Magnum One/Magnum One (Mid-American Digital) (Disc Manufacturing).iso/d1/hdm427.arc/HISTORY.DOC

Text File | 1990-11-15 | 16KB | 331 lines

HDM IV - Version 2  (HDM420)

The following features and functions have been added to the Hard
Disk Menu IV version 2:

HDM IV now works with DR-DOS, EZ-DOS, and 4DOS.  The CALL
command is no longer automatically added to the beginning of
each command in X.BAT for users of DOS 3.3 and above.  Instead
you can use the CALL command to run batch files by putting the
CALL right in the menu action like this:
                                         C:~CD\DSPLYWRT~CALL DW5~
or you can use the @@ in front of batch file names:
                                            C:~CD\DSPLYWRT~@@DW5~
The @@ has the advantage
of working with all versions of DOS, @@ is replaced by COMMAND
/C if your running DOS 3.2 or under, else it will be replaced by
CALL.  This was done because of compatibility problems with DOS
clones.  CALL did not work with 4DOS aliases, nor did it work
with EZ-DOS/DR-DOS internal commands.

New alternate user interfaces using the Local Switch <F8> menu
entry.  The new screen is more consistent with the opening logo
screen.  You can switch back to the HDM IV version 1 screen any
time.  <F8> also switches the Page Index and the Main Menu
windows.

The customized logo screen available using the -H startup switch
and the HDM.HDR file now affect both boxes on the screen.  A
sample HDM.HDR file is included on the HDM disk.

1000 menu files now available, named HDM.000 through HDM.999.
Use the UPDATE.BAT file to retain your current menu entries.
New startup switches, -0 through -9 tell HDM where to find each
set of 100 menu files.  If you use the -T startup switch it will
still tell where the rest of the HDM.000 - HDM.999 and the
HDM.CFG (formally HDMENU.TGL) files reside.  The default path
for the files is the HDM startup directory.

       EXAMPLE:  HDM -0C:\MYMENUS -1H:\NETMENUS -9D:\UTILMENU
       HDM.000 - HDM.099 files are located on C:\MYMENUS directory.
       HDM.100 - HDM.199 files are located on H:\NETMENUS directory.
       HDM.900 - HDM.999 files are located on D:\UTILMENU directory.

The macro parameters %1 through %9 can now be put in braces so
they are executed immediately instead of waiting until all other
functions in braces are evaluated.

       EXAMPLE:  {&0 {?Dir Name}}{run! dir {%1}}type {?File Name}~

The help text has been separated from the HDMENU.EXE file so it
won't be loaded if you don't press F1.  The help text is in the
file HDM.HLP and the executable program is HDM4.EXE.  The
program must still be started with HDM.BAT.

New date and time formats have been added to the Global pull
down menu for European date and Military (24 hour) clock.

A log file is written to the HDM directory if a user is logged
on (using an entry from the User ID table in the Security pull
down window) and HDM is started with the -L switch like this:
     HDM -L    or it can be written to a different directory if
you add that path to the -L switch:     HDM -LC:\LOGDIR

The log file has the following format:
           YYYYMMDDHR:MNX[???]=description
YYYYMMDD is the year, month, and day (19890728).
HR:MN is the hour and minute of the 24 hour clock (14:25).
X is the day of the week (1=Sunday,7=Saturday).
[???]=description is:
      [LOG]=Name of person who logged on.
      [OFF]=Name of person who logged off.
      [RUN]=Description of what is being run.
      [END]=End of run.

The three digit menu file number has been added to the User ID
table so that each user can start at a different menu file when
they log on.

You can create your own individual help screen for each menu
entry.  A file that is named P#.###, where P# is the page letter
and menu entry number and ### is the menu file number, is
display if the cursor is on that entry and the F1 key is
pressed.  The help screen is 21 lines by 76 characters for each
line.  A sample file, A1.000, is included as an example.

You can now password protect one page.  The security levels for
the main menu entries are now:  Individual password overrides a
page password which overrides the password for all entries.

Free disk space can now be displayed at the bottom of the
screen.  If you want to see available space for a disk drive use
the -D startup switch.  Example: -DD will display available disk
space on the D: drive.  If -D is used without a drive letter,
then the drive that HDM was started on will be used.

New menu action function: {COLOR Fg Bg}  sets DOS color.  Fg is
a foreground color numbered from 0 to 15, Bg is a background
color numbered from 0 to 7.  This will set the DOS screen color
for the current menu entry only.  It will not work if ANSI.SYS
is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file.  0=Black, 1=Blue, 2=Green,
3=Cyan, 4=Red, 5=Magenta, 6=Yellow, 7=White, 8-15 are the bright
versions of these colors.  Example: {Color 15 1} is bright white
on blue.

