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Text File | 1992-05-01 | 33KB | 698 lines

Just-In-Time +-------+ Computing / J / Services / C / -------------------- / S / P.O. Box 4166 +-------+ Ithaca, NY 14852 _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER File: DAMANUAL.TXT Application: DAMENU.EXE, DAINSTAL.EXE, Version 1.2 Date: May, 1992 System Requirements: DOS 3.3 or higher, Hard Disk w/300k free EGA or better monitor, Mouse optional TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- Introduction ................................ 3 System Setup ................................ 3 Installation ................................ 4 Bringing up the Menu ........................ 5 Adding New Menu Entries ..................... 5 Making a Batch File for the App ......... 6 Editing the Menu Data File .............. 7 Invoking a Menu Selection ................... 8 Removing a Current Item From the Menu ....... 8 Adding Another Menu Screen .................. 8 Protecting "Exit To DOS" .................... 9 Blanking the Screen ......................... 9 Running the Install Program DAINSTAL ........ 9 Changing the Screen Blanker Delay Time ...... 10 Changing the Application Password ........... 10 Turning On the Modification Protection ...... 10 Changing the Banner Text .................... 10 Troubleshooting ............................. 11 Support ..................................... 12 Using DaMenu on a Network ................... 12 Revision History ............................ 13 Custom Menus ................................ 13 Registration Info ........................... 13 Just-In-Time's Address ...................... 13 INTRODUCTION ------------ With most of the menu systems I've seen out there, they seem to be big & clumsy, do more than you really need (read featuritis), and are a pain to use. DAMENU is an no-nonsense, easy-to-use hard disk menuing utility for the beginner as well as the advanced user. It suits the user who has a very limited number of applications, and uses every one of them (a secretary or small business person for instance). It offers built-in screen blanking, password protection, and no memory overhead. This means that your applications are free to use as much memory as is available on your system, without any interference from DAMENU. Applications can be accessed by as few as two keystrokes (one to invoke the menu itself, and one to select the application), and files can be passed to applications such as word processors and spreadsheets which saves even more time. Installation is easy, and application/setup is as simple as pressing the appropriate function key. DAMENU also has mouse support, which allows you to select the application by highlighting the function key button and clicking a mouse button. SYSTEM SETUP ------------ Installation of DAMENU is quite easy using both the install program DAINSTAL, and DAMENU itself, following these steps: Copy the files from the distribution disk ( or the .ZIP file if you obtained it from a BBS) into a directory where they will permanently reside. In the case of the .ZIP file, Unzip the file once in that directory. For example: From the Distribution Disk: C:> MD MENU C:> CD MENU C:MENU> COPY A:*.* From a self-extracting archive file: C:> MD MENU C:> CD MENU C:MENU> COPY A:DAMENUxx.EXE C:MENU> DAMENUxx (where xx is the current version no.) In either case, the following files should reside in the permanent directory: DAMENU.EXE (the actual Menu program) DAINSTAL.EXE (the installation program) DAPASWRD.DAT (the scramble password) M.BAT (the menu batch file) DAREADME.1ST (quick start file) DAMANUAL.TXT (this file) DAREGIST.TXT (the registration form) DA_ASP.TXT (Disclaimer, ASP vendor & Ombudsman) INSTALLATION ------------ Now it's time to run the installation program DAINSTAL. The first time DAINSTAL is executed, three pages of text will appear describing the program. These messages will not appear once DAINSTAL has been completed properly, and a new menu will appear upon successful completion. The next step in the installation will be transparent to most users. The PATH statement is checked and every directory on the path is scanned for a file called M.BAT, M.COM, or M.EXE. This is done so that there will be no confusion once the PATH statement is updated to include the DAMENU batch file, M.BAT. If a match is found, you will have the opportunity to rename the M.BAT file included with this program. If a match is not found, a two selection menu will appear as shown below: New Configuration EXIT Choose "New Configuration". DAINSTAL will then transparently create a small file in the root directory called DAMENU.DAT which simply points to the directory where the distributions files reside. This way DAMENU knows where to find the files it needs (i.e. DAPASWRD.DAT and menu description files that will be created later.) when DAMENU is running. Next, the install program will ask for the screen blanking