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Command Post
Version 6.2
The Windows Environment
Command Post is a MS Windows application designed to allow
users to easily personalize the MS-DOS Executive control
window. Command Post allows users to easily add menu and
dropdown menu items to the main MS-DOS Executive menu bar,
and to execute desired applications when a menu item is
selected.
Command Post also provides file management features and a
directory tree. A number of additional features, such as
screen blanking and window arranging, are also made
available.
This version of Command Post requires Microsoft Windows,
versions 2.03 or newer for proper operation. It is
completely incompatible with the old Windows 1.x software.
Information in this document is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment of any kind from
Wilson WindowWare.
The software described in this document is distributed free
or at minimal charge for evaluation only. Users of this
software are to license this software according to the
instructions given in this document.
Copies of this software may be made only in accordance with
instructions given in this document.
Copyright Morrie Wilson, 1988-1989
Command Post is a trademark of Wilson WindowWare.
Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows
is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
PageMaker is a trademark of Aldus Corporation.
In*A*Vision and Designer are trademarks of MICROGRAFX, Inc.
Command Post 6.2
2
Table of Contents
Licensing and Duplication Information
Duplication Restrictions / Other Information... 5
General Licensing Information.................. 6
Payment with Order
Licensing Information......................... 7
Purchase Orders Requiring Billing
Licensing Information......................... 8
International Orders........................... 9
Command Post
An Introduction............................... 10
Installing Command Post....................... 11
Using Command Post
Getting Started with Command Post............. 13
Command Post Commands......................... 14
The File Menu Item Extensions.............. 15
The Windows Menu Item...................... 16
The CmdPost Menu Item...................... 18
The Option Selection Dialog Box............ 19
System Menu Extensions........................ 20
Command Post HotKey........................... 21
Screen Blanking............................... 22
Time and Date Display......................... 23
Directory Tree................................ 24
Command Post 6.2
3
Command Post Menus
Making Personalized Menus..................... 25
A Simple Sample Menu.......................... 27
An Ample Sample Menu.......................... 28
Command Post Keyboard Interface............... 29
Advanced Menus................................ 30
Command Post File Name Insertion.............. 31
Command Post Prompter Details................. 34
Notes
Notes - Program Not in Path................... 35
Notes - Reloading Menus....................... 36
Notes - Automagic Directory Updates........... 37
Notes - MS-DOS View Menu selections........... 38
Notes - Exiting Command Post in Windows....... 39
Notes - System Information.................... 40
Notes - Secret Parameters..................... 41
Appendices
Appendix A - Special Thanks................... 42
Appendix B - Command Post Version Information. 43
Appendix C - Other Window Applications........ 46
Appendix D - Command Post Support............. 47
Appendix E - Patches for Non-English Windows.. 48
Appendix F - Command Post Licensing Reminders. 51
Command Post 6.2
4
Licensing and Duplication Information
Duplication Restrictions / Other Information
Command Post is a shareware product. It may be freely
copied and distributed for evaluation as long as four basic
rules are followed.
These rules are:
1) The program and this documentation may not
be modified in any way.
2) A copy of this documentation is provided
with the program.
3) No charge, other than a "media and handling"
charge,
(not to exceed $8.00) is made.
4) Users of the program purchase a license for
its use.
One license per usable copy of Command Post is required.
Archive and backup copies do not count.
Please note that if you purchased a disk containing this
software from a public domain/shareware software distributor
you have paid the media and handling charges as permitted
above. You have not purchased a license. Purchasing a
license is required for continued use.
The accuracy of the information supplied here and the
fitness of the Command Post program for any purpose may
change without notice, and should not be construed as any
kind of a commitment. No responsibility is assumed for any
errors or problems that may be encountered with use of this
product.
For warranty information, please refer to appendix D,
"Command Post Support".
Command Post 6.2
5
General Licensing Information
Command Post must be licensed to be used other than for an
initial evaluation. Two licensing rates are available, as
given below:
Rates for payment with order:
$20 Single user license
$ 5 Command Post software on diskette.
Please specify 5 1/4" or 3 1/2"
diskette.
$10 Printed documentation
Rates for Purchase Orders requiring billing, or for purchase
via third party vendors:
$50 Includes single user licensed diskettes
(5 1/4" and 3 1/2"), and printed
documentation.
Command Post 6.2
6
Payment with Order
Licensing Information
Under the "Payment with Order" plan we accept personal and
business checks, along with Visa and MasterCard charges.
Checks must be mailed, while we can accept Visa and
MasterCard purchases over the phone.
MailOrders
For mailorder purchases, enclose the following items in an
envelope and mail to the address given below:
Enclose:
1) List of items desired --license(s), disk(s),
number of copies of documentation
2) Payment (either check or charge card info).
For charge card orders, include card number,
expiration date and card billing address.
3) Name and address
Mail to:
Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
Phone Orders
For phone order purchases we will need your card number,
expiration date, card billing address, and desired
purchases.
Our phone lines are open from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Pacific
Time. East Coast residents will need to wait until after
Noon Eastern Time before placing their calls.
Our phone numbers are: Voice (206) 937-9335
Fax (206) 935-7129
Command Post 6.2
7
Purchase Orders Requiring Billing
Licensing Information
Purchase orders are subject to acceptance. We generally
reject purchase order requests that obligate us to your
company's terms and conditions.
As stated above there are no warranties whatsoever
associated with the Command Post software product, and we
are not responsible for its performance. You are the sole
judge of the product's effectiveness and suitability for
your application.
To order Command Post, enclose the following items in an
envelope and mail to the address given below:
Enclose:
1) Purchase order stating:
Number of copies
Shipping address
Billing address
2) Name, address and phone number of a
knowledgeable individual whom we may contact
should any question about this order arise.
Mail to:
Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
(206) 937-9335
Or fax to:
Wilson WindowWare
(206) 935-7129
Command Post 6.2
8
International Orders
Wilson WindowWare recognizes the difficulties our
international customers face in presenting payment for our
products. These difficulties include excessive fees charged
for international money orders, various postal delays, and
currency conversion problems of various sorts.
