home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload
/
ShartewareOverload.cdr
/
windows
/
winmenu.zip
/
CMDPOST.TXT
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1988-05-02
|
44KB
|
1,598 lines
Command Post 3.3 -- A Windows Menu Application
Copyright 1988, Morrie Wilson
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
Submenu items to the main MS-DOS Executive menu bar, and to
execute desired applications when a menu item is selected.
Table of Contents
Licensing and Duplication Information
Duplication Restrictions....................... 4
General Licensing Information.................. 5
Shareware Licensing Information................ 6
Shareware Update Information................... 7
Commercial Licensing Information............... 8
Command Post
An Introduction................................ 9
Installing Command Post....................... 10
Using Command Post
Getting Started with Command Post............. 11
Command Post Commands......................... 12
The Windows directory menuitem............. 12
The CmdPost menuitem....................... 13
The Option Selection Dialog Box............ 14
System Menu Extensions........................ 15
Command Post HotKey........................... 15
Command Post Menus
Making Your Own Menus......................... 16
A Simple Sample Menu.......................... 18
Command Post Keyboard Interface............... 20
Command Post 3.3
2
Notes
Notes - Program Not in Path................... 22
Notes - Reloading Menus....................... 23
Notes - Automagic Directory Updates........... 24
Notes - MS-DOS View Menu selections........... 25
Appendices
Appendix A - Special Thanks................... 26
Appendix B - Command Post Version Information. 27
Appendix C - Other Window Applications........ 28
Command Post 3.3
3
Licensing and Duplication Information
Duplication Restrictions
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 $5.00) is made.
4) Users of the program are encouraged to purchase a
license for its use.
If a copy of this program is retained, an obligation to
purchase a license for its use is incurred. A license for
use of this program costs only $15.00.
Command Post 3.3
4
General Licensing Information
Command Post may be either licensed as a shareware or as a
commercial program. The shareware option is for general use
by private individuals and most businesses. The commercial
option is available to businesses whose accounting systems
cannot adapt to the shareware software distribution method.
A purchase of a shareware license assumes that a copy of the
software has already been obtained, and that the user wishes
to retain the copy for future use.
Licensed shareware users may purchase an update at any time
for a $5.00 handling fee. If you wish to purchase a share-
ware license and do not have a copy of this program, be sure
to purchase an update at the same time.
With the purchase of each commercial license, a copy of the
software and documentation will be shipped to any U.S
destination.
Command Post 3.3
5
Shareware Licensing Information
In order to purchase a shareware license, enclose the
following items in an envelope and mail to the address given
below:
Enclose: 1) A check for $15.00
2) The serial number of the copy of Command Post
being used (See the About... display from the
CmdPost menuitem for this information)
3) Name and address
Mail to: Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
One license per usable copy of Command Post is required.
Archive and backup copies do not count.
Please note that no copy of the software will be sent to
you. If you want or need the latest copy of Command Post,
be sure to also purchase an update as explained later on.
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 in
the "Duplication Restriction" section. You have not
purchased a license. A canceled check made out to Wilson
WindowWare is the standard proof of a paid license.
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.
There are no warranties whatsoever associated with this
product.
Command Post 3.3
6
Shareware Update Information
In order to purchase an update to Command Post, (assuming
you have a shareware license) enclose the following items in
an envelope and mail to the address given below:
Enclose: 1) A check for $5.00
2) The serial number of the copy of Command Post
being used (See the About... display from the
CmdPost menuitem for this information)
3) Name and address
Mail to: Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
The following materials will be shipped within 15 days:
1) The Command Post software on a 5 1/4" DD diskette.
(3 1/2" versions are not yet available, however
you may copy the program to 3 1/2" diskettes if
desired.)
Command Post 3.3
7
Commercial Licensing Information
In order to purchase the commercial versions of this
package, enclose the following items in an envelope and mail
the the address given below:
Enclose: 1) A check for $40.00
2) Company name and shipping address
Mail to: Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
The following materials will be shipped within 15 days:
1) The Command Post software on a 5 1/4" DD diskette.
(3 1/2" versions are not yet available, however
you may copy the program to 3 1/2" diskettes if
desired.)
2) Printed copy of applicable documentation, with
softcover binder.
3) Shipping paperwork identifying contents of
package.
One license per usable copy of Command Post is required.
Archive and backup copies do not count.
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.
There are no warranties whatsoever associated with this
product.
Command Post 3.3
8
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 allows users to easily add Menu and Submenu
items to the main MS-DOS Executive menu bar, and to execute
desired applications when the added menuitems are selected.
The MS-DOS Executive window may continue to be used as
always, it just has a few new menuitems on it now.
With Command Post you may add any number of new menuitems,
and each of these menuitems are only a single mouse click
away! Command Post Menuitems are also accessible via
keyboard commands just like any other menuitem in Microsoft
Windows.
