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Console.Doc
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1991-12-16
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Control Console Documentation. V3.5
©1991 By Alexander Kerr.
This document produced on 8/7/1991
All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: No responsibility can be taken on the part of the author for
any consequences that may occur as a result of using this program. Every
part of the program has been thoroughly tested to its specified limits and
any known specific limitations of the program are stated within this
documentation.
CONTENTS:-
1. ........ Introduction.
2. ........ Creating a menu.
3. ........ General use of the program.
4. ........ Credits, Greetings, Pleas for money, Other things.
1. INTRODUCTION
Control Console (from here on referred to as Console) is a program for
creating and (mainly) using disk menus. Before you say "c'mon I've already
got one of those!", just let me tell you about this one. Having compared
several (5 or 6) disk menu programs from the grim to the pretty good I
realized that although they each had their useful features, none had
everything I wanted in one, simple to use package. So, I went and created
my own. 18 months in development and 3 revisions (this the first to be
spread in the PD) later and Console's what I've come up with. An all
singing, all dancing disk menu program and so here's a list of the main
features:
* Each selection can be Executed, Run or Launched
* Shrink feature to squeeze the menu to the top right of your
Workbench screen
* Up to 5 separate menu screens all linked as you like
* Up to 40 separate selections per menu
* Each selection can carry out up to 4 CLI commands
* Command Line Parameters can be specified after selection of
a gadget
* Full built in gadget-driven menu editor
* Menus can be optionally created in a text editor/word pro.
* Each menu can be optionally titled
* Gadgets can launch programs or batch files, fade to another
menu or just contain some descriptive text
* Menus saved as a short ASCII text file, thereby taking up
very small disk space
* PAL and NTSC compatible
Also, although Console is a Shareware release, and therefore you are
expected to pay if you use it, unlike some other programs, with this one
you get the full version immediately. Aside from any preference you may
have over styling on your disk menus (and that's not to imply that Console
doesn't have a modern, good-looking and efficient user interface, 'cause
it does), you're getting the best featured disk menu program available and
all for under 30K of disk space! (so c'mon, pay that Shareware fee!).
OK, enough of this babble, and on with the main stuff...
2. CREATING A MENU
The concept behind a menu's really rather simple; first a title, then
you just list the selections you want to have available - as many as you
like up to 40, then just run Console specifying the name of your menu at
the command line. Menus are just plain old ASCII text files set out in a
particular way so you can use any Word Processor or text editor to create
them (and no, you don't have a lot of typing to do!). *Much* more sensible
however, is to use Console's own built in mouse driven editor, as it takes
away a lot of the hassle involved and saves you a fair bit of typing
too...
First: the structure of a menu is as follows; each selection that you
want requires 3 lines describing it:-
Title on the first line (or leave a blank line for no title)
Selection Type
Text to go in the selection box (otherwise known as a gadget)
Pathname (Where to find the program or batch file that you want run when the
user selects this gadget)
Selection Type
Gadget Text
Pathname
Selection Type
.
.
.
etc.
etc.
So, it just goes Title, Type, Text, Pathname, Type, Text, Pathname,
Type, Text, etc. etc. all on separate lines on after the other. That's the
way you'd type it in a text editor but the inbuilt editor handles all that
for you! A description of these separate fields now follows (applicable to
both methods of creating a menu):
TITLE:
Only specified once at the beginning of the menu. Can be any
string of up to 70 characters. A blank line MUST be left instead if
you don't want one.
And then for each selection:-
SELECTION/GADGET TYPE:
Are you going to use this gadget to just display a text message,
fade to another menu, or call a program or batch file? Specify: P to
call a program, B to call a batch file (in which case you DON'T
include the word Execute in the pathname), T to replace the gadget
box with shadowed text, or GO followed by the number of the menu you
want to fade to e.g. GO3, GO1 etc. NOTE: If you wanted to fade to
say, menu 3 you have to specify at least 3 menus at the command line
when you run Console, obviously. In addition if the type is P or B,
you can add a C which will cause a command line options prompt to be
displayed when the user makes this selection. See "Use of the
inbuilt menu editor" below, for more description of this.
SELECTION/GADGET TEXT:
This is the text that the user sees displayed in each gadget on
the menu and can be any string of up to 33 characters. It is optional
and if you leave this line blank, the pathname will be used instead.
PATHNAME:
This is simply the pathname of the program, exactly as you would
type in the program's or batch file's name at the CLI normally.
There are a couple of exceptions however. If the selection is a
batch file that would normally be `Execute'd at the CLI and you have
specified a B for the selection TYPE then you can leave out the word
`Execute ' (as Console will add it for you) and just specify the
pathname.