For this reason we recommend payment via MasterCard
(EuroCard) or Visa. The credit companies will perform any
necessary currency conversions, and eliminate possibility of
the loss of the funds by the postal services.
Although we do accept both mail-order and phone-order
purchases, our phone operators generally only speak
English, and are therefore limited in the amount of non-
English assistance they can provide.
In addition, because of the increased postal costs, we must
charge additional postal fees for international orders. We
mail all goods via airmail, thus avoiding unnecessarily long
waits. The additional fees are as follows:
Item Surcharge
License None
Disk $2.00
Manual $8.00
International users not running the English or the
International English version of Microsoft Windows may need
to make special entries in the WIN.INI file. Please refer
to Appendix E for more information.
Foreign language versions of Command Post may be available.
Please inquire if you are interested.
Command Post 6.2
9
Command Post
An Introduction
Command Post is a Microsoft Windows application designed to
allow users to easily personalize the MS-DOS Executive
control window. Command Post also extends the functionality
of the Executive window by adding a number of additional
features, such as file management and a directory tree.
Command Post allows users to easily add any number of Menu
and Submenu items to the main MS-DOS Executive menu bar, and
to execute one or more desired applications when the added
menu items are selected.
Command Post can take a high-lighted file name from its
directory display and use the file name as a parameter for
your application.
Command Post can be instructed to prompt users for
parameters for their applications. You can supply the
prompting question, and even a default answer if you choose.
Command Post menus are created using the Notepad Editor, or
with any other text editor that can save a plain ASCII file.
Special menu editors are not required.
The Command Post menu file has an easy and straightforward
syntax, and can be re-loaded into Command Post after
modification.
Command Post's window manager allows the user to
automatically stack or arrange windows in a variety of
formats.
Command Post also provides for screen blanking and a special
time and date display which gives you quick access back to
Command Post.
The Command Post file management features are enabled when
there are two Command Post windows open. Files may be moved
or copied from one Command Post window to the other.
The Command Post directory tree may be used to navigate the
directories and set the Command Post windows accordingly
(via clicking the desired directory with either the left or
right mouse buttons).
Command Post 6.2
10
Installing Command Post
Command Post is easily installed. Simply copy the following
four files to your windows directory (usually either \WIN,
\WINDOWS, or \WIN386). Other directories may be used, but
whatever directory is chosen, it MUST be defined in the MS-
DOS PATH statement (which is usually in your autoexec.bat
file).
CMDPOST.EXE
CMDLIB.EXE
CMDTREE.EXE
CMDPOST.MNU <--- Do not copy this file if you
are updating from a
previous version.
If you do not have a COMMAND.PIF file, also copy the
COMMAND.286 or the COMMAND.386 file (depending on what
version of Windows you are running). After copying the
desired file, rename it to COMMAND.PIF. A COMMAND.PIF is
required for the DOS C:> menu item under the CmdPost menu to
work.
COMMAND.286.\
> Copy one of these and rename to
COMMAND.386 / COMMAND.PIF
CMDPOST.EXE is the Command Post application file. When it
is invoked, as discussed in a following section, it attempts
to locate and load the Command Post menu file, CMDPOST.MNU.
CMDLIB.EXE is not meant to be executed by the user. It
contains window library routines that are invoked by
CMDPOST.EXE.
CMDTREE.EXE is the Command Post Tree. It may be executed
via the Directory Tree menu item, be placed into a user-
defined Command Post menu, or simply be double-clicked to
start the Tree.
The sample CMDPOST.MNU file supplied with Command Post will
get you started defining your very own Command Post menus.
You WILL need to modify the CMDPOST.MNU file before it is
fully functional on your system.
Command Post 6.2
11
Installing Command Post (continued)
Command Post, of course, assumes that your system is
properly configured to run Windows. Of special interest is
the CONFIG.SYS file, which is used to set some initial DOS
parameters while the system is booting up.
It is recommended that your CONFIG.SYS file contain the
following items. The values given for these items are a
minimum, and larger values may be used as your other
applications warrant.
FILES=25
BUFFERS=20
Command Post 6.2
12
Using Command Post
Getting Started with Command Post
Command Post may be invoked with any of the methods that
follow:
1) Via the MS-DOS menu in Windows. If Command
Post is invoked this way, it will take over
the MS-DOS Executive window, modify the menu
bar, install your personalized menu items,
and then allow you to proceed.
2) You may modify your WIN.INI file, adding
CMDPOST.EXE to either the RUN= or the LOAD=
sections. This will automatically start
Command Post whenever you start Windows.
Special Note: Command Post does not follow
the standard definitions of the RUN= and
LOAD= lines. Only by having the RUN= line
blank can Command Post be started as a
window, otherwise Command Post will be
started as an Icon.
3) You may also type WIN CMDPOST at the MS-DOS
prompt. Command Post will be started as an
icon.
Initially, when you start Command Post you will see a simple
extension to the MS-DOS Executive window, as defined by the
CMDPOST.MNU file that is shipped with Command Post. This
simple menu allows you access to the desktop accessories and
other applications shipped with the standard version of
Microsoft Windows.
After reading the section on defining your own menus, you
can edit CMDPOST.MNU to add your own menu items.
You may have one or two Command Post windows at one time.
Each Command Post Window may be identified by the number of
"<...>" surrounding the window title. For example:
<Command Post - UNLICENSED> ... window 1, unlicensed
<<Pepperoni Palace>> ... a window 2 possibility
Command Post 6.2
13
Command Post Commands
Command Post adds a number of main menus to the standard MS-
DOS menus. It also slightly modifies the MS-DOS File
dropdown menu.
Command Post modifies the MS-DOS File dropdown menu by
installing the Move, Directory Tree and the Exit Command
Post menu items.
Command Post adds two of its own main menus onto the normal
set of MS-DOS menus. These menu are Windows and CmdPost.
In addition any (reasonable) number of user-defined menu
items may be added.
