SYSMENU REFERENCE MANUAL v3.19y : Copyright 1992 DCA, all rights reserved. Press TAB to jump forward between section titles when browsing this text on-screen using help mode function F1. Section - I Section - II Section - III General Information System Reference Appendices -------------------------- -------------------- ---------------------- Introduction Modes of Operation Troubleshooting License & Registration Program Operation Where to Use SysMenu File Package System Limitations Warranty & Disclaimer Recommended Learning Curve File Reference Installation Help Mode Functions Sub-Menu Reference Timed File Reference ÿ SECTION I - GENERAL INFORMATION INTRODUCTION : SysMenu is a menu program for MS-DOS computer systems. SysMenu works on hard disk systems such as desktops, on floppy drive systems like laptops and on palmtop systems that use flash memory cards. SysMenu requires a total of 64kb RAM for execution, is not RAM resident and can be configured for monochrome and color video systems. SysMenu is designed to be customized by the user for a professional looking finish to any PC system, and allows many user defined parameters such as light bar menus, sub-menu levels, screen burnout, screen text, screen colors and timed file execution. SysMenu also has a built-in help and maintenance mode with special attention paid to the details required by the business world. One such detail is a unique licensing system which allows you to register and personalize your copy of SysMenu, thereby meeting the requirements set forth by your auditing and legal departments. ÿ LICENSE & REGISTRATION : SysMenu is distributed as shareware software. Shareware distribution allows you to use this program for a reasonable amount of time at no cost. If you wish to continue using this program a licensing fee is requested. Licensing allows you to continue using this program as a valid licensee. If you do not wish to purchase a license following a reasonable period of evaluation, you must discontinue using this program. This program may not be used in an organization, corporate, government, agency, club or business environment without a negotiated site license. This program may be distributed at no cost for the evaluation of license, provided the complete SysMenu file package is distributed intact and uncorrupted. It is the author's intention that you license your copy of this program. Licensing your copy of SysMenu earns you a unique license number which is easily "branded" into your copy of this program. Your unique license number replaces the default label "License #000000" displayed on line 25 of the installation mode screen, on line 25 of the help mode screen and in the footer text of this printed manual. A certificate of license accompanies your license number, authenticating to all who need to know that you are using properly licensed software. SysMenu licensing standards require one license for every PC the software will be installed on or, in the case of network usage, an aggregate license total representative of the maximum number of users allowed access to SysMenu during any concurrent session. Based on the total license count for your PC environment, the cost per license is prorated per the following schedule: Total # Licenses Cost Per License ---------------- ---------------- 1 $25 2 .. 5 $24 6 .. 10 $23 11 .. 20 $22 21 .. 30 $21 31 .. 40 $20 41 .. 50 $19 51 .. 100 $18 101 + $15 In exchange for your check or money order, you will receive the following: 1. Certificate of license representative of your total license count. 2. License number unique to your organization. 3. Instructions on how to "brand" your license number into SysMenu. 4. Notification of future upgrades and a discounted upgrade cost. 5. Technical support for this program via the U.S. Postal Service for ninety (90) days following your paid registration. Master diskettes containing the complete SysMenu file package can also be ordered at a cost of $5.00 per diskette; please specifiy diskette size of 3.5" or 5.25". Note that purchase of a master diskette does not constitute license or registration of this program; purchase of a master diskette serves as a transfer of software media only. Ohio residents should include sales tax of 5.5% on the total cost of their registration and order. All correspondence regarding SysMenu should be sent to: Wedge Software P.O. Box #1746 Findlay, OH 45839-1746 ÿ FILE PACKAGE : There are 18 files included in the SysMenu file package, indicated below by those files having a blank file tag, and all are required for the proper operation of SysMenu. Files listed below having a non-blank file tag are not included on the SysMenu distribution diskette but are created at various times during the operation of SysMenu. Files tagged with '*' are created automatically as default files during installation; files tagged with '#' are created as needed; files tagged with '@' are created by the user. All files should be stored together in the same sub-directory in which SysMenu is orginally installed. T File Name Description - ------------ --------------------------------------------------------- SysMenu.0xx SysMenu overlay program files; .0xx = .000 thru .012 SysMenu.COM Main SysMenu program file Install.COM Installation information License.COM Registration program used to license SysMenu Manual.TXT SysMenu user documentation, the file you are now reading Version.TXT Text describing upgrades and version releases * Mnu.BAT Master file used to invoke SysMenu from DOS * System.DAT Data file holding system control parameters * Menu.DAT Data file holding main menu selections * RunFiles.TMR Default file used to queue timed file execution options * UserText.TXT User modified file for inserting text into a help panel * Option1.BAT Example batch file for illustration * Option2.BAT Example batch file for illustration * SubOpt1.BAT Example batch file for illustration * SubOpt2.BAT Example batch file for illustration * Option3.DAT Example sub-menu data file for illustration * Option4.DAT Intentionally not created to illustrate missing .DAT file # DosCom.BAT Dynamically created by SysMenu during execution # Choice.BAT Dynamically created by SysMenu during execution # LastLine.DAT Dynamically created by SysMenu during execution # Timer.LOG Created dynamically; used to log timed file activity # Scratch.LOG Dynamically created by SysMenu during execution @ ffffffff.BAT User created batch files for use as menu options @ ffffffff.DAT User created data files for use as sub-menu's @ ffffffff.TMR User created text files used to queue timed file activity File extensions used by SysMenu have specific meanings as indicated below: .DAT : DATa file - SYSTEM.DAT, MENU.DAT and sub-menu files are .DAT files used to hold system parameters and menu options. .DAT files are non-executable files. .BAT : BATch file - only batch files can be included in a .DAT file as executable options. .TXT : TeXT file - plain ascii files intended to be read by user. .TMR : TiMeR file - indicates a sequence of .BAT files to be queued for timed execution. .LOG : LOG file - used to record timed file activity. ÿ RECOMMENDED LEARNING CURVE : Expertise in learning and using SysMenu can best be had by following the schedule outlined below. After reading each step, check your understanding by testing that feature of SysMenu before proceeding to the next step. 1. Read this manual in it's entirety; a little time spent here will give you a better overall feel for how this program operates. 2. Install the software as described in the next section, answering YES to all default file prompts (ie: install all default files) ADVANCED USER NOTE: Before proceeding to the next step, exit SysMenu and examine all default .BAT, .DAT, .TXT and .TMR files for a very basic understanding of how this program operates. You can use the DOS TYPE command to list these files. Pay particular attention to the MNU.BAT, SYSTEM.DAT and MENU.DAT files. 3. Edit the SYSTEM.DAT file using help mode function F3 to customize the text, colors & video features of this program. Enter a single character for the burnout feature on line 8 and blank out any reference to a timer file on line 10. 4. Edit the MENU.DAT file using your favorite editor or word processor to include only .BAT (batch) file names; leave out any references to sub- menus and option comments. ADVANCED USER NOTE: At this point it should be understood that editing the SYSTEM.DAT and MENU.DAT files provides the user complete control of this program. 5. Edit the MENU.DAT file to include comments with your options. 6. Add a sub-menu option to MENU.DAT using a .DAT ">" record entry. 7. Test and select a chimes octave using help mode function ALT-F2, then set the chimes in SYSTEM.DAT by editing column 3 of line 9 using the edit features of help mode function F3. 8. Add a burnout batch file name to SYSTEM.DAT line 8, using the help mode function F3. 9. Add the default timer file RUNFILES.TMR to SYSTEM.DAT line 10 using the help mode function F3. 10. Force timer file execution by advancing the clock in help mode function F10. 11. Use help mode function F8 to read the TIMER.LOG file after forcing timed file execution. 12. Create a .TMR timer file of your own using help mode function F4 and reset SYSTEM.DAT line 10 to your new .TMR file name; test functions by advancing the clock in help mode function F10. 13. Review timed file activity using help mode function F8. 14. Although your initial review of this manual and the files associated with this package may seem bewildering, there really is a method to the madness and with a little practice you will find that this system is easy to use and can be molded to fit any application you throw at it. Experiment! Upon completion of this learning outline, you should be familiar with the basic features of SysMenu. Note that using .BAT file entries as menu options, file burnout options and timed file options gives you complete freedom to "program" your menu system to do what you want it to do. ÿ INSTALLATION : SysMenu is installed per the following instructions. 1. Make a sub-directory where SysMenu will reside. 2. Add/update the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include the sub-directory where SysMenu will reside. 3. The last statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file should be MNU. 4. Goto the sub-directory on your system where SysMenu will reside. 5. Copy all files from the distribution diskette to the SysMenu sub- directory; all SysMenu files must be kept in this sub-directory. 6. While in the SysMenu sub-directory, type SYSMENU d:\pathname and press the RETURN key, where: d = drive that SysMenu resides on (ie: a,b,c,d,etc) :\pathname = full DOS pathname of sub-directory where SysMenu resides. Some examples are: SYSMENU c:\ run from the root directory of the c: drive SYSMENU a:\work run from the a: drive work sub-directory SYSMENU d:\menu\abc\xyz run from the xyz sub-dir of the d: drive ADVANCED USER NOTE: The drive and pathname parameters specified during this step are used in the subsequent creation of the MNU.BAT file. 7. During installation, SysMenu will ask you if it should install several default files. If this is your first installation, answer 'Y' (YES) to all prompts. If you are receiving these prompts during the regular execution of SysMenu, answering 'Y' will create default versions of missing files. 8. After the last default file has been installed, SysMenu will start with default versions of all required files. Press ESC twice to exit SysMenu and return to DOS. 9. If this is the first time you are starting SysMenu following installation, reboot your system and SysMenu will start automatically. If this is not the first time you are installing SysMenu, type MNU at the DOS prompt and press RETURN to start SysMenu. 