New menu action function: {REBOOT}  Used to re-boot your
computer.  This can be used to change the setup of your
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and then restart your system for
another application like Windows, Desqview, etc. with HDM
automatically starting it with the -A switch.    Example:
COPY C:\CONFIG.NEW C:\CONFIG.SYS~COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.NEW
C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT~{REBOOT}

New menu action function: {SELECT prompt~choice1~choice2~...choice9}
              This will display a menu of
choices in a window with the "prompt" used as a title.  The
users choice from the list will replace everything in the braces
in the menu action.  Use the tilde (~) to separate the prompt
and the choices.  A choice can be selected with the mouse or
keyboard arrow keys and the <Enter> key.  You can also select a
choice by pressing the first letter, if two or more choices have
the same first letter, the last one with that letter will be
selected.           Example:
DIR {SELECT Pick a directory~C:\DIR1~C:\DIR2~C:\DIR3~C:\DIR4~C:\DIR5}

HDM no longer automatically adds the directory that contains
X.BAT to the path if it isn't already there.  This has caused
problems for some network users.  You must insure that the DOS
path includes the directory that X.BAT will be written to.  It
will be either the HDM default directory or the one pointed to
by -W if that startup switch is used.
        Example: PATH C:\;C:\HDM;C:\DOS
If you don't include this directory in the
path, you will probably get a "Bad command or file name"
message from DOS when you key in X to return to HDM.

(HDM421)

-P is a new HDM startup switch that can be used in the command
line or the DOS environment to stop the cursor from wrapping to
the previous page or to the next page when you try to go past
the top or bottom of a page.  This also causes the cursor to
stop at all menu entries, even the empty ones.  This is probably
most useful for people who use a mouse, moving up and down will
go to menu entries in the same page while moving side to side
will move through the pages.       Command line:   HDM -P
            DOS environment:       SET HDM=-P

Alt-1 through Alt-0 are new alternate keys for A - J to go
directly to a page.

You can now protect a menu file from being changed while still
allowing the entries to be run without a password.  Use the
"File change password" in the Security menu to protect Menu,
Page, Security, and Local menus for the current menu file only.

(HDM422)

The number of users available in the USER ID TABLE has been
increased to 99.

A new entry has been added to the MENU pull-down menu, SAVE MENU
(Alt-F5).  This entry will save all changes to disk.  You will
normally not need to use this because HDM IV automatically saves
changes to disk when you run a menu entry, when you display the
logo screen, when you exit to DOS, use the DOS window, or after
one minute of keyboard/mouse inactivity.  The reason for this
new command is if you make a change and want to turn your system
off or reboot immediately, you should save the changes you made
first by pressing Alt-F5 or choose "Save menu".

A new starup switch, -K, causes the Key lock status to not be
displayed, and does not update the on-screen date & time.  This
is needed if you run another program with HDM in the background
and the Key status, date, and time bleed through to that screen.
Put HDM -K  or  Set HDM=-K in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

When you create a new menu file with the {menu ###} action function
the new menu file will take on the attributes of the menu file it
was created from.  That is the colors, borders, user interface,
titles, and macros will be the same.

The number of entries in the Timed Execution Facility has been
increased to 99.

(HDM423)

You can now pass an initialization string to your modem using the
{DIAL} function.  This can be done with or without dialing a number.

You can now use the curly braces {} and the tilde ~ characters in a
menu action by using substitute characters for them.  The braces are
used to identify a menu function and the tilde is used as the command
separator so they cannot be entered directly to be used in a command
or program.  Use <Ctrl-Q> for {, <Ctrl-P> for }, and <Ctrl-Z> for ~.

A new parameter has been added to the menu action.  %0 will always
contain the complete reply to a {?} prompt function so it can be used
later in the same menu action.  %1 through %9 will still contain the
first nine parameters of a macro.

You can now log all usage through the menu without having to log on
as a user in the ID table.  The -L switch by itself controls whether
logging is done to the HDM.LOG file.

(HDM424)

A screen border is displayed on color monitors.  It will be the same
color as the status line.  You can use the -I startup switch to
Inactivate the border if you don't want one.  There is also one more
set of screen interfaces available by pressing the F6 key.  Each set
of interfaces include the Page Index and Main Menu on opposite sides
of the screen.  The original HDM IV version 1 interface does not show
screen borders at any time.

A bug was fixed that showed up if you had a Hidden Top Menu.  The F4
key didn't work when adding or changing a menu entry.  F4 is used to
display the menu action Build screen.  It always worked if the Top
Menu was not hidden, now it also works if it is hidden.

