Tech Arsenal 1/Tech Arsenal (Arsenal Computer).ISO/tek-21/dvtman13.zip/DVTMAN.DOC

Text File | 1991-02-10 | 18KB | 391 lines

                             DV Task Manager

        DV Task Manager is intended to provide DESQview users running
real-time systems a powerful and consistent method of automating
DESQview window operations during unattended operations.  Because DV
Task Manager requires the services of DVTXDI.COM, the following note
is of supreme importance:

***************    Important!  Important!  Important!    *****************
You must be running DESQview version 2.26 or higher for this program to be
        of value!  (Meaning, in 2.25, it won't do anything).
**************************************************************************

Summary of Features:

   *  DV Task Manager runs comfortably in a non-swappable 30K DESQview
        window and utilizes DESQview API functions to monitor the system
        timer and schedule pending events.

   *  Any program for which the user has created a DESQview PIF (by
        adding to the DESQview Open Window menu or otherwise), may be
        run as an event.

   *  Events may be scheduled by time of day or by timed interval.  Any
        event may be 'masked off' for particular days of the week.

   *  Since the host DV version must be 2.26 or greater, events may be
        run in the background and/or hidden.

   *  In addition to PIF style program initiation, an event may also
        request the closing of windows in a variety of ways, the end of
        the current DESQview session, or a system warm or cold boot.


        DV Task Manager was written using Turbo Professional (Borland Intl).
DESQview interface functions are courtesy of Ralf Brown and his DVGLUE API
library.  Credit also goes to Robert Jourdain for his C Express Programmer's
Library (1989, Simon & Schuster).
    DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems.
        DVTMAN.COM and all supporting materials are (c)1990-91 Michael D.
Weaver.  All rights are reserved.


                                    Disclaimer

        This program is distributed AS IS - the author cannot accept for
responsibility for the use or abuse of the program resulting in the loss of
data or other imaginable damages.  Though the author is dedicated to
DV Task Manager's correct operation and the support and implementation of
enhancements requested by registered users, he's not rich and cannot
therefore accept legal responsibility for the care and feeding of users' hard
drives and/or other equipment.
        The user of this program, in that he is expected to be the operator
of an electronic bulletin board or other on-line, serious-use system, is
expected to be aware of the potential problems running an unattended system
entails.  Above all, automation implemented through the use of this program
should be fully tested and monitored by the operator of the system prior
to allowing its operation in an unattended environment.



                               About Shareware

        DV Task Manager is distributed as shareware.  What this means is that
people who find the program useful are encouraged to 'register' with the
author for a nominal fee, in this case, $35.  Registration lets you feel good
and will also give you the following advantages:

        1)  The latest release of DV Task Manager with no timed delay at
            program startup, and a 20 event, instead of 4 event, limit.
        2)  A slightly smaller, slightly faster version of the program
            compiled especially for 286/386 machines and up.
        3)  Influence over potential future enhancements.

        Registrants will receive a 3.5" 720k diskette unless 5.25" 360k is
specifically requested.  Those outside the United States and Canada should
add $5 to the cost to cover airmail shipping.
        The $35 cost is for a single user license; site/multi-user licenses
are available at the following discounts*:

        2-4   persons/machines:  10% discount per copy of program.
        5-10  persons/machines:  20% discount per copy of program.
        11-up persons/machines:  25% discount per copy of program.
unlimited license for business:  $500 flat fee.

        Receivers of site/multi-user licenses will receive a single
registration disk accompanied by permission to duplicate it the requested
number of times.

        If you use this program a lot you should register, if only to
encourage the development of more DV-specific software in the future.
        Registrations and all comments/inquiries should be addressed to:

    Michael D. Weaver
    Box 4323
        Danville, VA   24540-0106

    Electronic contact addresses:

        MCI Mail        (MWEAVER)
        CIS             (72210,2035)

        The shareware archive of this program (DVTMANnn.ZIP) may be freely
distributed through electronic bulletin board systems or any other means as
long as all files are included in an unmodified form and no fee in excess of
$5 is charged the person receiving the program.


*  Listed rates are subject to change without notice.


                                   Installation

1)  Make sure that the target system is running DESQview version 2.26 or
    higher.  This is extremely important as DV Task Manager will otherwise
    be useless.

2)  Install DVTXDI.COM as a TSR prior to starting DESQview.  This is best
    accomplished in AUTOEXEC.BAT and may use a high-loading program such
    as Quarterdeck's LOADHI.COM.  For additional information on DVTXDI.COM,
    please refer to the file DVTXDI.DOC included in DVTXDI.ZIP.

3)  Place the files DVTMAN.COM and TK-PIF.DVP in an appropriate directory
    on the system's hard drive.  A good choice might be C:\DV\DVTMAN.

4)  Use DESQview's Add a Program feature to install DV Task Manager
    so that appears on DESQview's Open menu.  Refer to DESQview documentation
    on Add a Program if necessary.