10. Always type MNU to start SysMenu. If MNU.BAT is lost or missing, repeat the above installation procedures to recreate a default version of this file. Read the remainder of this text to learn how to customize your copy of SysMenu. Earlier versions of SysMenu required a peculiar sub-directory structure be used for installation. This version of SysMenu does not require a specific sub-directory structure but instead allows the user to define the desired drive and sub-directory. For ease of upgrade however, the old sub-directory structure is still supported by SysMenu as a default structure. With regard to the instructions in step 6 outlined above, typing SYSMENU with no additional drive or path parameters defaults program installation to the following sub-directory structure: C:\SYSTEM\BATCH for MNU.BAT file and all BATCH files C:\SYSTEM\DOS for all DOS files C:\SYSTEM\UTILITY for all SysMenu files and utilities Note that this structure can only be used on the C: hard-disk drive. With regard to the above instructions, all installation commands must be issued from the C:\SYSTEM\UTILITY sub-directory. In addition, the entire sub- directory structure must be referenced in the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. While this structure is no longer required for SysMenu operation, it can be used if desired. Careful study of the inter- relationship between DOS commands and the general philosophy of menu systems will reveal several advantages to using this structure. This structure was discontinued in an effort to make the system more flexible to the end user. Along this same line of thought, the old MENU.BAT file was changed to MNU.BAT to avoid conflict with other programs using MENU as a command name. ÿ SECTION II - SYSTEM REFERENCE MODES OF OPERATION : SysMenu operates in different modes when executing, some of them obvious to the user and some not. In addition, some features work in some modes and some do not. Following is a list of program modes and feature availability. 1. Installation Mode : invoked at initial program startup. If files are missing, you are prompted to install defaults; if no files are missing, this screen dissappears after a brief pause. 2. Main Menu Mode : the main listing of your menu options. Terminate and exit SysMenu by pressing ESC twice from main menu mode. 3. Sub-Menu Mode : the appearance of a pop-up sub-menu on the main menu panel. Help mode can't be invoked when a sub-menu is open. 4. Error Mode : an error or warning has occurred; a horizontal error bar appears on the screen. Burnout will not occur in error mode nor can help mode be entered while an error condition exists. 5. Burnout Mode : within main menu or sub-menu mode, no keypress has been detected for approximately one minute; burnout action depends upon the parameter indicated on line 8 of SYSTEM.DAT. 6. Timed File Execution Mode : invoked by the presence of a valid .TMR file name on line 10 of System.DAT. Timer mode is valid in main menu, sub-menu and error modes. Timer mode can be toggled ON and OFF by using the F7 key within help mode. Timer mode is also valid in screen burnout mode as long as control is not passed to a burnout batch file (ie: a batch file name on line 8 of SYSTEM.DAT). 7. Help Mode : invoked from main menu by pressing F1. Within help mode, burnout does not occur, clock display is not updated, chimes do not play on the hour, timer files are not executed. There are 12 help functions, sometimes referred to within this text as F1/nn where F1 indicates help mode and nn indicates the particular function. All help functions can be terminated by pressing ESC. Help mode is exited by pressing ESC twice. ÿ PROGRAM OPERATION : In main menu and sub-menu modes, use the arrow cursor keys, the Home, End, PgUp and PgDn keys to navigate around the selections presented on the main menu. Items prefixed by a dash indicate applications that can be started by pressing RETURN or by pressing the character key prefixing that selection. Items prefixed by a small cube indicate sub-menu options. Selecting sub-menu options opens a small pop- up menu that lists options available under that sub-menu, each of which can be either an application or another sub-menu. Sub-Menu's can be nested up to 10 levels deep, each sub-menu having up to 10 menu options. Pressing ESC within a sub-menu level exits to the previous level. Pressing ESC twice from the main menu exits to DOS. Help mode is entered by pressing F1 from the main menu screen. Help mode is inactive when a sub-menu is open or an error message is displayed on the screen. Help mode has twelve maintenance functions, all of which are invoked by the keys indicated at the bottom of the screen. When a function is invoked, the keys shown in the bottom help box are changed to the same color as the border to indicate that those keys are now inactive and the keys shown on the top line of the help section are now activated. available for your use. Pressing ESC twice from within help mode exits back to main menu mode. Error and warning messages are self-explanatory and are exited by pressing SPACE or ESC as indicated within the message. Screen burnout mode is invoked from main menu and sub-menu modes, after one minute has elapsed from the last detected keypress. The action performed during screen burnout is controlled by line 8 of the SYSTEM.DAT file. If a blank or single character is specified as the burnout option in SYSTEM.DAT, then screen burnout is terminated and control is returned to main menu mode by pressing a single key. If a batch file name is specified as the burnout option within SYSTEM.DAT, then whatever actions are required to terminate that batch file must be performed to return control to main menu mode. ÿ SYSTEM LIMITATIONS : Program and file limitations are as follows: 1. The main menu can display a maximum of 50 menu items at one time; any combination of .BAT batch files (executable options) or .DAT files (sub-menu options). Translated, this means that MENU.DAT can hold 50 records maximum. 