The Windows menuitem, as described later, assists the user
in locating and viewing windows. From it you can locate all
the application windows, and re-arrange up to twelve
application windows.
The CmdPost menu item, as described later, contains the
Command Post control functions, and Windows accessories that
support the control functions (such as Clipboard and the
Control Panel).
The user menus are one of the reasons for Command Post's
existence. User menus may be easily added to the normal set
of MS-DOS menus through a file named CMDPOST.MNU. These
menus can change directories and start applications as
defined by the user.
Command Post 6.2
14
The File Menu Item Extensions
Command Post adds or modifies a few menuitems on the File
dropdown menu (as compared to the Standard MS-DOS).
The Directory Tree item is added, and is used to access a
directory tree. See the separate section on the Directory
Tree for more information.
What was simply Exit is now Exit Command Post. This item
allows the user to exit the Command Post environment and
remain in Windows. This may be useful in running memory
intensive applications (e.g. Aldus Pagemaker) on systems
with limited memory.
The Copy... menuitem has been modified, while the Move...
menuitem has been added. When only one Command Post window
is open, Copy... works just like it does in the MS-DOS
Executive window, and Move... simply returns a short
reminder that you need two Command Post windows open for a
Move...
When two Command Post windows are open, Copy... and Move...
will move the highlighted files to the disk and directory
pointed to by the other Command Post window.
To start up a second Command Post window, merely select the
Command Post menuitem in the CmdPost dropdown menu.
To highlight more than one file in a directory for a copy or
a move, hold the shift key down while clicking files with
the mouse, or use the arrow keys and the spacebar (while
holding the shift key down) to select the desired files.
IMPORTANT LIMITATION
There is an IMPORTANT LIMITATION on the Command Post Move
and Copy utilities.
For a file to be copied or moved to the other Command Post
window, the file not only must be highlighted, but it MUST
BE VISIBLE.
It may not be scrolled out of the directory window. Files
not actually visible will not be copied or moved.
Command Post 6.2
15
The Windows Menu Item
The Windows menu item is used to navigate through your
various windows. There are two types of menuitems shown on
the Windows submenu.
The eight on the left are normal, permanent menu items, and
are used to arrange your open windows. The arrange commands
will arrange up to 12 open windows. You have your choice of
including Command Post in the arrangement, or excluding it
and causing it to be minimized.
To the right of the first eight menu items will appear a
list of top-level application windows that can be jumped to
by merely selecting the menu item from the list. The item
may be selected either with a mouse or by the letter code
provided. Command Post will immediately transfer you to that
window.
These commands are particularly handy for handling
overlapped windows because a small window can easily get
lost beneath a multitude of other windows and become
difficult to find.
Note: Command Post will not arrange minimized (iconized)
windows. Be sure that the windows you want arranged are not
minimized.
Command Post will arrange the windows with the most recently
used window in the top left hand corner (or at the top of
the stack), followed by the remaining windows, in the order
that they were last used.
Command Post 6.2
16
The Windows Menu Item (continued)
The Windows menu item has eight normal dropdown menu items,
as follows:
Stack
This item will arrange the open windows into
a stack, with the window caption lines
peeking out from behind the previous window.
Arrange
This item will arrange windows in a Command
Post defined pattern.
Arrange Rows
This item will arrange windows into rows.
Enabled for 2 to 4 windows.
Arrange Columns
This item will arrange windows into columns.
Enabled for 2 or 3 windows.
Stack w/o CP
Arrange w/o CP
Arrange Rows w/o CP
Arrange Cols w/o CP
Same as above, except that Command Post will
be minimized instead of being included in
the arrangement.
<Window Names>
Following the normal menu items is a list of
all named top-level windows. Selecting a
member of this list will transfer control to
the selected window.
Command Post 6.2
17
The Windows Menu Item (continued)
The CmdPost menu item has nine dropdown menu items, as
discussed below:
Command Post
Starts another Command Post Window,
primarily for file management.
Control Panel
Starts the Control Panel Window
Clipboard
Starts the Clipboard Window
DOS C:>
Starts COMMAND.COM, via COMMAND.PIF, thus
providing a DOS prompt. Use the EXIT
command to close the window.
Confirm Selections
This item is a toggle. If it is checked,
then any selection from the user's
personalized menu will appear in a dialog
box. The user may modify any of the fields
and then run it.
Option...
Selection of this menu item will cause an
option dialog box to be displayed. See
Option Selection Dialog box section below.
Reload CmdPost Menus
This command is used to reload the Command
Post menu after modifying CMDPOST.MNU with
an editor.
System Information
Displays Windows version, DOS version, LIM
Driver version and various interesting
memory usage numbers.
About Command Post...
To find out About Command Post.
Command Post 6.2
18
The Option Selection Dialog Box
The Option Selection Dialog box allows specification of the
Command Post options. These are:
1) The automatic directory display update.
When checked,the MS-DOS directory display
will be updated when Command Post becomes
active. If not checked, the user must
select one of the Disk Drive icons in order
to update the directory display.
2) Return to original directory. When checked,
menu selections will not change the current
directory displayed in the MS-DOS/Command
Post window, unless a directory change only
menuitem was selected (as when the
application line in the menu is an indented
period).
3) Blanked Screen [Press Any Key] box. The
small box on a blanked display may be
disabled with this item.
4) Align dual Command Post windows side by side
box. When checked this item will align the
Command Post windows in columns when a
second Command Post is started.
5) Save Command Post window position. If this
box is checked, Command Post will record the
current Command Post window size and
position, and set the Command Post window to
this size and position on future startups.
6) Screen Blanking Delay Time. Command Post
will blank the screen after a period of
inactivity (no key hits or mouse movement).
Specify time desired before screen blanking
occurs. Enter zero to disable screen
blanking.
7) Window Personalization. In licensed copies
of Command Post, a short (30 chars) text
string may be appended to the Command Post
window title. The following window title is
possible:
<Peter's Pepperoni Palace>
Command Post 6.2
19
System Menu Extensions
One item has been added to the system (ALT-SPACEBAR) menu.