5)  If your DESQview system does not reside in one of the following
    directories, you will need to further customize the PIF using Change
    a Program:

        C:\DV
        D:\DV
        E:\DV

6)   DV Task Manager should now be available from the DV Open Menu.

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT DV Task Manager ALWAYS BE STARTED AS THE
FIRST WINDOW IN ANY DV SYSTEM (if possible).



                               Command Line Options

DV Task Manager recognizes the following options on its command line:


DVP=d:\fspec\dirname    -       DESQview directory, or more specifically,
                                the directory where DV Task Manager may
find the PIFs it will need to initiate events.  Advanced users may wish to
isolate these PIFs in a special directory.


QUIET                   -       Requests silent operation.  Normally, DV
                                Task Manager will use beep sequences to
announce the initiation (or failed initiation) of an event.


INT=nn                  -       Controls the refresh rate of the real-time
                                time clock (top left of display).  The
default is nn=05, or five seconds.  This option gives you some control
over how much processor time DV Task Manager consumes.  However, because
DV Task is DESQview specific, it spends most of its time waiting for
DESQview to wake it up, even if nn=01.  The best way to test the impact of
DVTMAN on your system's performance is to run a benchmark program such as
Norton's SI in a Big DOS or other DOS window with DV Task Manager in the
background, and compare the result to what you get without DV Task
Manager.



                               Program Operation

DV Task Manager's user interface consists of a single DESQview windows that
the developer hopes will be easy to use and understand.  Each 'event'
occupies a row, and the current event is displayed with fields unprotected
for input.

Entering an event:

        The simplest way to enter an event for the first time is to
key the appropriate 'DVP keys' or 'Open Keys' into the first unprotected
field (??) and hit enter.  The remaining fields will be primed with default
values.  To make the event active, tab to the start time or interval
fields and key in the desired time.


Event Status:

        Event status is shown at the start of each event line.  The
next event scheduled will show an '*', and other pending events will
show a small dot.  Events that have not been correctly entered will
show neither.
        Event status is modified in real-time as events are initiated
and changes are made by the operator.
        The appearance of a dot or asterisk DOES NOT ensure the event
will run correctly.  No check is made to ensure that the requested PIF
is available - this is learned only on event initiation.  In cases
where the special actions field (see section below) is the major purpose
of the event, the user can enter any invalid set of open keys and the
special actions will still take place.
        When an event is run, DV Task Manager 'rings' the system bell.
One beep sounds if a PIF is found and started.  Two beeps sound if the
event expires but a vaild PIF is not found.  These beeps may be suppressed
with the QUIET command line option.


Modifying an existing event (selecting a new current):

        Only one event (the 'current event') will have its fields
ready for input at any given time.  Any other event (including the ??
event which indicates an available slot) may be made the current
event by moving the cursor, using arrows or the tab key, over the
DVP keys field for the event and tapping the SPACE BAR.  All fields
may then be modified.


Deleting an event:

        Typing '--' into the DVP keys field of an event will delete
that event from the display and DV Task Manager's event file.



Event Fields:

*  Start hh:mm   -  The time of day the event is to occur.  If the event
                    is initiated by interval, these fields will show the
                    time of the next expiration of the interval.  NOTE!!!:
                    Start hh:mm and Intervl hh:mm are mutually exclusive -
                    you can use only one or the other.

*  Intervl hh:mm -  The time in hours:minutes between iterations of the
                    event.  The next scheduled expiration of the interval
                    is shown in the start hh:mm fields.
                    The first expiration is (re)calculated in the following
                    instances:

                    -  When DV Task Manager initializes
                    -  When the event is entered/modified

                    If nothing is entered into these fields they will show
                    **:** and the event is assumed to be based on the time
                    show in the start fields.  If you want to tell DV Task
                    Manager something like 'run this event every hour between
                    03:00 and 06:00, you will need to use the Vn=x and
                    IFVn special actions (see next section.)

*  SMTWTFS       -  This is the day-of-week mask for the event.  Specific
                    days can be masked off by an N or - (minus) character.
                    If the event is interval based, the next expiration
                    will be resheduled to 00:00 on the first day for
                    which the event is again valid.  Default is to run
                    event regardless of the day of the week.

*  BG            -  Y or N.  Specifies whether the event is to run in the
                    background.  The default for this field is Y, but please
                    note:  THE USER IS RESPONSIBLE for seeing that the
                    PIF will indeed run in the background (that it has,
                    for instance, RUNS IN BACKGROUND set to Y as shown on
                    Add/Change a Program).

*  HD            -  Y or N.  Specifies whether the event is to run 'hidden'.
                    Default is N.  Care should be taken in testing events
                    for correct operation if this option is to be turned on.

*  Alt Program   -  If anything is present on this line it will be placed
                    in the program field of the starting PIF.  This option
                    is provided primarily to allow a single generic window
                    to be used to run a variety of batch files without having
                    to add each individually as separate DV windows.  This
                    option is NOT RECOMMENDED for anyone unsure of what to
                    use it for and how it will work.