2. Each .DAT sub-menu file can hold a maximum of 10 items; any combination of .BAT batch files (executable options) or .DAT files (sub-menu options). Translated, this means that each .DAT sub-menu can hold 10 records. 3. Sub-menu's can be nested up to 10 levels deep. 4. The TIMER.LOG file holds the history of the last 100 timed file executions in descending order; entries over 100 are deleted. 5. Each .TMR timed execution file can hold a maximum of 50 file entries. Translated, each .TMR file can have 50 records maximum. 6. The delay for screen burnout is fixed at one-minute following the last detected keystroke and can't be changed. ÿ FILE REFERENCE : This section contains file reference information essential for the proper operation of SysMenu. Note that all files listed below are ascii files and can be edited in one way or another with the maintenance functions available in SysMenu help mode. However, you can also use a text editor or word processor to edit these files provided they produce a plain ascii file with no embedded formatting codes. In addition, note that some files have line length and file size restrictions which need to be considered when using a text editor or word processor. 1. SYSTEM.DAT file : This file holds parameters and values used to control and customize SysMenu. Help function F3 provides the best way to edit this file. There are ten lines in this file, each described below; examine the default SYSTEM.DAT file to see how data carried within this file is displayed/implemented on the SysMenu display screen. Line 1 - Main Menu Top Title Line : up to 38 characters long, lower case letters are forced to upper case letters by the program. Blanks in this line default to a line of little squares. To force a blank line, enter an ASCII character 255 (ALT 255) in column 1 as the only value on this line. Line 2 - Main Menu Bottom Title Line : up to 74 characters long, lower case letters are forced to upper case letters by the program. Blanks in this line default to a line of little squares. To force a blank line, enter an ASCII character 255 (ALT 255) in column 1 as the only value on this line. Line 3 - Main Menu Sub-Legend Text : up to 74 characters long, lower case and upper case letters are allowed in this line. Blanks in this line default to a line of little squares. To force a blank line, enter an ASCII character 255 (ALT 255) in column 1 as the only value on this line. Line 4 - Video system used by your computer. Parameter must be one of the four following values: MONO, CGA, EGA or EGM. VGA systems should use EGA. EGM is used for IBM PS/2 monochrome EGA displays. Line 5 - Specify color to be used by main menu frame and border graphics. Use one of the colors specified below. Line 6 - Specify color to be used by main menu text screen components. Use one of the colors specified below. Line 7 - Specify color to be used by the main menu tag and title components. Use one of the colors specified below. Line 8 - Used to control screen burnout options. Select one of the following three options; 1) Leave blank for a blank burnout screen, 2) enter one ascii character for a randomly moving character during screen burnout or, 3) enter a valid .BAT file name to be executed at the time of screen burnout. Burnout is invoked approximately one minute after the last keypress is detected when in main menu or sub-menu modes. Line 9 - Columns 1-2 of this line are coded as 12 or 24 to indicate whether a 12 or 24 hour clock is displayed. Column 3 of this line indicates whether or not chimes are played on the hour. A value of 1-7 in column 3 turns the chimes on and determines the octave in which the chimes are played (1=low, 7=high). A blank in column 3 indicates that chimes are not to be played on the hour (no sound). Line10 - Either blank or used to hold the name of a valid .TMR file used in setting the timed file execution function. If blank then the timer feature is set to off; if non-blank then the .TMR file indicated is read for input into the timed file feature. Valid colors accepted on lines 5,6 and 7 are: Black, Blue, Green, Cyan, Red, Magenta, Brown, LightGray, DarkGray, LightBlue, LightGreen, LightCyan, LightRed, LightMagenta, Yellow, White (upper or lower case) 2. MENU.DAT file : This file holds the options displayed on the main menu. Up to 50 options can be stored in this file. Each record in this file takes one of two forms, either as an executable menu option or as a sub-menu option. Executable options exist in the SysMenu sub- directory as .BAT files and sub-menu options exist in the SysMenu sub- directory as .DAT files. It is very important to understand that each record in the MENU.DAT file must correspond to an existing .BAT file or .DAT file in the SysMenu sub-directory. The MENU.DAT record format for a menu option (.BAT file) is: ffffffff,ccccccccccccccccccc..................ccccccccccccccccccc While the MENU.DAT record format for a sub-menu option (.DAT file) is: >ffffffff,cccccccccccccccccc..................ccccccccccccccccccc Where the record format is interpreted as follows: > - in column 1 indicates a sub-menu option and a corresponding .DAT file. If the record starts without the ">" marker, then it is a .BAT entry ffffffff - indicates the corresponding .DAT file name for a sub-menu entry or the corresponding .BAT file name for an executable option entry. File name starts in column 1 for .BAT files and in in column 2 for .DAT files. ccc..ccc - indicates comment line text, up to 78 characters, which will be scrolled on line 25 of the main menu screen when that option is highlighted. Note that a ffffffff.DAT file must exist for each sub-menu option listed in MENU.DAT. Each of these files may contain additional references to sub-menu .DAT files or references to executable .BAT files. Along this same line of thought, a ffffffff.BAT file must exist for each executable .BAT option listed in MENU.DAT. 3. USERTEXT.TXT : This file provides the user a way to insert several lines of customized text into the help mode section of this program. You can use help mode function F4 or your favorite editor or word processor to edit this file and insert whatever text you wish to display. Help mode function F6 function displays this text. This file is limited in size to 14 rows of 74 columns each; rows greater than 14 are not displayed and record text beyond column 74 is truncated. 