SUI HELP FILE

    38

     0  13  #INTRO_SCREEN
   595  12  #NORMAL_MODE
  1203  18  #SETUP_MODE
  2079  10  OPTIONS
  2581  16  TIMEOUT
  3434   9  #AUTHOR
  3935  17  #INFO
  4788  15  #NETWORK
  5489  18  WRITEMODE
  6381   7  MOUSESENS
  6753  13  TIMEDATE
  7383   5  TWENTYFOUR
  7593  12  DISPLAYMODE
  8107  14  DEFEXECMODE
  8838  11  SCREENSAVE
  9361   6  USAGEANAL
  9637   6  STARTUPMODE
  9939   7  MENUORDER
 10283  10  ECHOOFF
 10801   7  PASSWORD
 11172  12  EDIT_MENU
 11746   6  OPTKEY
 11968   4  OPTDESC
 12069   9  OPTPAUSE
 12502   7  OPTPW
 12855  18  OPTFUNC
 13791  15  OPTEXEC
 14587  11  MENUTITLE
 15096   5  MENUKEY
 15250   8  MENUPATH
 15639   4  PARAMETERS
 15737   6  STATUS
 16017   4  SETUPPASSWORD
 16172   3  EXECPASSWORD
 16241   3  EXECTIMEOUT
 16291  10  TIMEDSELECT
 16726  13  TIMED
 17385   0  END

SlickMenus 1.1 - August 1990 - (C) 1990 Drew Olbrich

If you decide to use SlickMenus on a regular basis, I strongly suggest
that you send a check for $25.00 (and an optional package of gummi
bears) to the address below.  It will be greatly appreciated.

  Drew Olbrich                  This program is "shareware."
  192 Wilbur Boulevard          It is not free!
  Poughkeepsie, NY  12603

Please examine this program thoroughly!  Give it a chance!  Everything
you'll ever need to know is provided online via context-sensitive
help.  Just press the F1 key when you get confused.

Help with SlickMenus (Normal Mode)

To select an item either use the cursor keys or press the letter key
associated with that item.  You can also use a mouse, if available.
Press the [Enter] key or the [left] mouse button to activate the item.
To return to previous menus, press the [Esc] key or the [right] mouse
button.

If you want to edit the menus or configure the program, press the [F10]
key to switch into "setup mode".  This may require that you enter a
password, if the program has been configured to use one.  Once setup
mode is active, press the [F1] key again for additional help.

Online Help: Setup Mode

Use the following keys from the "setup mode" status line menu:

  [F1]   Context-sensitive help     [F4]   Exit to DOS
  [F2]   Change program options     [F9]   Invoke a temporary DOS shell
  [F3]   Add or edit menus          [F10]  Return to "normal mode"

  [Alt-A]  Add a menu               [Alt-I]  Information
  [Alt-C]  Configuration            [Alt-M]  Move an option
  [Alt-D]  Delete an option         [Alt-N]  New option
  [Alt-E]  Edit an option           [Alt-S]  Sort options

Context-sensitive help is available throughout SlickMenus on whatever
features are on the screen.  The DOS shell is also available (by
pressing [F9]) at all points in the program, whenever setup mode is
active.  It's a handy way to check out directories and file names that
you may have forgotten while you're adding options to your menus.

Options Menu

[Configuration]         - Set configuration options
[Default execution]     - Set a program to start up automatically
[Timed execution]       - Set programs to run at certain times
[Information]           - Display memory and usage analysis
[Reset usage analysis]  - Reset the usage analysis list
[Program help]          - General help information
[Network help]          - Help with using SlickMenus with a network
[About the author]      - A short description of the author

Default Execution

The "default execution" option allows you to specify commands that
will be executed automatically when SlickMenus starts up.  When
SlickMenus is loaded, it will display a window that prompts the user
to hit a key.  If no key is pressed within thirty seconds, the
"default execution" commands that you entered will be copied into
a batch file and executed, just like those of any other menu option.
(Note: This will always occur in the "batch" mode.  That is,
SlickMenus will temporarily remove itself from memory while executing
the specified commands.)

