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DP Tool Club 15
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CD_ASCQ_15_070894.iso
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pw_menu.zip
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MENU.DOC
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1994-05-18
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9KB
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About these programs:
This is a menuing system PPE. It will handle EXE, COM, BAT, PPE and
any display files. It can be used to supplement or replace your
existing DOOR configuration. It maintains its own menu, and will
build it, and any command lines for EXE COM and BAT files on-the-fly,
using Doorway or not, as you specify.
For running applications that are designed as DOORS, you may either
configure them through here, or use external batch files to call them.
It will accept up to 20 characters of command line switches, allowing
you to specify config files, etc.. It will accept up to 22 entries
(total), but they MUST be listed in order. For example, you may not
have entries for 1-5, skip 6, and list 7-10. It will stop displaying
at 5. If your caller has ANSI capabilities, it will let them use a
high-light bar to select the entry they'd like, and press enter when
the proper entry is highlighted. It's a little easier (in my opinion)
than installing applications the regular way, because you don't have
to know Doorway command lines, or write any batch files.
===========================================================================
Files:
MENU.PPE - This is the actual program. It builds a
menu based on the MENU.IDX file (your
configuration information).
SETUP.PPE - This is the configuration program. It
should be restricted to only you, or you
and trusted callers. It will allow ANY
DOS-text based EXE, COM, BAT or PPE to be
installed and run on your system. Even
COMMAND.COM, which would allow a drop to
DOS.
The .PPS files are the source code for each of the compiled PPEs.
=========================================================================
To install:
Create a new subdirectory called \PCB\MENU and unzip the files into
it. Go into PCBSetup|File Locations|Configuration Files, to entry
that says "Name/Loc of Default CMD.LST File" and press F2 to edit
the file. You'll see a screen that looks something like this:
CMD.LST Editor
Command Security PPE/MNU File -or- Keystroke Replacement
══════════════ ════════ ═══════════════════════════════════════
1) CLS 0 C:\PCB\PPE\CLS.PPE
Insert two new lines by pressing Alt+I. Put new entries in them that
look like this:
2) APPS 0 C:\PCB\MENU\MENU.PPE
3) SETUP 110 C:\PCB\MENU\SETUP.PPE
The "Command" entry can be changed to whatever you'd like, for either
of the PPEs. Also, you may want to restrict it to certain security
levels or higher, or to allow the SETUP program to be used by some of
your more trusted callers. With this they could configure DOORs on
your system, but not have to have access to PCBSetup. Of course, if
you're using a different drive or subdirectory structure, this should
also be changed to reflect your system. In short, the above is for
example, and isn't restricted by any programming in the PPEs
themselves. Once you've done this, you're ready to start installing
applications.
===========================================================================
Configuration:
Log into the board, get to a command prompt and type SETUP (still
using the example above). This will start the configuration
program. You'll see a screen something like this:
The configuration file does not exist. Create it?
Answer yes at this prompt to create the MENU.IDX file (which holds your
configuration information). Then you'll see this:
1. -
2. -
3. -
4. -
5. -
6. -
7. -
8. -
9. -
10. -
11. -
12. -
13. -
14. -
15. -
16. -
17. -
18. -
19. -
20. -
21. -
22. -
Enter the number you wish to modify (Q = quit)? ( )
****IMPORTANT****
Always begin your entries with #1 and move up in order from there. It is
possible to modify an existing entry, including deleting it. If you wish
to delete an entry from the MIDDLE of your file, you MUST replace it with
something else. If you leave a "blank" entry, your menu will not operate
properly, and will abort building the menu at the blank entry.
Enter 1, and you'll see the next questions (in order)
Enter new name? (Sample )
Enter new path/filename up to 60 characters:
? (c:\pcb\ppe\sample.ppe )
Enter the new description up to 60 characters:
? (A sample file to show you what the entries should look like )
Requires Doorway? (n)
Enter new command line switches (if any) up to 40 characters:
? (/test )
As you can see, the first entry is what will display to the caller when
they execute the APPS command. The second entry is the complete
drive/path and file name information. The third entry is a description
line that will show to the caller (after the file name). The fourth
entry is whether the application will require the use of Doorway. Any of
the PCBoard utilities will require Doorway. DOORWAY.EXE must also be in
your path. If the application you're installing uses command line
switches or parameters (like a configuration file, or /CONF:SYS, in the
case of PCBFiler) you enter those here. At that point, it will re-display
the information, and ask you to confirm it before it stores it in the
configuration file. If you confirm the information is correct, it will
store the information and ask if you'd like to enter or modify any other
entry.
You have entered the following information:
Name: Sample
Path/filename: C:\PCB\PPE\SAMPLE.PPE
Description: A sample file to show you what the entries should look like
Requires Doorway: N
Parameters: /TEST
Display only: N
Is this correct? (y)
Add/Modify another? (n)
At this point you can enter or re-enter any entry you'd like. When
you're done, either hit "Q" at the main screen, or tell it "No" when it
asks if you'd like to Add/Modify another.
===========================================================================
Running the Menu:
To run the menu, just type APPS as a command at the command prompt.
PCBoard will build the menu, based on the entries you've put in the SETUP
program. This part is where it's important that you don't have blank
entries in the Setup, since the program will stop building the menu the
first time it sees a blank entry. If your caller has ANSI capability,
(s)he will be able to use the cursor control keys to move a highlight bar
to select the entry they'd like to run/display. You can put in
informational bulletins, applications, PPEs, whatever you'd like. This
could supplement your BLT.LST, your DOORS.LST, or about anything else
you'd like to do. Since it will call other PPEs, you could make it
recusively call other installations of itself and build a sub-menu of
doors, PPEs, or display files. The source is included, so you could
modify it to get it's configuration file from the command line, and build
the sub-menus that way. Your imagination (and access to the PPL
Compiler) is the only thing that limits you.
As always, The Disclaimer:
This isn't guaranteed to do anything. It also isn't guaranteed to NOT
do anything. If you install it and green tentacles shoot out of your
floppy disk bays, destroying your entire house and killing your dog,
it's not my fault, and I won't pay for it. The source code is here, I'm
not a fancy enough programmer to pull any subterfuge, so you can check
it and see for yourself what it does.
This is not written by or supported by Clark Development Company, it's
written only by me, and not supported by anyone but you. I don't have
enough time at work to do what I get paid for, let alone support things
I'm not paid for. If you call me at home, I promise I'll hang up on
you. I wrote it because I enjoy doing things like this, and I release the
source code because it's the way I learned to program - by stealing other
people's source code and modifying it to do what I wanted it to do. I ask
that you not modify the source and upload it for re-distribution.
It *is* my code, after all, and we're all theoretically curteous and
thoughtful people.