Secondly there is the case of a selection calling up multiple
programs/batch files. All this means is that when the user makes a
selection, instead of just running one program or executing one
batch file, Console can run or execute up to 4 of them, one after
the other. In this case you would specify the (up to 4) pathnames
one after the other on the same line, using the \ character as a
separator e.g pathname1\pathname2\pathname3\pathname4 . Remember,
that if you have specified a B for the selection TYPE then EACH
pathname will be `Execute'd, not just the first.
······ Use of the inbuilt menu editor ······
Run Console from the CLI *without* specifying any command line options
and you will be taken to the menu editor, ready to edit a new menu.
Existing menus can be edited just as easily; simply select the Edit
gadget at the top of the screen when Console has a menu loaded normally
(See section 3 for more info.).
As you will see, all Control Console activities take place on their own
custom screen, which slides up from the bottom of the display to just the
right height. In this case, you wish to edit a new menu. The display shows
two black boxes labelled "Gadget Text:" and "Pathname:". These are where
you type in the respective text. Following that are a number of gadgets,
labelled "CLI", "<<", ">>", "Save" and "Exit". Above these are the words
"PRG" and "Gadget 1". A quick explanation of these follows:
The black boxes:-- These are used to enter the Gadget Text and the
Pathname for your gadgets. Activate by clicking the
mouse pointer within one of them, then type your text
and press <Return> or click the mouse pointer anywhere
outside the boxes. A "*" cursor will be shown if either
is activated.
"CLI" Gadget:-- This acts like a toggle switch (on/off). If it is pressed
in it means when the user makes this particular selection
a prompt will appear displaying the pathname of the
selection and allowing him/her to add command line options
to the pathname, if they so wish. In the case of a
selection calling up multiple programs or batch files,
only the first of the pathnames will be allowed to have
command line options added to it.
"<<" & ">>":-- These two gadgets allow you to move backwards and forwards
through your list of selections; only one selection being
displayed in the editor at a time. You will see a
corresponding update in the black string gadgets, the CLI
gadget, the TYPE gadget and the Gadget number. If you move
backwards from gadget 1 you will be able to edit the Title
in the "Gadget Text" field and notice that this will be the
*only* thing you can edit for the Title, obviously.
NOTE:- To be able to move forwards to edit your next
selection, the current selection's Pathname field must *not*
be blank if the TYPE is set to PRG or BAT. This is to avoid
a user making a selection and that selection not doing
anything at all. GO<number> and TXT types CAN be completely
blank however.
"Save":-- Press this gadget to Save your menu, and you will be asked to
enter a filename to save as in the Gadget Text field. If you have
made textual adjustments to either Gadget Text or Pathname and
select "Exit" you will be automatically prompted so as not to
lose your edited menu.
"Exit":-- Terminate the editor. If editing a new menu you will be returned
to the CLI otherwise to the menu you have been editing.
Type Gadget:-- Initially marked PRG. This performs the same function as
you entering P, B, T or GO<number> if you were using a text
editor to edit your menu, i.e. it changes the TYPE of
selection. Clicking on this [boxless] gadget cycles through
PRG (Program), BAT (Batch file), TXT (Just Text) and
GO<number>. If the type is GO it will initially be followed
by a 1. Clicking on this number cycles through the numbers
1-5, allowing you to choose which other menu to fade to
when the user makes this selection.
Current Gadget Number:-- This just displays which particular selection is
shown in the editor right now and will be a
number 1-40, or it will show "Title" if you're
editing the title (backwards from gadget 1).
OK, that's all there is to the editing a menu (a lot? Its much easier
and quicker in use!). Set up each selection, Save your menu then exit.
Easy. A finished menu should look something like this on disk (of course
if you always use the inbuilt editor you need never know...):
This is my Title
P
This is my first selection
DF0:c/PowerPacker
B
The 2nd selection - a batch file
ram:T/mybatchfile
PC
3rd selection with CLI options!
HD0:DPaint4
GO4
Switch to menu four.
T
Some amazing shadowed text....
BC
Multiple with CLI options!!
ram:mybatchfile\df1:c/My2ndBatch\"df0:My Third Batch File"
Final Note: If your editing in a text ed./word pro. don't leave more
than 1 blank line at the end of the menu!
3. GENERAL USE OF THE PROGRAM
Console can be run with several CLI options. The syntax is:
Console ?
OR
Console [i] [b] [|Data File] ... [|Data File]
Where:
? Gives a quick run down on CLI options etc.
i Displays all menus etc. on an Interlace screen (allows you to
fit on more than 20 selections as a med. res screen would).
b Each time a selection is made, Console flicks its screen behind
the Workbench screen so you can see what's going on, and doesn't
reappear until the selection has run it's course (unless you
selected Run mode, see below).
|Data File Is the pathname of a menu file on disk. The | character is
used as a separator and each Data File *must* have a |
character before it. This is positioned on ALL countries
keyboards above the backslash \ character on the key to the
left of the <BackSpace> key (and was used for that reason).