New user defined help screens can now be displayed for an entire menu
file.  These work just like the individual help screens for each menu
entry, but are only displayed if there is no individual help file for
the current menu entry.  These new generic help files must be named
HELP.000 through HELP.999, while the individual help files are named
for the menu entry and the menu file number: A1.000 through J0.999.
The priority for help screens displayed when F1 is pressed is now:
1. The individual help screen if a matching file exists; H4.500 if
   you are in menu file 500 (HDM.500) and the cursor is on entry H4.
2. The generic menu file help screen if a matching file exist;
   HELP.500 if you are in menu file 500 and the cursor is on a menu
   entry that does not have a matching individual help file.
3. The default HDM help screen, if neither of the above files exist.
Pressing F1 a second time still gives you the HDM help menu & screens.
The layout is the same for all help files; an ASCII text file with
21 lines and 76 characters per line.

(HDM425)

A new function, {BEEP!}, was added to sound the speaker to alert
a user to an HDM event, like a prompt needs to be answered or a
{SELECT} menu entry needs to be chosen.  The difference between
the current {BEEP} function and new the {BEEP!} is that {BEEP}
gets replaced by a Ctrl-G so that DOS will sound the speaker when
it gets to it in the temporary work file, X.BAT.  {BEEP!} will
sound immediately at the time that HDM is evaluating funtions.
EXAMPLE:  C:~CD\EDIT~{BEEP}~EDIT {?ENTER FILE NAME}~
In this example, {BEEP} is replaced by Ctrl-G before the prompt
shows, but you won't hear it until DOS reads the X.BAT file,
which is after all functions are resolved and the batch file is
turned over to DOS for execution.  Use {BEEP!} in this case to
sound the speaker before the prompt is displayed.  Use {BEEP} to
signal the end of a long running program.

An * now displays in the lower right hand corner of the screen
when the menu file has been changed, but the changes have not
been recorded to disk yet.  The changes are automatically written
to disk when your run a menu entry, when you go to the logo
screen or another menu file, or after one minute of keyboard and
mouse inactivity.

A new menu action function, {VSELECT}, has been added to HDM.  It
works exactly like the current {SELECT} function, but displays
the menu entries vertically.  Also, the menu entry picked from
{SELECT} or {VSELECT} is kept in the %0 parameter, just like the
answer to a {?prompt} function is.  If you need the menu pick in
additional locations in the menu action, just put %0 in all those
places.

(HDM426)

The video routines in HDM now automatically recognize the type of
video card install and will clean up the snow or static on older
CGA monitors.  The -S startup switch is no longer needed for snow.

The {RUN} and {RUN!} functions only accepted the first twelve
characters of the program name and any parameters.  This has now
been expanded to 64 characters.

The choice of background colors now include all 16 colors for all
systems except monochrome monitors.  Use the -I startup switch to
enable the eight High Intensity background colors.  This causes
some screens to quiver, colors to fade at one end of the screen,
static, and other mysterious things with some hardware combinations.
The problems were noticed on PS/2's with built in VGA and some Tandy
EGA cards.  You'll have to try it on your own system.

The -S startup switch now controls setting color screen borders.
The border color will match the Status Bar background color.  This
doesn't look very good on some EGA cards and monitors.  CGA & VGA
work fine.

(HDM427)

The keyboard buffer is cleared as soon as you start HDM or return to
it from another program.  This was added to HDM because some programs
left keystrokes in the DOS buffer and HDM would automatically read
them and do whatever those keystrokes made it do.  If you don't have
programs that do this and you want to be able to type into the DOS
keyboard buffer before HDM is ready to accept them, use the new -Q
startup switch to enable Queuing up those keystrokes.

The new environment variable (SET X=) allows you to use a different
batch file name for HDM's temporary work file.  The default name is
X.BAT.  If you set X to something else before starting the Hard Disk
Menu, it will use that name for the file that the -W startup switch
points to and for the name you have to key in to return to HDM from
the DOS prompt, once you exit to it.  The following example makes
HDM use GoBack.Bat instead of X.BAT:     SET X=GoBack  (8 char max)
                                         CD \HDM
                                         HDM

Make sure you don't set X equal to any DOS commands or to any file
names on your disk like EXIT, HDM, HDM4, RESTORE, 123, COPY, etc.

Because HDM automatically detects the type of video card you have
installed, it will wait for the video retrace before writing to the
screen buffer for CGA cards.  Some newer CGA cards don't produce the
snow that the older ones did when you didn't wait for the retrace.
You can start HDM with the -F switch to do Fast screen writes and not
wait for that video retrace even if a CGA is detected.  This will
speed up the program and is the default for all other video cards.

-O (as in Off) is another new HDM startup switch, it simply turns Off
the Num Lock status when the Hard Disk Menu is first started. (HDM -O)
This was requested by many who use the cursor control keys on the
numeric key pad on newer 101/102 keyboards.

{??prompt} works just like {?prompt} except that the input can't be
seen.  Used for entering passwords or other private data.