's central directory. This is the default and also the most sensitive way to ease the maintenance task.

Note:   When you click the "Edit Menu" button,  Winmenu is called in ADMIN-UPDATE mode. Under this mode, it only recognizes the current menu section name that you are creating or changing in the administration facility.   Winmenu's "Exit" button will be transformed to an  "Ok" button which will minimize Winmenu instead or ending the session.  This allows you to continue your administration tasks without delays.  Winmenu will return to its "normal" mode when you exit the "Sections" dialog from the administration facility.

Click OK when done or select another user group code to work.

Note:

No more than 20 menu sections may be linked to a single group code.  Typically, you will use no more than two in a single group code.  Regardless, Winmenu will not display more than 20 menu sections for a single user.


Define or change today's news

 You may enter up to 32k of network and/or company related news which will be displayed on each workstation when Winmenu is loaded.  The Edit menu allows you to paste text information from other applications. Press the CLEAR button to erase previous news, OK button to save the current text.  The text is saved in the DOS file NEWS.TXT in the directory where WINMENU.EXE resides.  You may also use your own text editor to create or change this file's content.

See also  Force display of network news


 Allowing users a personal menu

You may create at least one menu section name under the  group code PERSONAL as defined in the Sections dialog of admin.exe.  This group code (PERSONAL) does not have to be defined  in the [GROUPS] section ofwinmenu.ini  because is internal to Winmenu.  All menu sections  names defined under this group code are automatically treated as personal menus. Winmenu will allow each user to create and maintain their own menu items under these menu sections.  The Options section must be defined to allow user creating their own personal menus.  See  the Options dialog to enable/disable this feature.

Steps:

1) Enable the "Create a directory for each user" in the"Options" dialog of admin.exe.

2) Enable the "Allow personal menu" option in the "Options" dialog of admin.exe .

3) Optionally, define a full directory path (must be unique for each user) in the "User Path:" field of the "Options" dialog.  This is a good place to use the environment variables to compute a unique directory. Example :  L:\LINK\%USER%\PERSONAL  .   Note: If you do not specify a path, Winmenu defaults to C:\WINMENU  directory to store the user's personal data.

4) Define at least one menu section name and associated INI file name in the "Sections" dialog. This section name is what the user will see and select from the "Section" menu in  Winmenu.


The [System] section

The [system]section currently holds one parameter.

SHUTDOWN= holds a zero (0) when disabled and a one (1) when enabled.  When this parameter is enabled,Winmenu will warn new users that the system is currently shutdown and that they must leave Windows.  It will also close any network connection the user had open.  NOTE: This only happens when the user starts Winmenu.  When you manually enable this parameter, the active Winmenu users will not get a "shutdown" messages until they exit and start again a Winmenu's session.  You should use the "SHUTDOWN" option of the administration facility to immediately warn all active Winmenu users of a shutdown.


Identifying the USER and SERVER

 Winmenu looks in the workstation's environment  space for the SERVER= and SUSER= environment variables to extract the  server name and the user's identification code.  These environment variables are used as default.   You have the option of changing the default environment variable names for these values.  In the central winmenu.ini file,  add the following optional lines under the [CONFIG] section:  ( If [CONFIG] does not exist, please add it )

[CONFIG]

ServerVar=SERVER

UserVar=SUSER

..

The keyword ServerVar= holds the environment variable name that contains the server name.

The UserVar= holds the environment variable name that contains the userid .

NOTE: These environment variables can be defined in the user's login script  or in their autoexec.bat file.  For more information on environment variable,  consult your operating system manuals.

 Winmenu do not base the menu access on neither of these environment variables,  The value found in these variables are only used for displaying.   See the Menu Sections to understand how Winmenu uses the existing network resources to allow authorized menu access.