4. RUNFILES.TMR : This is a default .TMR file used to illustrate the format of a .TMR timed activity file. You can create as many .TMR files as you like, each file having a maximum of 50 records. Only one file at a time can be listed on line 10 of the SYSTEM.DAT file. Each .TMR file requires the following record format: mm/dd/yy,hh:mm:ss,ffffffff,ccccccccccc.................cccccccccccc Where mm/dd/yy - refers to the date file ffffffff will execute hh:mm:ss - refers to the time file ffffffff will execute (24 hour) ffffffff - refers to a valid .BAT batch file name ccc..ccc - refers to a comment string up to 47 characters long If desired, mm/dd/yy can be replaced with ******** (8 asterisks) to indicate wildcard operation; ie: execute this option every day at the specified time. The timed file queue is automatically reset at midnight. 5. MNU.BAT : This is the master file used to invoke SysMenu from the DOS command line. This file is created during installation mode. This file should not be edited unless you intend to change the drive and or sub-directory location of SysMenu. The format for this file is: ECHO OFF CLS SYSMENU d:\pathname DOSCOM Where: d = drive that SysMenu resides on (ie: a,b,c,d,etc) :\pathname = full DOS pathname of sub-directory where SysMenu resides. Some examples are: SYSMENU c:\ run from the root directory of the c: drive SYSMENU a:\work run from the a: drive work sub-directory SYSMENU d:\menu\abc\xyz run from the xyz sub-dir of the d: drive If this file is missing or corrupted, it should be recreated using the installation procedures described above. This file must first be deleted using the DOS DEL command before it is recreated. ÿ HELP MODE FUNCTIONS : Each of the twelve functions featured within help mode is described below. Each of the help functions is sometimes referred to within this text as F1/nn, where F1 refers to help mode and nn refers to Function key F1 through F10. When help mode is initially started, all valid key combinations are shown on the bottom of the help screen in a menu box. Some help functions have key combinations specific to that function, and these are toggled on when a help function is selected. The function specific key combinations are illustrated by deactivating the key combinations shown in the bottom help menu and activating new key combinations shown at the top middle area of the help screen, below the top text border. With the exception of one-panel help displays (ie: F1/F5) all help functions can be exited by pressing ESC, thereby reactivating the menu box at the bottom of the screen. Help mode is exited by pressing ESC twice. F1 Browse System Documentation OnLine : Browse this manual on screen. Use the UP/DOWN arrows, PGUP, PGDN, CTRL-PGUP (top of document) and CTRL-PGDN (bottom of document) keystrokes to navigate through this manual. Use TAB to jump forward between section headings in this text. Press ESC to exit. F2 Print System Documentation : Print this document. Be sure a printer is attached and online. Press ESC to halt printing prior to reaching the end of document. F3 Edit SYSTEM.DAT File : You can use any editor or word processor to edit the SYSTEM.DAT file, but help function F3 provides the best way. Select the line (1 through 10) to be edited by pressing CTRL-F1 through CTRL-F10. Text lines can be edited using standard keyboard editing keys such as INSERT, DELETE, BACKSPACE or regular character entry. End and save your changes by pressing RETURN or, quit without saving your changes by pressing ESC. Some parameters in this editing feature do not allow keystroke entry but instead are limited to certain values being toggled or cycled with the UP/DOWN and LEFT/RIGHT arrow keys. When you are done editing, save your changes to disk by pressing CTRL-W. If you don't want to save your changes to disk, press ESC when prompted. Color changes made during editing are shown on screen after exiting this function. Press ESC to exit. F4 Tiny Edit : This is a primitive line editor intended for creating and editing tiny .BAT batch, .DAT data and .TMR timer files. File size is limited to 100 rows of 80 columns each; any more and it's lost so be careful what you read and write with this routine! Tiny Edit is not fancy but it works and it comes gratis with this package. Tiny Edit has two modes, cursor navigation mode and line edit mode. In cursor navigation mode, select a line for editing by using the UP/DOWN arrow keys and activate the chosen line by pressing SPACE; once activated it should show as a highlighted line indicating you are now in line edit mode. When in line edit mode text can be entered and edited using INSERT, DELETE, BACKSPACE and regular keyboard character entry. To end and save your line changes press RETURN. To quit without saving your changes press ESC. Regardless of whether you pressed RETURN or ESC, you are returned to cursor navigation mode. Save your changes to disk by pressing CTRL-W from cursor navigation mode. To exit without saving, press ESC. The following keys are valid in Cursor Navigation Mode: UP arrow : move cursor up one line DOWN arrow : move cursor down one line PGUP : move one page up in file PGDN : move one page down in file CTRL-PGUP : goto top of file CTRL-PGDN : goto bottom of file SPACE : activate line for editing ESC : exit Tiny Edit CTRL-N (New) : fill work space with blanks (100 row x 80 col) CTRL-R (Read) : read a file; give full drive, path and file name CTRL-W (Write) : write work area to disk; provide file path/name CTRL-I (Insert): insert a blank line at the cursor CTRL-L (deLete): delete the line at the