It is the End Windows Session command.
The End Windows Session menu item is identical to the End
Session menu item in the MS-DOS Executive Special menu.
They both first ask the user to confirm the request, and if
confirmed, then all running applications are given a chance
to indicate as to whether or not this is a good idea. This
is what happens, for example, when editors (or other
programs) with unsaved work ask the user to indicate whether
the latest changes should be saved or discarded when a
request is made to close down Windows.
Command Post 6.2
20
Command Post HotKey
The Command Post HotKey, CONTROL-SHIFT-ESCAPE, will transfer
control to Command Post from any other application window.
In addition, doubleclicking the Command Post clock display
with the left mouse button will also transfer control to
Command Post.
There are some applications inside of which the Command Post
HotKey does not function. These applications include old
(non-window) applications which grab the keyboard interrupts
for themselves, rather than letting DOS pass keyboard info
to them, and, for Windows/386 users, applications running in
DOS partitions.
Note: The HotKey is disabled if you run the Microsoft Excel
tutorial or feature guide. If you try using the HotKey when
in the feature guide or the tutorial, Command Post will
respond with a beep and not activate itself.
Command Post 6.2
21
Screen Blanking
Command Post has a built in screen blanker. After a
specified period of inactivity, Command Post will blank the
screen.
If enabled, via the CmdPost Options... box, a small display
of the current personalization text, if any, and a "Press
any key to continue" message will move about the screen.
To return to Windows simply press any key or move the mouse.
The screen will not blank if an "Old Application" is
currently in control.
The screen blanking may be enabled and disabled, or the
delay period may be modified using the Options... menu item
under the CmdPost menu.
Command Post 6.2
22
Time and Date Display
Command Post maintains a small window, located initially in
the lower right corner of the display.
This window has three different displays. They are:
Command Post Version Number
Day, Date and Time (in seconds)
Day, Date and Time (in minutes)
The display may be changed by clicking it with the right
mouse button, or (only for users currently uninfested by
rodents) by selecting the CmdPost Clock from the Command
Post Windows menu and typing characters at it.
If the date/time display is counting time in seconds,
Command Post will attempt to maintain the window on the
surface of the screen at all times. If the display is not
counting in seconds, the display window will behave like
most other windows and will disappear behind windows that
move in front of it.
The display may be moved by either dragging it with the left
mouse button or using Alt-F7 to get the standard Windows
Move Cursor, and using the arrow keys followed by an Enter.
Doubleclicking the display with the left mouse button will
cause control to be transferred to the Command Post window,
much in the same manner as the Command Post HotKey.
Doubleclicking the display with the right mouse button will
cause the Command Post System Information box to appear.
Command Post 6.2
23
Directory Tree
The Command Post Directory Tree is started via the
Directory Tree menuitem in the File dropdown menu. After
being selected, there is a short pause while the tree of the
currently logged disk is analyzed. The directory tree then
appears.
To obtain the tree of other disks, select the desired disk
from the Disk menu. When the Disk menuitem is selected, a
dropdown menu displays all the currently online disk drives.
To see the files contained within a given sub-directory,
simply click the desired directory with the left mouse
button. The directory display of the first Command Post
window will be updated to show the files.
If you click a subdirectory with the right mouse button, the
files contained in it will be displayed in the second
Command Post window. If a second window is not yet open,
clicking the right mouse button will open one.
If you do not have a mouse, just use the arrow keys to move
the highlight to the desired directory, and hit Enter to
show the files in the first Command Post window. To show
the files in the second Command Post window, hold down the
shift key before hitting Enter.
Command Post 6.2
24
Command Post Menus
Making Personalized Menus
Command Post uses a file called CMDPOST.MNU to build
personalized menus. The CMDPOST.MNU file normally resides
in your Windows directory next to the CMDPOST.EXE file.
In order to modify the default menu shipped with Command
Post, or to modify the menu as requirements change, simply
edit the CMDPOST.MNU file with the Notepad editor (or any
other plain ASCII editor).
Take a moment to examine the contents of CMDPOST.MNU. Its
structure is actually very simple. There are only 4 types
of entries. These types are:
1) Comments. Blank lines and any line with a
single quote mark in the first column (col
1) is considered a comment and is ignored by
Command Post.
2) The Main Menu Titles. Main menu titles are
the menu headings displayed on the menu bar.
These main menu titles MUST start in the
first column (col 1). Although Command Post
allows these main menu titles to be rather
long, it is advised, for aesthetic reasons,
to keep the main menu titles short. One
word should be sufficient.
3) The Dropdown Menu Items. Dropdown menu
items comprise the menus that drop down
every time a main menu title is selected.
The dropdown menu items MUST start in the
second column (col 2) and may be long,
although, for aesthetic reasons again,
should be limited to about 25 characters or
less. Note that for dropdown menu itmes, the
first character of the line MUST be a space,
with the first letter of the dropdown menu
item starting in column 2.
Command Post 6.2
25
Making Personalized Menus (Continued)
4) The menu action lines. For each dropdown
menu item, there are one or more pairs of
menu action lines. The first line of each
pair specifies the initial directory (or
path), and the second line specifies the
application and any parameters that may be
required. These lines MUST be preceded by
at least TWO SPACES, or a TAB character.
(All these spaces, or lack of them, are used
by Command Post to tell these various kinds
of lines apart.)
Initial Directory Specification:
The first line of each pair
specifies the initial directory,
and may be preceded by a disk drive
identifier. If the currently
logged directory is desired, use a
period "." for the directory
specification.
Application Specification: The
second line of each pair is used to
specify the desired application,
and any parameters that may be
desired. This line can get pretty
fancy, but we will keep it simple
for a bit more. One thing to
remember though, is that the
application's name MUST include the
three letter suffix (.EXE, .COM,
.PIF, or .BAT).