If you're a BBS sysop, this option is especially useful, because you
can have your BBS load automatically when you boot up, and still be
able to use SlickMenus.  If you have a blackout and the power comes
back on, your BBS can load itself back up without help.

About the Author

Drew Olbrich is currently attending Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh, where he is studying computer science.  He has been
hanging out on Earth for the last nineteen years, and has decided to
stay, primarily because of the color scheme.  His current interests
include computer graphics, orange soda, and cow tipping.  He thinks
that ray tracing and 3D computer animation are the neatest things
this side of Alpha Ceti V.  In his natural habitat, Drew has red hair.

Program Help

SlickMenus should work on just about any system that has at least 256K
of memory.  Ideally, it should be run on computers equipped with hard
disk drives, although this is not a requirement.  The following
switches may be used when you invoke SlickMenus from the DOS command
line via the MENU.BAT batch file:

  [-b]  Force the use of BIOS for screen output.
  [-m]  Force a black & white display mode.

These options can also be set via the configuration menu.  Characters
on the DOS command line not preceded by a hyphen will be accepted by
SlickMenus as normal keystrokes would.  Thus, it is possible to have
menu options executed directly from DOS.  For example, "MENU DS" could
load the menu specified by "D" and then execute option "S".  Use "^"
to represent the Esc key, and "!" to cause an immediate exit to DOS.

Network Help

The following DOS environment variables may be set to tell SlickMenus
which files it should use.  It each computer in a network is set up
to use unique files, everything should be just peachy, and you won't
have to make multiple copies of SlickMenus.  The defaults for these
settings are listed in parenthesis.

  [SM_MENU]  The menu file that is loaded.        (SM.MNU)
  [SM_BAT1]  The primary temporary batch file.    (SMEXEC.BAT)
  [SM_BAT2]  The secondary temporary batch file.  (SMTEMP.BAT)
  [SM_DATA]  The temporary data file.             (SMTEMP.DAT)

You could probably get away with sharing a common menu file as long
as access to "setup" mode is restricted.

Screen Write Mode

This option lets you determine the method that SlickMenus will use to
write to the screen.  The available modes are described below:

[Direct] - Information is written directly to the screen.  On some
older computers, this may cause "snow" to occasionally appear on your
display.  It is not harmful if accidently swallowed.

[Retrace] - This clears up the snow problem!  SlickMenus will do some
highly technical things that have some surprisingly close similarities
to the ingredients found in "Oxy 10".

[BIOS] - When you use this mode, information is written to the screen
so slowly that you may get bored and possibly die as a result of the
natural aging process.  As you may have guessed, SlickMenus uses BIOS
for output.  This is really great because it means that you can easily
run it under a multitasker... TopView, for example. <cough> <cough>

Mouse Sensitivity

If you have a mouse, then use this option to activate it and set its
sensitivity.  [Low] sensitivity means you'll have to move the mouse
a greater distance to move the mouse pointer, and [High] sensitivity
means that short movements will move the pointer a large distance.
[Off] means that a mouse will be ignored, even if it is not installed.

Time/Date Display Format

Hey, I must really have been groping around for useless features here,
because this option lets you tell SlickMenus how you want your time
and date displayed!  You can choose from our wide variety of
handcrafted display formats, including [USA], [Europe], and [Japan].
If you are in fact using this program in another country, please let
me know!  I'd be tickled pink!  If the demand arises, I may include in
future versions such overwhelmingly useful formats as Zamibia, Easter
Island, Alpha Ceti V, and Hell.

You can also select [None], which means that the time will not be
displayed.

Twenty-four Hour Format

If this option is [On], twenty-four hour format (with seconds) will be
used to display the time on the status line.  Twelve hour am/pm format
will be used if it is set to [Off].