cursor CTRL-T (Timer) : print a .TMR record template at the current line CTRL-D (Data) : print a .DAT record template at the current line The following keys are valid in Line Edit Mode: HOME : goto start of text line END : goto end of text line BACKSPACE : backup one space and delete character INSERT : toggle character insert on/off DELETE : delete character above cursor RETURN : end line edit and save text ESC : quit line edit without saving text F5 License Information : One screen displaying license information. This function is a one panel display only and requires no special key press to exit. F6 List USERTEXT.TXT File : One screen displaying the USERTEXT.TXT file. This file can be edited in order to customize this panel. This function is a one panel display only and requires no special key press to exit. F7 Toggle TIMER Mode ON/OFF : If a valid .TMR file is present on line 10 of SYSTEM.DAT, the timer can be toggled ON/OFF using this key. If a valid .TMR file is not present, timer mode can't be toggled ON. Timer mode is acknowledged on the main menu screen by a timer entry on line 1 of the main menu screen. This function is a one panel display only and requires no special key press to exit. F8 Browse TIMER.LOG file : On-line viewing of the timed file activity log; uses the same keystrokes as the help mode F1 browse feature. The TIMER.LOG file does not exist until the first timed file execution takes place at which time SysMenu creates it. After that, the file is updated with each subsequent timed file execution. The last 100 file executions are kept here in descending order. Press ESC to exit. F9 Set Date : Set the system date from within help mode. Press ESC to exit. Note that the date is automatically updated at midnight. If burnout mode is active at 23:59:30, SysMenu toggles itself into menu mode, waits until midnight, and then resets the time, date and timed file queue, the latter only if TIMER is ON. Burnout mode is then reactivated. F10 Set Clock : Set the system clock from within help mode. Press ESC to exit. ADVANCED USER NOTE: F1/F9 & F1/F10 are particularly useful for experimenting with timer files; you can easily change the date and time to force timed files to execute instead of waiting for a certain amount of time to transpire. Note however, that timed files only execute from main menu mode and not from help mode; therefore, after setting the date and time to force an execution, you must quickly exit back to menu mode to invoke the timed activity. Help function F8 can be used to verify the file execution took place and was logged. ALT-F1 Clear Screen : Clear the middle area of the help screen. ALT-F2 Chimes Test : Test the various octaves in which the chimes can be played. Use this feature to find the octave that best suits you. The octave you like best should be entered in column 3 of line 8 of the SYSTEM.DAT file. If chimes are not wanted, leave SYSTEM.DAT line 8 column 3 blank. ÿ SUB-MENU REFERENCE : Some general information regarding the application of sub-menus follows. 1. All menu options start from the MENU.DAT file. 2. MENU.DAT can hold up to 50 records, each record being either an executable batch file name or a non-executable sub-menu .DAT file name. It is important to understand that each file name in MENU.DAT must have a corresponding DOS file name ending in either .BAT or .DAT in the SysMenu sub-directory. The MENU.DAT record format for a menu option (.BAT file) is: ffffffff,ccccccccccccccccccc..................ccccccccccccccccccc While the MENU.DAT record format for a sub-menu option (.DAT file) is: >ffffffff,cccccccccccccccccc..................ccccccccccccccccccc Where the record format is interpreted as follows: > - in column 1 indicates a sub-menu option and a corresponding .DAT file. If the record starts without the ">" marker, then it is a .BAT entry ffffffff - indicates the corresponding .DAT file name for a sub-menu entry or the corresponding .BAT file name for an executable option entry. File name starts in column 1 for .BAT files and in in column 2 for .DAT files. ccc..ccc - indicates comment line text, up to 78 characters, which will be scrolled on line 25 of the main menu screen when that option is highlighted. 3. Batch file names in MENU.DAT are entered without the .BAT file extension. Batch file entries in MENU.DAT are shown on the main menu with a dash prefix. Selecting a batch entry from the main menu results in that batch file being executed. Batch file names start in column 1 of the MENU.DAT file. 4. Sub-menu .DAT file names in MENU.DAT are entered without the .DAT file extension. Sub-menu entries in MENU.DAT are shown on the main menu prefixed by a small cube. Selecting a sub-menu entry from the main menu results in that .DAT file being opened for presentation. Each .DAT file is essentially a small MENU.DAT file, the only difference being that each sub-menu .DAT file is limited to 10 records. .DAT file names start in column 2 of the MENU.DAT file, the "> " character being required in column 1. 5. A maximum of 10 sub-menu's can be open at one time. 6. The default files created when installing SysMenu can be examined to illustrate just how this works. It sounds more complicated than it really is. ÿ TIMED FILE REFERENCE : Some general information regarding the application and use of the timed file execution feature follows. 1. For timed file execution to work, you need to have the filename of an existing .TMR file on line 10 of the SYSTEM.DAT file. Use F1/F3 to edit SYSTEM.DAT. Use F1/F4 or your favorite editor or word processor to create/edit .TMR files. 2. A .TMR file has the following record format: mm/dd/yy,hh:mm:ss,ffffffff,ccccccccccc.................cccccccccccc Where mm/dd/yy - refers to the date file ffffffff will execute hh:mm:ss - refers to the time file ffffffff will execute (24 hour) ffffffff - refers to a valid .BAT batch file name ccc..ccc - refers to a comment string up to 47 characters long You can optionally substitute ******** (8 asterisks) for the date value to indicate that this file should execute everyday at the specified time. The timed file queue is automatically reset at midnight. 