Note: If the application specified is merely a period, this
indicates to Command Post that all the selection is to do is
to change the directory, rather than actually start up an
application. The directory display of the Command Post
window will change to the new disk and directory specified
in the directory line, even if the "Return to original
directory" box was checked in the Options... dialog box.
Command Post 6.2
26
A Simple Sample Menu
Now that we got the basic menu formats defined, lets look at
a sample menu to see what all these specifications really
mean. Examine the simple menu below:
Desktop
Get Clock and Calendar
.
clock.exe
.
calendar.exe
Get Cardfile
.
cardfile.exe
Word Processing
Get Notepad Editor
.
notepad.exe
Get Windows Write
.
write.exe
This simple menu has two main menu headings, "Desktop" and
"Word Processing".
If the user selects the "Desktop" menu heading, a dropdown
menu containing two items "Get Clock and Calendar" and "Get
Cardfile" will appear.
On the other hand, if the user selects "Word Processing"
instead, a different dropdown menu containing "Get Notepad
Editor" and "Get Windows Write" appears instead.
If the user were to select the "Get Notepad Editor" entry,
Command Post would go to work. Since the subdirectory line
consists solely of a period, this indicates to Command Post
that the current subdirectory is to be used and no change of
subdirectories is to occur. The application line has the
filename of the Notepad Editor application, NOTEPAD.EXE,
with no parameters. Command Post will issue the commands to
load and execute the NOTEPAD.EXE file. In a few seconds,
the Notepad Editor appears on the screen.
Command Post 6.2
27
An Ample Sample Menu
Now that we have seen the basic structure of a Command Post
menu, let's explore them some more. In this example we will
just use a single main menu heading, but fully flesh out the
subdirectory and parameter possibilities.
Edit Various Things
Edit Command Post Menu
c:\windows
notepad.exe cmdpost.mnu
Edit Highlighted File
.
notepad.exe @^.^
Write a letter to Home
c:\letters
write.exe ?Filename for letter?Mom.wri
The first of the dropdown menu options above shows a simple
way to add in a command to allow easy editing of the Command
Post menu file. First of all, the initial directory is set
to C:\WINDOWS, which is the suggested home for the
CMDPOST.MNU file, and then the Notepad Editor is invoked to
edit the menu file.
The second example shows an example of Command Post using a
highlighted filename from the directory display. If this
item is selected, Command Post will obtain the highlighted
file from the directory display and insert it into the
notepad.exe parameter string.
The third example shows an example of a Command Post
Prompter. The user will be prompted with a dialog box which
states:
Please Enter:
Filename for letter
And is followed by an input box with the suggested default
answer already set to "Mom.wri".
Command Post 6.2
28
Command Post Keyboard Interface
If a keyboard interface (i.e. the underlined characters
Windows uses to assist those without mice) to the menus is
desired, it is quite simple to add. Just put an ampersand
(&) in front of the letter in the menu name to be used for
the keyboard interface. The letters will appear in the menus
as underlined characters, and thus may be used with ALT key
combinations to access the menu items.
In order to keep things simple, try (very hard) not to have
duplicate underlined letters in the main Bar Menu. In
addition, also try not to have duplicate underlined letters
within a dropdown menu. If there are duplicate letters
identifying menu items, then Windows will toggle between
them, and Enter must be hit in order to select the desired
one.
P.S. In the Bar Menu, do not use F, V, S, W, or C as the
keyboard interface characters, as those letters are used
either by the MS-DOS executive or by Command Post itself.
Below is a sample menu with the keyboard interface defined:
&Desktop
Get Windows Cloc&k
.
clock.exe
Get &Calendar
.
calendar.exe
Word &Processing
Get &Notepad Editor
.
notepad.exe
Get Windows &Write
.
write.exe
Command Post 6.2
29
Advanced Menus
Command Post also has certain advanced features that allow
control of the menu display on the screen. It is done by
simply putting one of two special characters as the first
character of the menu name.
The special characters are the underline character '_' and
the vertical bar '|'. (The vertical bar sometimes has a
white space in the middle, and is known as the broken
vertical bar.)
The effects are as follows:
On Bar Menu Items
| Causes the item to appear on a new line.
_ Ignored. Becomes part of the item name.
On Dropdown Menu Items
| Causes following menu items to begin in
a new column, separated with a vertical
bar.
_ Causes a horizontal line to be drawn
that separates the following menu items
from the previous ones.
Example:
|&Desktop ... Starts on a new line
Get Windows Cloc&k
.
clock.exe
_Get &Calendar ... Makes a horzizontal line.
.
calendar.exe
|Word &Processing ... Starts on a new line.
Get &Notepad Editor
.
notepad.exe
|Get Windows &Write... Starts in a new column.
.
write.exe
Command Post 6.2
30
Command Post File Name Insertion
The Command Post File Name Inserter becomes activated if the
parameter string contains any at-sign ( @ ) symbols. There
are several special character combinations that Command Post
uses to insert files. Along with the following possibilities
listed below, is the result if the file C:\WIN\NOTES.TXT is
the currently highlighted file:
@ Not changed
Result = @
@: Provides current disk name
Result = C:
@:\ Provides disk and path
Result = C:\WIN\
@:\^ Provides disk, path and filename root
Result = C:\WIN\NOTES
@:\^.^ Provides disk, path and full filename
Result = C:\WIN\NOTES.TXT
@\ Provides path
Result = \WIN\
@\^ Provides path and filename root
Result = \WIN\NOTES
@\^.^ Provides path and full filename
Result = \WIN\NOTES.TXT
@^ Provides filename root
Result = NOTES
@^.^ Provides full filename
Result = NOTES.TXT
Command Post 6.2
31
Command Post File Name Insertion (Continued)
Examples:
Assume that the filename README.1ST is currently highlighted
in the directory display. The following menu will show
results of using various combinations of these caret
symbols.
EditFiles
Edit Highlighted file
.
notepad.exe @^.^ ... will edit README.1ST
Edit file relating to root of highlighted file
.
notepad.exe @^ ... will edit README
Edit TXT file associated with highlighted file
.
notepad.exe @^.TXT ... will edit README.TXT
Command Post 6.2
32
Command Post File Name Insertion (continued)
Note: Command Post obtains the filenames by performing an
Optical Character Read (OCR) of the directory display.