delay time. The default entry is 150 seconds (2.5 minutes). You may choose any time you want from 1 to 9999 seconds (I wouldn't suggest 1, as this can become quite annoying), noting that the entry cannot be longer than four numeric characters, alpha characters will not be accepted. In order for DAMENU to be most efficient, it is suggested that your PATH statement be updated to include the directory made above. DAINSTAL will perform this operation for you by selecting <YES> or you can do it later yourself and select <NO>. If you do wish to have DAINSTAL make the mods, it will create a backup of your AUTOEXEC.BAT with a .BAK file extension. One other mod that will be performed to the AUTOEXEC will be the inclusion of the "M" batch file as the last statement in the file. This way, the menu will appear each time you turn your computer on, or reboot. If you don't want the menu to appear automatically, use your favorite text editor to remove this line. Your computer will have to be rebooted for these changes to take effect. Finally, in order for password protection to be most efficient in the menu system, changes to the menu applications should be protected also. If you have a sensitive application that you want to protect with a password, I suggest selecting <YES> to add protection to menu modification. The same password will have to be entered for menu mods as well as for protected apps. This way a passer-by will not be able to change any of your menu selections. INSTALLATION (Cont) ------------------- The final step in the installation is selection of the menu banner text, which allows 'personalization' of the top menu banner. If you would like to change the banner string, enter a line of text (54 characters or less), otherwise hit <return> and the menu banner will remain unchanged. MENU OPERATION -------------- Operation of the menu is a simple as typing 'M' (or 'm', without the apostrophes) at the DOS prompt: C:\MENU> m <return> This will bring up the JCS and ASP banner which will remain on screen for approximately 5 seconds during the initial startup period. This startup banner will not appear with continued use of the DAMENU system. Once the banner has scrolled up, the menu will appear as 10 red boxes, with function key numbers at their centers. Initially, F1-F9 will read "* This Space Available" and F10 (which cannot be altered, except for password protection) reads "EXIT to DOS". NEW MENU ENTRIES ---------------- If the menu entry reads "* This Space Available" a new menu selection can be added by simply pressing the function key alone. If menu protection was set above, the password (initial password = DAMENU) before continuing. Next, you will be prompted to enter the menu description as it will appear on screen. Use any combination of alpha-numerics and spaces making sure it is 23 characters or less. Hitting the <ESCAPE> key will back you up to the first character, and hitting <ESCAPE> again will get you back to the menu. Hitting <RETURN> to accept your menu description will bring up the "Password Protection" dialogue box. Select <YES> to protect a sensitive app (or just to keep out nosier people). Protection can also be set on "Exit to DOS" by using the <ALT> key combined with the function key F10. This way only current menu apps can be used by the passer-by. Using the <ALT> key combined with a function key will also change an existing menu selection. The same rules above apply. Once you have decided on password protection, the "File to Pass" dialogue box will appear. Select <YES> for applications such as word processors which will allow a document (or any other file) to be loaded upon application start-up. This is also useful for applications that require a command line string. NEW MENU ENTRIES (cont) ----------------------- Now it's time for the important part. DAMENU will ask you for the name of the file for the application. You should enter EXACTLY what you type to invoke the application under normal usage. For example, at the DOS prompt, you may normally type: C:\LOTUS> 123 <return> to bring up Lotus 123. So at the application prompt you would enter 123. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO INCLUDE THE SUBDIRECTORY IN WHICH THE APPLICATION RESIDES! DAMENU WILL FIND IT FOR YOU! DAMENU will search all FIRST LEVEL subdirectories of the ROOT directory only! The hierarchy of the search is .BAT files first, .EXE second, and .COM third. Most applications will normally be found here, but for some other applications such as programming languages, the executable file is in a second level subdirectory such as: C:\BC7\BIN> There are two ways you can deal with this situation... OPTION 1: Making A Batch File for the Application ------------------------------------------------- Exit the menu, and set your default directory to the first level directory of the application. For instance: C:\> cd bc7 C:\BC7> Next, you need to use your favorite ASCII word processor (or text editor, or redirect input from the keyboard to a file. See you DOS manual on information on keyboard redirection) to create a batch file that which changes the directory to the second level directory and loads the appropriate file. If you want the option of passing a file to the application, make sure you include a '%1' after the filename. A sample batch file called "QBASIC.BAT" may look like: @echo off cd \bc7\bin qbx %1 Now get back into the menu (by typing M <return>) and add an application. When the filename prompt comes up, you would enter the name of the batch file you just created; in the instance above, QBASIC. The menu will now search for files matching this name, and when it finds one, will use it as the selection. If one is not found, DAMENU will ask you to check you spelling and try again. You also have the option at this point to <CANCEL> the request to try again and return to the menu. NEW MENU ENTRIES (cont) ----------------------- OPTION 2: Editing the Menu Data File (MENU_Cx.DAT) -------------------------------------------------- The second way to get around this is to edit the menu data file for the menu in question. But before you can edit the file, a little background of the file and it's contents are in order. The menu data files have the filename notation of MENU_Cx.DAT Where 'x' is the number of the menu screen, which is initially one (1), but can range from one to nine (1 -> 9) depending on how many menu screens you have. The menu data files are in ASCII format and have the following format, (numbers in brackets indicate line numbers of the file only, and do not appear in the file itself): [1] 150 [2] MENU DESCRIPTION, MENU PATH, PROT, FTP [3] " " , " " , " , " . . . [10] " " , " " , " , " [11] Exit to DOS, NULL, PROT, FTP The first line of the file contains the menu's screen blanker delay time in seconds. Lines two through ten (2 - 10) contain the menu entries themselves, in which the first field is the MENU DESCRIPTION as it appears on the menu screen. The second field entry is the MENU PATH, the third field is the PROTection field, which is either a "y" or a "n" depending whether or not the application is protected. The final field is the File To Pass field, which again is either a "y" or a "n" depending on whether or not you want to pass a file to the application. Line eleven is the last record of the file, and should not be modified. Now then, to change the path of the menu selection, move the cursor down to an available space, marked by "* This Space Available" in the menu description field. Replace this text with the description of the new menu entry. Next, enter the complete path of the application you want to add, which, by the way, should contain the name of the application. For instance, in the example above, the complete path would be: C:\BC7\BIN\QBX.EXE NEW MENU ENTRIES (cont) ----------------------- OPTION 2: Editing the Menu Data File (cont) ------------------------------------------- and the complete menu entry, without protection, and without passing a file to the application, would look like: MS Basic PDS,C:\BC7\BIN\QBX.EXE,n,n Always be sure to include the drive that file resides on (in this case C:), the complete path (in this case \BC7\BIN\) and the file extension of the application (in this case ".EXE"). Also remember to include all three of the field delimiters (comma's). REMOVING A CURRENT ITEM FROM THE MENU ------------------------------------- To remove a current item from the menu, simply hit ALT combined with the appropriate function key to modify the menu selection. (Note: if protection has been set on menu modification, this will require entering the correct password before continuing.) Now the menu des- cription box will appear. Simply type "* This" (without the quotation marks). Damenu will recognize this and reset all of the parameters associated with that item slot. At this point you will be returned to the menu screen. INVOKING A MENU SELECTION ------------------------- To start an application in the menu, all you need to do is hit the appropriate function key, or if you have a mouse, move the mouse cursor inside one of the red boxes (at which point it will toggle to a different color) and click on the left mouse button. ADDING ANOTHER MENU SCREEN -------------------------- If you run out of room on the first menu, another blank menu can be brought up by modifying function key F9. Once the menu description box appears, simply enter: Next Menu DAMENU will then bring up another menu with 8 more selections. Notice that F9 already says: Next Menu (#2) which means that you are on the second menu screen. Up to 9 menu screens can be added giving you a total of 72 menu selections. The menu screens will automatically recycle from the first to last, and back to the first on choosing the function key F9. If you want to add a third menu, you can type Next Menu (#2) ADDING ANOTHER MENU SCREEN (cont) --------------------------------- for