3. Once a .TMR file has been created and entered on line 10 of SYSTEM.DAT, use F1/F7 to toggle timer mode ON and return to main menu mode by pressing ESC twice. 4. Now you can use F1/F7 to toggle the timer ON/OFF in case you want to temporarily suspend timer operations. Note however, that the timer is always set to ON when you enter SysMenu from DOS, meaning that if you toggle the timer OFF and then execute a main menu option, upon reentering SysMenu the timer is turned back ON. 5. Timer ON status is indicated on the main menu screen by text entries on line 1 of the screen border, directly above the date and time indicators. 6. Upon execution of a timed file, an entry is logged in the TIMER.LOG file, which can then be browsed using help mode function F1/F8. Note that the last 100 timed file executions are kept in TIMER.LOG in descending order. 7. You can force timed execution of a file by resetting the date and time using help mode functions F1/F9 & F1/F10. Set the clock to about 20 seconds prior to execution time and then return to main menu mode by pressing ESC twice. Timed execution works in main menu mode but not in help mode; remember to reset the date and time back to their correct values after testing. ÿ SECTION III - APPENDICES TROUBLESHOOTING : Following are some problems users might experience when using SysMenu. 1. PROBLEM: The screen is blank whenever I start SysMenu. SOLUTION: You have the wrong video parameter on line 4 of SYSTEM.DAT. Use F1/F3 or another editor or word processor to change the value on this line until you find the value that works best for your system (ie: MONO, CGA, EGA or EGM). Color VGA systems should specify EGA, and EGA monochrome systems (multiple shades of gray) should specify EGM. 2. PROBLEM: There are no contrasting colors on the screen when I am in main menu mode; I can't tell which menu option the cursor is on. SOLUTION: Two possible problems. First, use F1/F3 to edit the color selections on lines 5,6 & 7 of SYSTEM.DAT until you get colors that provide a nice contrast. Second, use F1/F3 to change the video system parameter on line 4 of SYSTEM.DAT until you get one that shows contrasting colors. 3. PROBLEM: The main menu screen won't come back after screen burnout takes place. SOLUTION: You have the wrong video parameter on line 4 of SYSTEM.DAT. Use F1/F3 or another editor or word processor to change the value on this line until you get one that works (ie: MONO, CGA, EGA or EGM). 4. PROBLEM: Whenever I press a key to select an option, the program exits to DOS but nothing happens other than I am returned to SysMenu. SOLUTION: Make sure that a .BAT batch file exists in the SysMenu sub- directory with the exact same name as the corresponding entry shown on the main menu screen. That is, the batch file name must match exactly with the file name carried in the MENU.DAT file. A DIR listing of your SysMenu sub-directory should show a ffffffff.BAT file entry, while TYPEing the MENU.DAT file should show the same ffffffff file name without the .BAT extension. Also make sure that the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file includes the SysMenu sub- directory. 5. PROBLEM: Whenever I press a key to select an option, the option executes but I am returned to DOS and not SysMenu. SOLUTION: You probably started SysMenu by typing SYSMENU from the DOS command line. You can only use SYSMENU as a DOS command when you are installing SysMenu for the first time. Each time thereafter you must start SysMenu by typing MNU from the DOS command line. If the MNU.BAT file does not exist, you can recreate it by following the installation instructions provided within this manual. 6. PROBLEM: SysMenu doesn't start automatically whenever I boot my computer. SOLUTION: To start SysMenu every time you boot your computer, make sure the last command of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file is MNU. Also verify that the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file includes the sub- directory in which SysMenu is installed. 7. PROBLEM: The MNU command does not work correctly; typing MNU does not start SysMenu. SOLUTION: Ensure that 1) your AUTOEXEC.BAT file uses the PATH command and that the PATH command includes the name of the sub-directory in which SysMenu resides; 2) make sure that MNU.BAT exists in the SysMenu sub-directory; 3) if MNU.BAT is missing, use the installation procedures described above to recreate the file; 4) you will need to reboot your computer after editing AUTOEXEC.BAT. 8. PROBLEM: Some/none of my sub-menu options work. SOLUTION: Each sub-menu entry in the MENU.DAT file must be prefixed by a ">" character in column one of that record. In addition, each sub-menu file name in MENU.DAT must exist as a .DAT file in the SysMenu sub-directory. Chances are you don't have a corresponding .DAT file in the SysMenu sub-directory. 9. PROBLEM: My timed file entries don't show on line 1 of the main menu screen even after I place a .TMR file name on line 10 of SYSTEM.DAT. SOLUTION: Make sure that your .TMR file exists in the SysMenu sub- directory. Also make sure that you have at least one record entry in that file and that timer mode is toggled ON using F1/F7. If the timer feature still won't work, make sure that you have entered your .TMR records using the proper format. The best way to do this is to use the F1/F4 Tiny Edit function and create .TMR files using the CTRL-T record template. Chances are that the record entries in your .TMR file are not in the proper format or the date and time specified for timed file execution are in the past. 10. PROBLEM: My timed files show on line 1 of the main menu and they execute on time, but nothing happens when they execute other than I am returned to SysMenu. SOLUTION: If your timed files show on line 1 of the main menu screen and they execute on time but nothing happens when they do execute, then SysMenu couldn't find the corresponding .BAT file in the SysMenu sub-directory for execution. Make sure that file ffffffff queued for execution has a valid ffffffff.BAT counterpart in the SysMenu sub- directory. The queued file name and the .BAT file name must match exactly. Also make sure that your batch files are working correctly and that they "do something" when they are invoked. 