Display Mode

If you have a Portable PC, a composite monitor, or a strange allergy
to the color blue, then this option will make you happy as heck!  It
can make everything black and white so you can easily read it!  The
possible options are, obviously, [Color] and [Black & white].

If you're using a monochrome monitor, SlickMenus will use its "Black &
white" palette all the time, regardless of this setting.

[Note that the change will not take effect until you exit the program]
[and reload it!]

Default Execution Mode

This option will let you select between the two modes that SlickMenus
will use to execute programs.  (Note that this is the default -- you
can always change this for specific programs when you create or edit a
menu option using the Edit Menu.)  Your choices are [Direct] and
[Batch].  Direct mode will run a program immediately, keeping
SlickMenus in memory.  Batch mode is slower, but SlickMenus is removed
from memory, freeing up more space for your application.

[If the program that you will run is a "TSR", that is, it is going to]
[leave a portion of itself in memory, make sure that you run it via the]
["batch" mode.  Otherwise it will interfere with the operation of]
[SlickMenus.]

Screen Save Blanking

This option can cause your computer to blank its screen after a
specified period of time.  This will keep SlickMenus' display from
permanently etching itself into your monitor if you leave it on a lot.

You can select [None], which means that no screen blanking will take
place, or a duration, which is the amount of time that SlickMenus
will wait after the last keypress before blanking your screen.  The
available durations are [3 minutes], [5 minutes], [10 minutes], and
[30 minutes].

Usage Analysis

If set to [On], this option causes SlickMenus to keep track of which
programs are used most often.  The status of this checking can be
examined with the "Information" command on the "Options" menu, or by
pressing Alt-I from the setup mode status line.

Startup Mode

This option lets you set the mode that SlickMenus will start up in,
either [Setup] or [Normal] mode.  If you're using SlickMenus for your
own personal use, and not using passwords, you might as well set this
to [Setup] so that you can make changes quickly without pressing [F10].

Menu Option Order

This option tells SlickMenus if you want your menus options put in
[Alphabetical] order, or a [User-defined] order.  If you select
User-defined, then the Move an Option and Sort Options commands will
be made available on the Edit menu.  In addition, Alt-M and Alt-S
will be made available when you're in Setup Mode.

Automatic echo off

If this configuration option is set to [On], SlickMenus will
automatically temporarily insert an ECHO OFF command, followed by a
CLS, into the beginning of a batch file before it executes it.  This
way, the commands in the batch file that are executed will not be
displayed on the screen (although their output will be).  In DOS 3.3
(or greater), it will instead insert an @ECHO OFF command.  This is
better than the first case, because not even the ECHO OFF command
will be displayed.

Setup Mode Password

This field is a password that must be entered before you can switch
from "normal mode" to "setup mode" (using [F10]).  If it is not
defined, then the user is not prompted to enter a password.  Note that
this password is essentially a "master password."  It will be accepted
as valid in place of passwords set for specific menus and options.

Edit Menu

From here you can add or remove menus, change menu titles, and
manipulate menu options.  Note that you can invoke all of these
functions more directly from the setup mode status line using the Alt
key.  Just press the letter of the command you want while holding down
the Alt key.

Some options on this menu might not be highlighted and are not
available.  For example, "Move an option" cannot be used when menus
are automatically alphabetically sorted, as set in the configuration
menu (under "options").  (The reasons for this should be obvious.)

Key

This is the key that activates this particular menu option.  It
should be either a letter or a number.  Each key in a menu must be
unique... if one isn't, you'll get an error message telling you to
change it.

Description

This is the short description of the menu option that will be
listed in the menu.

Pause

If this is set to [Yes], the user will be asked to hit a key after
this option is done executing.  This way, information on the screen
will not be destroyed until the user gets a chance to look at it.
For example, if you had an option that executed the "dir" command in
DOS, setting the Pause option to [Yes] would allow you to read what
was printed on the screen before control was transferred back to
SlickMenus.