For this reason, it is important that the highlighted file
name be COMPLETELY VISIBLE and unobscured by other windows
or the edges of the window.
It is also important that the colors chosen for your Window
Text and your Window Background have a lot of contrast. The
Window's default black text on a white screen works very
well. Non-contrasting color combinations, such as light
green text on a light blue background will not work
correctly.
If Command Post is unable to decipher the highlighted file
name, the user will be prompted for it via the Command Post
Prompter. A short beep will sound, alerting the user that
the OCR read failed.
Command Post 6.2
33
Command Post Prompter Details
The Command Post Prompter becomes activated if the first
character of the parameter string is a question mark "?".
Everything following the question mark, up to the next
question mark, if any, is assumed to be part of the
question. If a second question mark is found, everything
after the second question mark is used for the default
answer.
If there is nothing after the first question mark, a stock
question is used. See below for examples of all the
possibilities and the results they provide.
Prompt String : ?
Question : Please Enter:
: Parameters for selected application
Default : <blank>
Prompt String : ??
Question : Please Enter:
: Parameters for selected application
Default : <blank>
Prompt String : ?Info for this application
Question : Please Enter:
: Info for this application
Default : <blank>
Prompt String : ?Data for the other app?1 2 3 4 5
Question : Please Enter:
: Data for the other application
Default : 1 2 3 4 5
Prompt String : ??Jack and Jill
Question : Please Enter:
: Parameters for selected application
Default : Jack and Jill
Command Post 6.2
34
Notes
Notes - Program Not in Path
The examples so far have assumed that the selected
application can be found either in the initially selected
subdirectory, or someplace defined in the MS-DOS PATH
statement. Although this does tend to make things easier,
it is not required. The application may be preceded with
the complete path specification to it if desired.
For Example:
&Run Various Things
Run &Obscure Program Not In Path
\set\desired\path
c:\obscure\subdir\obscure.exe assorted parameters
Command Post 6.2
35
Notes - Reloading Menus
A modified CMDPOST.MNU may be reloaded by simply selecting
the Reload menu item in the CmdPost dropdown menu.
All Command Post windows use the same menu. If there are
two Command Post windows active, and the user selects the
Reload menu item on one of them to reload the menu, the menu
on the current Command Post window will change immediately.
The menu on the other Command Post window will not change
immediately, but will update when the window is activated
(e.g. mouse click).
This may be disconcerting at first, but really is not too
bad because:
1) The menus will stabilize after a while and
will not need to be reloaded very often.
2) Simply Clicking (or Alt-Tab'ing) the other
Command Post window after reloading the menu
will reset the menu bar.
Command Post 6.2
36
Notes - Automagic Directory Updates
Command Post has an automatic directory display update
feature that allows the directory display to be updated
anytime the Command Post menu is selected.
The standard MS-DOS Executive window directory display does
not update until the user selects one of the disk drive
icons in the upper left of the window. If a file is added
or deleted outside of the MS-DOS window (e.g. Notepad adds a
file), this fact is not displayed on the MS-DOS window until
the disk drive icon is selected.
Command Post will, if the Automatic Update Directory Display
option has been selected, update the directory display any
time the Command Post window is selected. This causes a
"blink" after the selection of the Command Post window.
An unfortunate side effect of this option is that a
highlighted list files will be reset to the unhighlighted
state whenever the directory update occurs.
If this is overly disconcerting, the feature may be turned
off via the Options... dialog box.
Command Post 6.2
37
Notes - MS-DOS View Menu selections
Command Post will notice and save any selections made to the
MS-DOS View dropdown menu.
If, for example, it is preferred that the directory display
only display executable files (i.e .EXE, .COM, .BAT, and
maybe .PIF) the "Programs" View menu subitem would be
selected.
However, previously, this operation had to be performed
every time that MS-DOS was started.
When using Command Post, this is automatic. Command Post
will reset the MS-DOS View dropdown menu items to the
previous state whenever Command Post is started.
Command Post 6.2
38
Notes - Exiting Command Post in Windows
From time to time it may become desirable to exit from
Command Post and remain in a Windows environment, such as
when running memory intensive applications such as Aldus
Pagemaker.
To exit Command Post and remain in Windows, simply select
the
Exit Command Post
item under the File menu. This will exit Command Post, and
restore the MS-DOS Executive window.
Command Post 6.2
39
Notes - System Information
The Command Post System Information display does require
some additional explanation, especially for users of "Large-
Frame EMS" equipped computers. Most 386 type computers
running Windows/386 are "Large-Frame EMS" computers for this
discussion.
The Command Post System Information display reports on the
amount of available memory as seen by the application
requesting it.
The memory display in the MS-DOS about box, and the memory
display that appears when the CmdPost System Information
menuitem is selected are usually fairly close (and close is
good enough when dealing with Windows memory management).
If the computer is not equipped with "Large-Frame EMS" or
Windows/386, then the System Information display that
appears when you right-doubleclick the Command Post Clock
Display will also agree with the previous numbers.
However, if the computer has "Large-Frame EMS" or
Windows/386, then the System Information display that
results from the right-doubleclick of the Clock Display will
differ significantly from the other displays. More
conventional memory available will be reported, but the
total EMS memory available and the conventional memory NON-
EMS portion will be nearly the same.
The reason for the difference in the conventional memory
display and the EMS portion of the conventional memory
display is that these numbers are from the viewpoint of the
application that wants to know, and each application in your
machine has a different conventional EMS memory bank.
Command Post and MS-DOS share one of these memory banks, and
the Command Post Clock resides in a separate one.
As the Command Post Clock is a very small (but required)
application, it reports a lot more memory available as it
inspects its memory bank.
The upshot of all this is that for users of "Large-Frame
EMS" or Windows/386, The only numbers that are valid for
basing decisions about memory are the amount of EMS memory
available, and the amount of conventional NON-EMS memory.