Command Post can be instructed to prompt you for parameters
for your 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 3.3
9
Installing Command Post
Command post is easily installed. Simply copy the three
files, CMDPOST.EXE, CMDLIB.EXE and CMDPOST.MNU, to your
windows directory.
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.
The sample CMDPOST.MNU file supplied with Command Post will
get you started defining you very own Command Post menus.
Command Post 3.3
10
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, installing
your personalized menuitems, 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: When started this way, the sense of
the LOAD= and RUN= selections are reversed. If
CMDPOST.EXE is specified on the RUN= line, then it
will be loaded as an icon, whileas if it is
specified on the LOAD= line, it will be loaded as
a window.
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 you own menuitems.
You may have up to four Command Post windows at one time,
(although I can't see any reason for more than two). Each
Command Post Window will have its number in the window title
bar (e.g. <#1 Command Post> ).
Command Post 3.3
11
Command Post Commands
Command Post installs two of its own menu items onto the
normal set of MS-DOS menuitems. These menuitems are Windows
and CmdPost.
The Windows directory menuitem
The Windows directory menuitem, when selected, will popup a
submenu filled with the windows names of the various
applications that are currently running. By merely
selecting one of the window names, Command Post will
immediately transfer you to that window.
This command is 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.
Command Post 3.3
12
The CmdPost menuitem
The CmdPost menuitem has four submenu items, as discussed
below:
Confirm Command Post Selections - This item is a
toggle. If it is checked, then any
selection from your personalized menu
will appear in a dialog box prior to
execution. You may modify any of the
fields and then run it. An option to
cancel is also present. If confirm is
on, the window title bar will so
indicate.
Option Selections... - Selection of this menuitem will
cause an option selection dialog box to
be displayed. See the section on the
Option Selection Dialog box below.
Reload Command Post Menus - Selection of this item
will cause the Command Post menu to be
rebuilt from the current contents of the
CMDPOST.MNU file. This command is used
to reload the Command Post menu after
you make modifications to the menu file
with an editor. If you use more than
one Command Post window, please see the
Notes section below.
About Command Post... - Selection of this item will
cause a display of the Command Post
copyright notice and additional
information.
Command Post 3.3
13
The Option Selection Dialog Box
The Option Selection Dialog box allows you to specify the
three Command Post options. These are:
1) The automatic directory display update. When this
menu box is checked, the MS-DOS directory display
will be updated as soon as a selected Command Post
window becomes active. If this box is not
checked, the user must select one of the Disk
Drive icons on the display in order to update the
directory display.
2) The Start User Menu on New Line. When this box is
checked, the user definable menu items will be
displayed on a new menu line. If this box is not
checked, the user menu items will simply be a
continuation of the main MS-DOS and Command Post
menu line. Users with only a few menu items may
prefer to have a single menu line.
3) Return to original directory. When this box is
checked, changing directories and starting up an
application will not change the current directory
displayed in the MS-DOS/Command Post window. If
this box is not checked, the directory display
will be the same as the directory specified in the
Command Post menu, as long as it is on the current
drive (as highlighted at the top of the window).
All the Command Post options are Global. This means that
the option selections apply to all Command Post windows, not
just the current window. If an option is enabled or disabled
for one Command Post window, it is also enabled or disabled
for ALL of them.
Command Post 3.3
14
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" menuitem is identical the the END
SESSION menuitem in the MS-DOS Executive SPECIAL menu. They
both first ask you to confirm that you really want to exit
windows, and if you do, then all running applications are
queried as to whether or not this is a good idea. E.G.
Editors with unsaved data may ask you whether or not you
wish to save your data, discard it, or perhaps even cancel
the END SESSION process.
Command Post HotKey
The Command Post HotKey, CONTROL-SHIFT-ESCAPE, will transfer
control to Command Post from any other application window.
If you are running multiple Command Post windows, control
will be transferred to the lowest numbered Command Post
available.
Command Post 3.3
15
Command Post Menus
Making Your Own Menus
Command Post uses a file called CMDPOST.MNU to build your
personalized menus. The CMDPOST.MNU file normally resides
in your \WINDOWS directory next to the CMDPOST.EXE file. In
order to add to the default menu shipped with Command Post,
or to modify your menu as your needs 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 (column 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
(column 1). Although Command Post allows these
main menu titles to be rather long, you are
advised, for aesthetic reasons, to keep the main
menu titles short. One or two words should be
sufficient.
3) The Popup Menu Titles. Popup menu titles comprise
the menus that popup every time a main menu title
is selected. The popup menu titles MUST start in
the second column (column 2) and may be long,
although, for aesthetic reasons again, should be
limited to about 30 characters or less. Please
note that for popup menu titles, the first
character of the line MUST be a space, with the
first letter of the popup menu title starting in
column 2.
Command Post 3.3
16
4) The menu action lines. For each popup menu title,
there are a pair of menu action lines. The first
line of the pair specifies the initial directory
(or path), and the second line specifies the
application and any parameters that may be
required. These two 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 the pair specifies the initial
directory, and may be preceded by a disk
drive identifier. If you desire to use the
currently logged directory, use a period "."
for the directory specification.