11. PROBLEM: When installing SysMenu, I get a message that sub-directory structures C:\SYSTEM\BATCH and C:\SYSTEM\UTILITY are required. SOLUTION: Older versions of SysMenu required a specific hard-disk sub- directory structure. Newer versions of SysMenu do not require this structure but the structure is supported as a default mode for those users upgrading to the newer version. If you don't want to use the old sub-directory structure, you need to install SysMenu with the optional drive and pathname parameters as defined in the Installation section of this manual. ÿ WHERE TO USE SYSMENU : Following are some ideas to consider when using this software. 1. On a single-user pc - Configure the system to what suits you best; automate all of your applications software and those utilities you use most often into main menu options. Use SysMenu to organize your daily work routine. 2. On a multi-user pc; in an office setting - Edit MENU.DAT to hold only .DAT sub-menu options, creating one .DAT file for each user in the department. Use each individuals name or ID code as the name of the .DAT sub-menu entry. Then edit each .DAT file to hold the application options that each person will need to use. 3. On a laptop - This is a really nice program for laptop use because it runs in 64kb of RAM and allows you to select those colors that show up best on your laptop screen. Laptops are notorious for having video screens that range from hard-to-read to impossible-to-read. 4. On a LAN - SysMenu will work on a LAN but is probably not well suited to many LAN requirements. However, SysMenu is an excellent front-end menu for use on LAN work stations and can be used as a ground level entry point into a LAN menu. This allows you to give your users two levels of menu support, a PC stand-alone menu in the form of SysMenu and then your regular LAN menu. Create a LAN logon batch file as one of the entries in the MENU.DAT file. 5. Burnout applications - In addition to helping prevent screen burn on your expensive monitor, you can use the screen burnout feature to customize your SysMenu application. Use a graphics editor to create a one-screen display panel of your company logo or any other picture and then incorporate this graphic picture into a high-level program using C or Pascal or BASIC as follows: begin clear screen display graphic picture do nothing loop until keypressed clear screen end Build a batch file that calls this program, enter the batch file name on line 8 of the SYSTEM.DAT file and you have a custom burnout screen that looks pretty sharp. You can also use this same approach to incorporate many of the shareware applications that display fancy images while looping until a key is pressed. There are many graphic imaging shareware programs available at reasonable prices and many of them perform impressive routines. Note however, that if you use the above logic to display a static screen image that you might just burn that image into the screen over a period of time. It is best if your graphic image "moves" or changes position while it is being displayed on the screen. 6. Timed file applications - Use the timed file capabilities of SysMenu to make your PC work after hours! Some examples of possible applications are using a telecom package and corresponding script language to access E-Mail and BBS services late at night when the networks are less busy. Or, build autoexecuting macros in your favorite worksheet program to manipulate and print large worksheets right before you show up at work. Remember that you can stack up to 50 timed file requests in one .TMR file, allowing you to build timer applications that cascade one after another. Note that in all cases your timed file application must terminate itself in order for control to be returned to SysMenu. If your applications don't terminate themselves, then control is never returned to SysMenu and the subsequent timed file entry is not executed until after you manually terminate the offending application. Be creative; build custom batch programs that sweep your hard disks deleting old backup files or scan for viruses or whatever! You can write C or Pascal or BASIC programs that perform basic PC housekeeping chores on a regular basis, printing reports as they go, freeing you from mundane tasks during your busy work day. ÿ WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER : There are no warranties covering the evaluation or use of this product. There are no warranties covering the issue of license either, other than the guarantee that your license number will be unique and that it can be branded into your copy of SysMenu. If you purchase a master diskette from Wedge Software, a warranty is extended to you that the software media will be delivered intact whereas if it is not, you have the right to a replacement diskette. Continued use of SysMenu in a non-evaluatory manner requires the purchase of a license from Wedge Software. As the very nature of shareware distribution dictates that the user evaluate the worthiness of this product prior to purchasing a license, request for such a license constitutes user acceptance of SysMenu as is, inclusive of all errors and omissions. Wedge software is not liable for any or all damages and or losses, material, financial or otherwise, resulting from but not excluded to the evaluatory and or non-evaluatory use of this product. All legal matters regarding SysMenu shall be interpreted by the courts and laws of the state of Ohio.