When you run out of either one then you cannot start any
more applications, and applications already running may have
errors due to lack of sufficient memory to operate in.
Command Post 6.2
40
Notes - Secret Parameters
Windows has a number of "secret" parameters whose existence
is not widely publicized. Some of these parameters are
useful in alleviating certain memory constraints that users
of large-frame (LIM 4.0) memory systems may encounter.
Certain applications, including Aldus Pagemaker and
Micrografx Designer, need a large amount of the
"Conventional NON-EMS memory" as shown in the System
Information display. Oftentimes the windows default amount
is insufficient for both Command Post and these other
applications. The /N and /L parameters described below will
solve this particular problem. It is difficult to predict
exactly which parameters you will might need, so they are
all presented here for your perusal.
WIN /N The /N parameter disables the automatic
EMS banking of Window applications. EMS
memory is still available for Window
applications that specifically request
it and all DOS applications. Use of this
parameter may increase disk activity.
WIN /L+xx The /L+xx parameter, where xx is in
kilobytes (KB), increases the amount of
scarce Conventional NON-EMS memory by xx
KB. This is not quite as drastic as /N.
Numbers for xx that you might try if you
are having memory problems on a multi-
megabyte machine are:
20 -- Compensates for Command Post
60 -- Perhaps the best bet.
200 -- Practically the same as /N
WIN :app Where app is your application. The : in
front of the application name will cause
the indicated app to run in a stand-
alone environment. No MS-DOS Exec, no
Command Post, no other apps. Do not use
: with Command Post.
WIN<sp> Where <sp> is a space. This will bypass
the opening Microsoft copyright screen,
and get you into Windows about 3 seconds
faster.
Command Post 6.2
41
Appendices:
Appendix A - Special Thanks
I would like to mention Charles Petzold (who does not have
the faintest idea who I am). He is the author of the book
"Programming Windows" (the best book on Windows programming
available at any price) from which I gained deeper insights
into the workings of Windows and lifted several ideas and
code fragments.
And while I am at it, I should mention Mike Geary (who is as
well acquainted with me as Charles Petzold is). He has
written articles for the Microsoft Systems Journal, and has
made various pieces of source code available on the
Compuserve forums. Several of these were incorporated into
Command Post.
Michael Davis of ThoughtCraft Computing provided the bulk of
the code for the Command Post directory tree. ThoughtCraft
Computing is currently developing other useful utilities for
the Windows environment.
There is also Art Metz, who keyed me in on the undocumented
secrets that allow Command Post to maintain its clock window
on the surface of the screen and allow the clock window to
be moved with the mouse button.
I am especially grateful for the assistance given by Noel
Bergman, who has carefully watched the Command Post memory
management algorithms, and has pointed out required changes
to allow Command Post to operate in all memory environments.
And last, but by no means least, extra special thanks go to
the licensees of Wilson WindowWare software, as they are the
people who are footing the bill for the continuing
development of new and existing WindowWare applications.
Command Post 6.2
42
Appendix B - Command Post Version Information
Version Information for Command Post 6.2
Immediately below is a list of differences that this version
of Command Post has when compared to major previous releases
of Command Post. This is generally only of interest when
updating to a new version of Command Post from a previous
release.
Version 6.2 - New Features
1) Directory Tree
2) File Management - Move and Copy to a second
Command Post window.
3) Ability to just change directories by using
a "." instead of an application in the
menus.
4) Screen placement saved when Options dialog
box option checked instead of every time
Command Post shuts down.
5) OCR stuff works with ALL? video cards now.
6) Share.exe error fixed.
7) Completely personalizable window title.
8) Assorted bug fixes.
Version 5.2 - New Features
1) The highlighted filename in the directory
display may be copied into the parameter
string of an application on startup.
2) Multiple applications may be started from a
single menu item. Just put in pairs of the
dir/app menu lines.
3) The System Information display now also
reports screen resolution.
Command Post 6.2
43
Version Information (continued)
4) Doubleclicking the Clock Display with the
right mouse button will make the System
Information Box appear.
5) If the clock display is counting in minutes,
it will NOT pop to the top of the display.
6) The [Press Any Key] box during the blanked
display is now optional. If displayed, it
is smaller, remains blue and only moves once
a minute.
7) Numerous bug fixes. Major fixes are:
Hot-Key disabled from Excel Tutorial and
Feature Guide
Screen Blanker works with Excel Tutorial and
Feature Guide.
Bug where some full screen oldapps would
hang after a while fixed.
Full-Screen oldapps started correctly from
CmdPost Windows Menu.
Screen Stacker/Arranger problem where it
would cover the icon area on VGA displays
has been fixed.
Bug where Command Post sometimeshangs the
system when the reminder messages appear on
un-licensed copies has been fixed.
Bug where clock would slowly move to the
lower right of the screen has been fixed.
Work-around implemented to a bug in Windows
2.1 running on large-frame EMS systems where
dialog boxes sometimes fail to appear due to
a memory shortage.
Command Post 6.2
44
Version Information (continued)
Version 5.0 - New Features
1) Greatly modified clock display
2) Added a System Information menu item to the
CmdPost menu. It provides memory usage
information.
3) Animation added to the blanked screen
display.
4) Added Visa and MasterCard displays to
opening screens (as required by my bank)
5) Modified payment structure (but not prices)
6) Reduced Command Post memory usage by about
1000 bytes.
Version 4.9 - New Features
1) Removed option that forces user menu to
start on a new line, as the | character at
the beginning of CMDPOST.MNU does the same
thing.
2) Dropdown menu modified to allow single mouse
click operation.
3) Clock display can be moved.
4) Doubleclicking the clock display causes
Command Post to appear (much like the
HotKey)
5) MinimizeMSDos flag checked to see if CmdPost
should be minimized after starting apps.
6) Added Window Title personalization via the
Option... dialog and removed the "w/Confirm"
from the title. Licensed copies only!!!
