Loadstar 128 20/q20.d81/t.MenuMaker

Text File | 2022-08-28 | 5KB | 111 lines

                             M e n u M a k e r

                               by e. g. bell

      Due to economics, my wife and I determined it was a lot more
economical to let our children pick their menu from week to week and do the
shopping based on those picks.  They get the variety they want and we don't
shop helter skelter.  The money we save is used to stock up on meat that is
on sale, etc.  Thus was born TotalRecall, and this support program,
MenuMaker.  MenuMaker allows my kids to pick their menu on a monthly basis
from a menu of preselected entrees, side dishes and restaurants.

     MenuMaker requires only one extra file to run, called MenuItems, which
is a SEQuential file of the menu items.  You can use a word processor or a
SEQuential file editor to create this file.  I included the file I use on
the disk.  You can edit it or use it as you see fit.  The format is as
follows:

   <list of entrees>
  restaurants
   <list of restaurants>
  side dishes
   <list of side dishes>
  end
  eof
  eof
  eof
  eof
  eof

     Each list mentioned above is a list of food items or restaurants, one
item on a line.  The word "restaurants" and the words "side dishes" should
appear as they are above.  The word "end" signifies the end of the lists,
and the "eof" entries show my anxiety about file quirks in programs I have
worked with in the past.  One would be sufficient.  Five make me happy.  You
decide.

     You can edit, add to, or delete from MenuItems using the built-in
editor in MenuMaker.  Your only limit is 79 entries.  It is sufficient for
our family.  You will have to make a workaround if you find this
insufficient.  Perhaps several different MenuItems files on different disks,
but you can only choose from one MenuItems file in a session.  The limit is
because I wanted all menu items on one screen when the kids were picking the
menu.

     To use MenuMaker, load and run the program.  You will have to specify
source and destination drive numbers and printer number.  The source drive
is the drive from which MenuItems will be read.  The destination drive is
the drive to which the file called "Menu" will be written.  The printer is
used to dump a list of selections along with the associated day of the week
and date.  This dump is separated also into weeks, so that it can be used to
help you create your grocery list for that week.  (Yes, a GroceryListMaker
is a possibility in the future.)

     To use this file "Menu" in TotalRecall, see the documentation on
BatchMaker regarding creation of Master Batch files.  The entry in your
Master Batch file would look like this:

 file
 Menu

     Next, you must enter the month and the year.  For this program the
input expected is the month name, not the month number -- "July" not "7".
MenuMaker will now tell you it is "Reading MenuItems".  When finished, they
will be displayed on the screen in 4 columns of 20 items each, with a
corresponding number to the left of each item.  The entrees are in pink, the
restaurants are in yellow, and the side dishes are in blue.  If you create
your own file and those colors don't match, or don't occur in the right
places, you have entered the words "restaurant" or "side dishes"
incorrectly.

     The main MenuMaker menu will be displayed in the work window at the
bottom of the screen.  You can "e"dit MenuItems, "p"ick a menu, or run
"t"otalRecall from this menu.  The screen will be adjusted.  All items after
38 will be bumped up one space and the word "Leftovers" will be printed in
reverse white field at position 39.  (You do eat leftovers, don't you?)

     At the bottom, in the work window, it tells you the day, date, and asks
you to select an entree.  The brackets contain the allowable range for an
entry.  I only allow my kids to select a restaurant every other week,
starting on the first full week of a month.  If you want a day or two of no
pre-selected menus, just press RETURN for the entree, and that day will be
skipped in the Menu file.  My wife and I do this on weekends, so that we
control the menu those days.

     After you select an entree, you will be asked to pick a side dish
(unless you picked leftovers or a restaurant for an entree).  Again, the
brackets indicate the allowable range for the pick.  If you don't want to
pick a side dish, just press RETURN.

     The last entry for each days pick is to verify your pick.  If you
don't, you will start over with the entree selection for that day.  If you
verify, you will proceed, in order, to the next day of the month.  After all
months are picked, the file will be written to the destination drive and you
will be back at the main MenuMaker menu.  To exit to BASIC, reset your
computer.  To run TotalRecall, select "t".  To edit the MenuItems file,
select "e".  Editing a file is very straightforward so I am not going to do
a help file on that.  It is simply an add/delete/change type affair.  You
can use any SEQuential file editor to do this.  "edstar.seq" or THE WRITE
STUFF will work fine.

     Don't enter a month's food items then turn around and enter the same
month again.  If you decide to totally trash a month's selections, it's
better to redo it after a reset because some variables aren't redefined.

egb

                     **** R - Run    RETURN - Menu ****