the description of F9 on the second menu screen, this way, you can keep track of what screen you are on. DAMENU will automatically put Next Menu (#3) on the third screen. This applies to all further menu screens as well. PROTECTING 'Exit to DOS' ------------------------ To keep the passer-by from exiting to DOS, protection can be set on this function key by selecting ALT-F10. This will bring up the protection dialogue box. Select <YES> to enable protection, <NO> to disable. If more than one menu screen is available, make sure you do this for every screen! A couple of notes are needed here: First, keep in mind that this will not stop the passer-by from rebooting your computer. During a reboot, the execution of the AUTOEXEC.BAT can be stopped by a CTRL- BREAK which will give access to DOS. If you do have a sensitive application, it is suggested that another means of protection be set (by some other password protection application) so that protection is required before the computer will execute the AUTOEXEC.BAT. Secondly, any application that has a DOS Shell, that is, a program (such as MS Windows) that allows the user to goto DOS while the program is still running, should be password protected through the menu. This will ensure that the program cannot executed, thus giving way to a DOS prompt. SCREEN BLANKING --------------- There are three different ways to blank the screen: by allowing the timer (found in the lower right corner of the banner) to count down to zero; by hitting the "tilde" [~] key, usually found to the left of the '1' key on your keyboard; or for mouse users, moving the mouse to the upper left corner of the screen. In any case, hitting a key on the keyboard (except ALT, SHIFT, or CTRL) will bring the menu screen back. INVOKING THE INSTALL PROGRAM (DAINSTAL) --------------------------------------- There are two ways in which you can invoke the installation program DAINSTAL in order to change various menu parameters. First, you can invoke it from the dos prompt by entering: C:\> DAINSTAL <return> INVOKING THE INSTALL PROGRAM (DAINSTAL) (cont) ---------------------------------------------- Second, you can invoke it from within the menu system by hitting ALT-I while the menu screen is displayed. CHANGING THE SCREEN BLANKER DELAY TIME -------------------------------------- To change the delay time for the screen blanker, run DAINSTAL (don't worry, it knows that you've already installed DAMENU the first time). Select 'Set Screen Blank Delay Time' at which point you will be prompted to enter a new delay time. All menus will updated with this new delay time. CHANGING THE APPLICATION PASSWORD --------------------------------- To change the application password, (which is initially DAMENU) run the DAINSTAL program as above. Select 'Change Application Password' from the menu that appears. (Be aware that in order to change the password, you need to know what the current password is.) Enter the existing password when prompted (you will have two tries at this in case you make a spelling error, because the password characters will appear as blocks on the screen) then enter the new password. As a verification of the new password, you will be prompted to enter it again. If you make a spelling error in the verification pass, DAINSTAL will tell you that the verification pass has failed, in which case the original password is reinstated. To repeat, the same password is used to protect applications as well as menu modifications. TURNING ON/OFF MENU MODIFICATION PROTECTION ------------------------------------------- If you wish to change the protection on menu modifications, you again need to run DAINSTAL. Select 'Protect Menu Modifications', at which point the Protection dialogue box will appear. Select <YES> to keep protection, <NO> to allow free modification. CHANGING THE BANNER TEXT ------------------------ All users of the DAMENU system have the opportunity to 'Personalize' the top menu banner. If you would like to change the banner string, run DAINSTAL and select 'Change Menu Banner Text'. DAINSTAL will then prompt you to enter a line of text (54 characters or less). If you hit <return> without entering anything, the menu banner will default to the original DAMENU text. TROUBLESHOOTING --------------- You've Moved Your DAMENU Files and the Menu Doesn't Work Anymore ---------------------------------------------------------------- If, by chance, you've moved your DAMENU application files to a different subdirectory, the DAMENU system will not work because the file DAMENU.DAT is pointing to the wrong directory. To remedy this, use your favorite ASCII text editor to edit the file DAMENU.DAT located in the root directory of the C: Drive. Change the text string to the directory where the application files have been moved to. BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE FINAL BACKSLASH AT THE END OF THE SUBDIRECTORY NAME! Exit your text editor and type 