Application Specification: The second line
of the 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 your
applications name MUST include the three
letter suffix (.EXE, .COM, or .BAT).
Command Post 3.3
17
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 Windows Clock
.
clock.exe
Get Calendar
.
calendar.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 popup menu
containing two items "Get Windows Clock" and "Get Calendar"
will appear.
On the other hand, if the user selects "Word Processing"
instead, a different popup 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 3.3
18
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
Write a letter to Home
c:\letters
write.exe ?Who the letter is for?Mom
The first of the popup 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 a Command Post
Prompter. You will be prompted with a dialog box which
states:
Please Enter:
Who the letter is for
And is followed by an input box with the suggested default
answer already set to "Mom".
Command Post 3.3
19
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 your menu name that you would
like to use for your keyboard interfaces. These letters will
appear in the menus as underlined characters, and thus you
may use ALT key combinations to access your menuitems.
In order to keep things simple, try (very hard) not to have
duplicate underlined letters in your main Bar Menu. In
addition, also try not to have duplicate underlined letters
within a Submenu. (If you have duplicate letters identifying
menuitems, then Windows will toggle between them, and Enter
must be hit in order to select the desired one)
P.S. In your Bar Menu, do not use F, V, S, W, or C as your
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 3.3
20
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 application?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 3.3
21
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.
E.G.
&Run Various Things
Run &Obscure Program Not In Path
\set\desired\path
c:\obscure\subdir\obscure.exe assorted parameters
Command Post 3.3
22
Notes - Reloading Menus.
A modified CMDPOST.MNU may be reloaded by simply selecting
the Reload menuitem in the Command Post submenu.
All Command Post windows use the same menu. If you have
several Command Post windows active, and you select the
Reload menuitem on one of them to reload the menu, the menu
on the current Command Post window will change immediately.
The menus on the other Command Post windows will not change
immediately, but will update when you activate the window
(e.g. mouse click).
This may be disconcerting at first, but really is not too
bad because:
1) Your menus will stabilize after a while and you
will not need to reload them very often
2) You can just Click (or Alt-Tab) each Command Post
window after reloading the menu.
Command Post 3.3
23
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 you select 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.
If this is overfly disconcerting, the feature may be turned
off.
Command Post 3.3
24
Notes - MS-DOS View Menu selections.
Command Post will will notice and save any selections made
to the MS-DOS View submenu.
If, for example, you prefer that the directory display only
display executable files (i.e .EXE, .COM, .BAT, and maybe
.PIF) you would select the "Programs" View menu subitem.
However, you previously had to perform this operation every
time that you started MS-DOS.
With Command Post, you do not have to be concerned about it.
Command Post will reset the MS-DOS submenu items to the
previous state whenever you start Command Post.
Command Post 3.3
25
Appendices
Appendix A - Special Thanks
The home base of Command Post, and all Wilson WindowWare
software, is the Compuserve Microsoft MSSYS forum. A
multitude of individuals on the forum have given hints,
comments and suggestions that have helped make Command Post
the powerful and unique Windows application that it is.
The SYSOPS of the MSSYS forum have, as a group, been
extremely helpful in pointing out possible approaches to
solving a number of problems that were encountered in the
development of this program.
I am especially grateful for the assistance given by Noel
Bergman, who has patiently pointed out various bugs,
particularly in the LIM 4.0 environment, and has detailed
fixes required to make Command Post a fully functional
Windows 2.0 application.
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. If you have not yet send in your
money, please, please do so now, and help make Windows
shareware a reality.
Command Post 3.3
26
Appendix B - Command Post Version Information
Version Information for Command Post 3.3
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 3.3 - Added several new features
1) CmdPost HotKey. Pulls up Command Post
from almost anywhere (CTRL-SHIFT-ESC)
2) Windows menuitem, allowing immediate
access to any window.
3) User menubar newline/sameline option
4) Automatic directory update switch.
5) Return to original directory switch.
6) MS-DOS View menuitem state restore.
CmdPost will remember the MS-DOS View
setting, and restore them when you
start Command Post.
Version 2.2 - Fixed a keyboard interface problem with
the More Info dialog box.
Version 2.1 - Windows/386 and LIM 4.0 compatible
release. Added ability to switch
automatic directory display update on
and off.
Version 2.0 - Windows 2.0 compatible release
Command Post 3.3
27
Appendix C - Other Window Applications
Currently (4/24/88) Wilson WindowWare has two shareware
applications as listed below. For more information on these
applications send a SASE to:
Wilson WindowWare
3377 59th SW
Seattle WA 98116
Browser 2.1
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 3.3
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
Submenu items to the main MS-DOS Executive menu bar, and to
execute desired applications when a menu item is selected.
Command Post 3.3
28