*  Special...    -  Refer to the following section.



Special Actions field:

The Special Actions field provides a way of instructing DV Task Manager to
do things other than start events.  These actions occur PRIOR TO an attempt
to start the PIF associated with the event, and may in fact purposefully
be associated with a PIF that does not exist (such as ** Open Keys).  Up to
four special actions may be entered on each event line - just cram them
together....  Special actions are evaluated and acted upon from left to
right (this is some importance with respect to the IFVn special action.)

THESE FEATURES ARE HERE LABELED "Use at your own risk!"  THEY ARE INCLUDED
FOR THEIR POTENTIAL VALUE, AND SHOULD BE USED ONLY AFTER CAREFUL TESTING
                        BY THE SYSTEM OPERATOR.

-+??    - where ?? indicates a specific set of open keys.
          Action:  ALL windows running in DESQview that were started by
          ?? open keys are closed prior to running the event.
          Example:  -+TC-+BD-+MF  will close all windows associated with
          open keys TC, BD, and MF.

NOTE!!! : DV Task Manager cannot close an application that is swapped to
          disk and cannot be remapped into memory due to the presence
          of a non-swappable window (such as DV Task Manager).  If such a
          condition occurs, the program will issue an error message and
          attempt to continue processing.

-!??    - where ?? indicates a specific set of open keys.
          Action:  ALL windows running in DESQview EXCEPT those started by
          ?? open keys are closed prior to running the event.
          The DV Task Manager window will not be affected.

-ALL    - Action:  ALL windows running in DESQview are closed prior to
          running the event.
          The DV Task Manager window will not be affected.

COLD    - Action:  The system is cold-booted (equivalent to power off/
          power on.)  This directive may not work on machines that are not
          100% IBM compatible.

WARM    - Action:  The system is warm-booted (equivalent to CTRL-ALT-DELETE.)
          This directive may not work on machines that are not 100% IBM
          compatible.

QUIT    - Action:  DESQview is terminated (equivalent to DESQ-Q-Y.)
          This directive may not work on some XT class machines or machines
          that are not 100% IBM compatible.  Also note: 'Q' must be selectable
          from the main menu (it is NOT there if a window with ALLOW CLOSE
          WINDOW = 'N' is active).  To overcome this, enter QUIT as the 2nd
          special action after -ALL (-ALLQUIT).


Vn=x    - Action:  Sets variable n (0-9) to value x (1 (on) or 0 (off)).
          DV Task Manager maintains 10 internal variables, all controlled
          by this special action.  The primary purpose of this special
          action is to 'limit' another event running on an interval to a
          specific time frame (see the IFVn) description.)  When you first
          start DV Task Manager:

                *  All variables (0-9) are initially zero.
                *  All Vn=x special actions are 'chased'.  For instance,
                   suppose an event at 03:00 has V1=1, and an event at
                   05:00 has V1=0.  If DV Task Manager is started at
                   04:00, V1 will be set to 1.  However, if DV Task
                   Manager is started at 07:00, V1 will be set to 0.

IFVn    - Action:  Makes the event dependent on the status of Vn (as set
          by the Vn=x special action).  If variable n is on, the event
          will run; if variable n is off (Vn=0), the event will not run
          (even though the display might show it as the 'next' event.)
          The best use for this code is the limiting of interval events
          to a specific time range.  For instance, if you set up an
          interval event to run every hour with IFV1 as a special action,
          you can control the range of hours with other events using
          V1=1 and V1=0 special actions.  More notes:

                *  When IFVn is used, its position in the special actions
                   area IS significant.  In other words, QUITIFV1 is
                   NOT identical to IFV1QUIT.

                *  Things like -+BDIFV1-ALL are possible.  In this case
                   all windows started with BD open keys are closed
                   regardless of the setting of V1.  If V1 is on, however,
                   the -ALL special action is acted upon, and the event
                   is run as usual (possible opening another window.)


                           Batch File Facilities

The following additional files are included in the archive:

        TAPXDI.COM           (in DVTXDI.ZIP)
        TAPX.BAT             (in DVTXDI.ZIP)
        DVCOLD.COM
        DVWARM.COM

TAPXDI.COM is a simple utility whose purpose is to set an ERRORLEVEL in a
DOS batch file to indicate whether a given 'Open Keys' application is
currently running somewhere in the DESQview system.  This program actually
has nothing to do with Task Manager per se, but it provides an independent
way to interrogate the information maintained by DVTXDI.COM.  For details
on command line parameters, run TAPXDI with no operands from the DOS command
line.  The file TAPX.BAT demonstrates how TAPXDI may be used in a batch file
to control logic flow.

DVCOLD.COM initiates a system cold-boot (like special action COLD).
DVWARM.COM initiates a system warm-boot (like special action WARM).