Password

This field lets you protect this menu option (or menu) with a
password.  Note that the setup mode password will act as a "master
password," and can be entered in place of any menu option password and
will be accepted as valid.  The setup mode password can be set using
the Configuration window, which is called from the Options menu.

Functions

These eight lines let you define what happens when you select this
menu option.  They should be valid DOS commands.  When you select a
menu option, SlickMenus copies these functions into a batch file and
executes it.  Two special functions are also available.  These should
be placed on the first function line.  All other lines will be
ignored.  These functions are:

  [>EXIT <dir>] - Exit to DOS, leaving this user in directory <dir>.
  [>DOS <dir>]  - Invoke a DOS shell in directory <dir>.

If you include dummy parameters (%1, %2, %3, etc.) in the list of
functions, the user will be prompted to enter a parameter line before
the menu option is executed.  It will be passed to the batch file.
If you're going to need multiple parameters for a command, make sure
you include them!  (For example, you'll need "dir %1 %2" if the user
might type "*.* /w" as as parameters.  Just "dir %1" won't cut it.)

Execution Mode

This option lets you determine how the menu option you defined will be
executed.  In [Direct] mode, a DOS shell will be created to execute
the program.  In [Batch] mode, SlickMenus will remove itself from
memory and execute the program via a batch file.  This is slower,
because SlickMenus has to be loaded again later (automatically, of
course), but it frees up more memory for the program being executed to
use.  If [Default] is selected, then the default execution mode set in
the Configuration window (off the Options menu) is used.

[If the program that you will run is a "TSR", that is, it is going to]
[leave a portion of itself in memory, make sure that you run it via the]
["batch" mode.  Otherwise it will interfere with the operation of]
[SlickMenus!]

Title

This open should be set to the menu's title.  Obviously you must have
asked for help because you're simply not creative enough to come up
with one on your own.  In light of this fact, we have provided the
following list of names that you may select from:

  [Seven Fun Things to Do on a Friday Night After the Mall Closes]
  [Actual Really Neat Stuff This Computer Can Do, Even at 4.77 MHz]
  [A List of Programs for My Sister, Who is Computer Illiterate]
  [The Menu that Ate Pittsburgh]

Key

This is the key that activates this menu.  You cannot select keys
that are already in use in the menu.  Only letters and numbers are
allowed.

Path

This is the default path for the menu.  Before any of the programs
that you add to the menu are executed, SlickMenus will switch to this
directory.  For example, you might have a "Games" menu, and all the
programs on it are in the "\GAMES" directory.  Instead of adding the
line "CD \GAMES" to the function list of every program, just make
"\GAMES" the path for this menu.

Parameters

You should enter parameters for the menu option that you selected on
this line.

Information

This window shows you the top five most-often used programs.  If it
doesn't, it means that the Usage Analysis option is turned off.  If
you'd like to turn it on, use the Configuration command on the Options
menu.  The amount of free memory is also displayed.

Setup Mode Password

You must enter a password in order to gain access to "setup mode".
Setup mode allows you to edit menus and set program options.

Password

This option requires a password.  Type it in.  (NUH!)

Default Execution

This is obvious... Geeze!

Timed Execution

A "timed execution" option is one that can be activated automatically
at a specified time.  From this menu, choose which of the four
available options you would like to edit.

Note that SlickMenus must be in memory for timed execution option to
be activated.  Also, one of your menus must be active.  In other
words, if you are configuring SlickMenus, or editing a menu, then the
time will not be checked.

Timed Execution

Use this screen to edit a timed execution option.  Set the time fields
in hh:mm (24 hour) format to tell SlickMenus when this option should
be activated.  If a given day's time field is left blank, no execution
will occur on that day.  The "functions" area can hold any DOS
functions.  Variable parameters (%1, %2, etc...) and functions such as
">DOS" or ">EXIT" will be ignored.

Note that SlickMenus must be in memory for timed execution option to
be activated.  Also, one of your menus must be active.  In other
words, if you are configuring SlickMenus, or editing a menu, then the
time will not be checked.  (Bummer, huh?)