'M' to reinvoke the menu. You've Forgotten Your Password. ------------------------------- If you've forgotten what your password is, there is a way to get it back. Simply unzip the DAMENU.ZIP file (if you obtained your copy from a BBS) or copy the original DAPASWRD.DAT file from the Distribution Disk. This will give you the original password of DAMENU back. Remember, that the .ZIP file should be kept in a safe place, so that the password cannot be changed without you knowing. You've Deleted the DAPASWRD.DAT File by Accident ------------------------------------------------ First, if you own a utilities such as NORTON or PCTOOLS, use the unerase utility to try get it back. If that doesn't work, try the solution for 'Forgotten Password' above. You've exited the menu, and your DOS cursor is gone --------------------------------------------------- With the BETA version of DAMENU, the DOS cursor would sometimes disappear. This appeared to be fixed by added a CLS to the end of both DAMENU and DAINSTAL. If your cursor is gone, issue the CLS command from the DOS prompt, which should bring it back. In any case, if your cursor does disappear, please contact Just-In-Time and report it. SUPPORT ------- Shareware users needing help other than that presented here can do one of two things: Send a postcard to the address above, being sure to include your name, address, and phone number, along with the problem you are having. For members of CompuServe, send Just-In-Time an E-Mail message at 73020,3205. Registered users will be given a telephone support number to resolve any problems during the first 60 days of their registration period, and is limited to a total of 30 minutes. A fee will be assessed for any users needing more that 30 minutes of phone support. DAMENU has been fully tested on a number of different computer systems, however, every machine configuration can't possibly be tested. If you have a problem, we will do everything we can to correct the problem. If you register DAMENU and have problems with the program in the future which is due to a specific hardware configuration, your registration fee will be fully refunded if you so please. USING DAMENU ON A NETWORK ------------------------- DAMENU has been used on a MicroSoft based network without any major problems, however a couple of notes are in need here. First, when printing from within an application, sometimes the print job will not be released to the printer until the application has been closed and control returned to the DOS prompt. If this is the case in your particular network, DAMENU should also be exited in order for the print job to be released. This may not be true in all cases, and I would be interested in hearing from network users of DAMENU on how it works on their system. Second, I have not included searching for network drives in this version. However, if network managers want to use DAMENU on their workstations, a "canned" version can be setup and transferred to each machine by including the necessary applications in the menu files (See Editing the Menu Data File, beginning on page 7) and copying these files to each of the workstations. Remember, however, to copy the DAMENU.DAT file to the ROOT directory on the workstation, and that it points to the correct directory. REVISION HISTORY ---------------- 1.0 Initial release (March 1992) 1.1 Bug fix, which prohibited the installation of the DAMENU system on a drive other C. Also, clarified blinking prompts in the installation program DAINSTAL and in the menu system. These selections can now also be made by typing the first letter of the desired response. 1.2 Bug fix for DAINSTAL. If the user selected to modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the install program would look in the root directory of the installed drive (which is OK if this is C:) rather than the boot drive. REGISTRATION INFO ----------------- Remember, DAMENU is user supported shareware, so if you continue to use DAMENU after the 30 day trial period, you must register you copy. To do this, simply fill out the enclosed registration form (DAREGIST.TXT in your DaMenu application directory) either on line (be sure to use the TYPEOVER feature of you text editor) or print it out and fill it out by hand. Then send it to the address shown below. Registration cost is $15.00, payable in U.S. Funds. (Check or money order drawn on a U.S. Bank) Registered users will receive free telephone support for 30 Days and the current version on disk. CUSTOM MENUS ------------ Do you like the look and feel of DAMENU? Do you have a need for a custom menu for a specific application? Drop us a line, we can make a custom version of DAMENU to suit you needs. Anyway, hopefully DAMENU will save you some time and you will continue to use it. If you do, remember to SUPPORT SHAREWARE, REGISTER YOUR COPY! Thanks. John Skurka Just-In-Time Computing Services P.O. Box 4166 Ithaca, New York 14852 CompuServe ID: 73020,3205