NO arbitrary spaces must be left between specified Data Files,
pathnames which include spaces must be surrounded by quotation
marks: " (as in normal AmigaDOS use). Up to 5 data files can
be specified.
A typical CLI calling of Console would look like (ignore the >1 )
1> Console ib|Menu1|df1:Menu2|"ram:Menu Three"|"df1:My Menus/Menu4"
NOTE:- When using GO<number> it refers to that data file specified at
the command line. E.G. GO2 would switch to the 2nd data file you entered
as a command line option.
REQUIRED FILES: Console always requires mathieeedoubbas.library in the
LIBS: directory (get it from LIBS on your Workbench disk), and the Execute
and Run commands in the C: directory (taken from the same place on the
Workbench disk). If you have any selections which call multiple programs or
batch files then you require ram-handler in your L: directory (from the L
dir on the Workbench disk).
······ Loading Errors ······
Menu <data file> truncated: more than 40 selections specified!
You know the limits, don't try to go beyond them!
Menu <data file> truncated: too large for specified screen size!
If you want more than about 20 selections you're going to have to
specify the i switch at the CLI when running Console, to get an interlace
screen to fit them all on!
Gadget mode not found in line <n> of <data file>
You've probably forgotten to include a line for the gadget mode just
before line <n> in the menu file, left a blank line or typed something
other than P, B, T, or GO<number>.
Page value out of range in line <n> of <data file>
Oops! You've used a GO<number> in the named menu file but haven't
specified that many menus at the command line. E.G. You can't switch to
menu 4 if you haven't specified at least 4 menus!
Path should be specified in line <n> of <data file>
You've obviously set the type to P or B and left a blank line in the
pathname line of this selection.
Once Console's loaded you will see your menu displayed as gadgets going
from left to right across and down the screen. Clicking in a box will
carry out the CLI command that you specified when creating the menu.
At the top will be the title followed by four large gadgets which are
always there. These are the Mode, Shrink, Edit and Quit gadgets. The Mode
gadget will show one of Execute, Run or Launch and refers to the way in
which selections are handled by Console. Clicking on the gadget will cycle
through these three modes, but Console always starts up with Execute mode
on.
Execute will carry out a selection and not allow you to select anything
else until that selection's finished with, Run will start up the selection
then allow you to make another selection straight away and Launch will
start up the selection then quit Console.
The Shrink gadget will shrink Console temporarily out of the way to a
small window at the top right of the Workbench screen, reversed by making
sure that the window is active then pressing the right mouse button.
The Edit gadget allows you to edit the currently displayed menu and
finally the Quit gadget terminates Console.
4. CREDITS, GREETINGS, PLEAS FOR MONEY, OTHER THINGS.
Credits:
Entire concept thought up by me about 20 months ago (when
there was only 1 (!) other menu program out and about). Programming and
docs also all by myself.
Greetings:
In true Amiga demo style here's who I'd like to say "Hi"
to:- Lee Jones, Simon Plumbe, Simon Melaniphy, Diablo of Budbrain,
Matthew Harrison-Harvey, Patrick Harrison-Harvey.
Pleas for money:
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease send me some money! 18 months!
Literally hundreds of hours! Aching fingers! Throbbing eyeballs! That's
what went into this program and if you've got any conscience at all,
you'll consider a small Shareware fee of £10/$25. A programmer expects
something for his work you know! More or less is also appreciated (more
especially!). Those sending at least that amount can request a disk
containing any or all of:- the source code, any other programs I have
written(at least one), some IBM PC programs and their source in Turbo
Pascal that I produced (no I'm not a traitor, PCs belong on the nearest
scrap heap along with STs). OK? So please bother to send that cash in
now!!!
Other things:
Known Limitations of the program: As stated in the
disclaimer, Console's been tested to specified limits. In this case that
means I loaded Console in interlace mode with 5 menus each of which had 40
selections and most of those called 4 programs or batch files. At this
unlikely extreme the inbuilt editor couldn't be used because I limited the
amount of memory available to the program deliberately, but this is hardly
a drawback. It did work when I did the same again but loaded only 3 menus
so you could still use the editor then. Console's limits are there
individually for convenience and weren't actually supposed to be used all
at once, although as I've mentioned it worked fine. All other parts of the
program that I could think of testing checked out as planned.
I'm Alex Kerr, I've had enough of programming 'cause the
truth is I'm a graphic artist/3D graphic artist, I'm an 18 year old student
who needs his Shareware fees and my address is:-
Pine Lodge, Mesh Pond, Wick Lane, Downton, Wiltshire. SP5 3NQ. ENGLAND.
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