7) Modified the Command Post clock and memory
display to show all 3 types memory on
systems with LIM 4.0
Command Post 6.2
45
Appendix C - Other Window Applications
Currently (4/1/89) Wilson WindowWare has the following
shareware applications. For more information on these
applications call, or send a SASE to:
Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
(206) 937-9335
Applets 1.1
Applets are a collection of tiny applications for the
Microsoft Windows environment. They are primarily designed
to operate with Windows menuing environments, such as
Command Post 5.2 and newer, which allow you to initiate a
series of applications from a single menu selection. These
tiny applications include file manipulation tools (COPY,
MOVE, RENAME, DELETE), Window manipulation tools (ZOOM,
ICONIZE, HIDE, SHOW, CLOSE, PLACE), and miscellaneous tools
(SAY, BEEP, SAYBEEP).
Browser 3.2
Browser is a MS Windows application designed to allow users
to browse files in a MS Windows environment. In addition to
the browse capability, it supports printing, clipboarding,
and a hex dump display. Browser also features the new and
unusual Hide & Seek information extraction technique.
Command Post 6.2
Command Post is a MS Windows application designed to allow
users to easily personalize the MS-DOS Executive control
window. Command Post allows users to easily add menu and
dropdown menu items to the main MS-DOS Executive menu bar,
and to execute desired applications when a menu item is
selected. Also provided are basic file management
capabilities and a directory tree.
Command Post 6.2
46
Appendix D - Command Post Support
Online support for Command Post is provided on Compuserve
Information Service (CIS).
If assistance with Command Post is required, please leave an
Easyplex message for Morrie Wilson using the CIS identifier
73260,2535
A response will generally be posted by the next day.
The MSAPP forum on Compuserve is also checked on a regular
basis. The MSAPP forum is a good place to ask questions
about Windows in general, or to interface with other Windows
users.
The Command Post licensing fees include up to one hour of
free support during the first three months after payment.
Support can be provided by mail, fax, or telephone.
Command Post is warranted to operate in substancial
compliance with its documentation. Serious bugs found in
the first three months will be fixed free of charge, or,
in the case of bugs involving specific hardware or software
environments, Wilson WindowWare may choose to offer a
refund of the licensing fees.
Command Post 6.2
47
Appendix E - Patches for Non-English Windows
Command Post is designed to work with the United States and
the International English versions of Windows. Various
foreign language versions are under development.
In order to run this version of Command Post with non-
English versions of Microsoft Windows, you must add three
lines of text to the bottom of your WIN.INI file, and make
copies of certain executable files as explained below.
The lines added to the WIN.INI file allow Command Post to
locate certain critical WIndows and functions whose identify
vary with the different language versions of Windows. The
copies of the executable files allow Command Post to access
certain standard items using the English Windows filenames.
First - Modify the WIN.INI file. Add the following lines:
[CmdPost]
WinTitle=xxx ... WinInfo Parent Window Title
WinSession=yyy ... WinInfo Parent Window Class
xxx represents the title of the MS-DOS Executive Window.
Just type in the exact title of the MS-DOS Window.
yyy represents the window class name of the MS-DOS Executive
Window. The proper value of this string is much harder to
determine, but fortunately it is usually "Session".
Supplied with Command Post is a simple utility, WININFO.EXE
which should help in determining the correct parameters for
your version of Windows. Simply start WININFO.EXE and move
your mouse over the title bar of the MS-DOS Executive
window. The parent window title and class parameters are
just what is required for the WinTitle and WinSession
parameters.
The examples on the following page show the required
additions for a few languages.
Command Post 6.2
48
Patches for Non-English Windows (Continued)
Examples:
English (default)
[CmdPost]
WinTitle=MS-DOS Executive
WinSession=Session
German
[CmdPost]
WinTitle=MS-DOS-Fenster
WinSession=Session
French
[CmdPost]
WinTitle=Executif MS-DOS
WinSession=Session
Norwegian
[CmdPost]
WinTitle=MS-DOS-Sentralen
WinSession=Session
Command Post 6.2
49
Patches for Non-English Windows (Continued)
In addition you must make copies of some of your files.
Command Post will attempt to startup certain applications
using the names they have in the English version of Windows.
The table below shows the English names of these files, and
a few non-English names. Copy the files as they are called
in your version of Windows to the names they are called in
the English version of Windows.
The files are:
Function English German Norwegian
Clipboard CLIPBRD.EXE ABLAGE.EXE KLIPBRD.EXE
Control Pnl CONTROL.EXE SYSTEMST.EXE KONTROL.EXE
Command Post has been designed to be translated into various
languages. If you are interested in translating Command
Post into a language you are familiar with -- a task that
takes about 5 hours of your time -- please write us. We
will supply you with a file containing all the text strings
in Command Post, our gratitude, and the first copy of
Command Post in your language.
In some cases we will be unable to do this because of prior
contractual agreements, but we should then be able to supply
you with the name of a contact from whom you may purchase
Command Post directly.
Command Post 6.2
50
Appendix F - Command Post Licensing Reminders
Command Post, being a shareware product, is distributed to
users free, or at low cost, for their evaluation. In order
to assist users in remembering that they are using an
unlicensed version of a shareware product, Command Post
reminds users of this fact on a regular basis.
The reminders built into this version of Command Post are
only somewhat obtrusive. They consist of:
1) The word "Unlicensed" in the title of the
Command Post window.
2) Two windows of initial reminders when
Command Post is initially invoked.
3) Two windows of reminders every 12 Command
Post menu selections.
In licensed versions of Command Post, the title of the
Command Post window can be completely personalized with a
company or user name, as desired. This is accomplished via
the Options... dialog box. For example, the title of your
main menu window could be something like one of the
following:
<Merilee's Menu's>
<Diana's Directory's>
<WindowWare Warehouse>
<Pepperoni Palace>
<Joe's Auto Parts>
<J. B. Wadsworth & Associates>
<THINK>
<I Paid For My Copy>
<PDQ Systems Presents>
Command Post 6.2
51
