Main Index
Pegif Help Topics

What is it

Initialization File

Accessing Pegif

Options Menu

Setup Menu

Build Menu

User Menu

About

Built In Functions

Release and Usage


What is it?

Pegif is a tiny island on Ulithi Atoll in Yap State of the Federated States of Micronesia (Western Caroline Island in the South West Pacific Ocean).  Pegif is also a simple user configurable Desktop Menuing program for windows 3.1 (see Build Menu ).  It is designed to be small and use minimum resources.  You can have nested menus up to 10 levels deep.  There are also some built in functions like ExitWindow, Runit, About, Reboot, RestartWindows, etc (see Built In Functions).    You can pop-up the menu up by selecting "User Menu" from Pegif's system menu or assigning the menu to be popped-up by clicking the left, middle or right mouse buttons on the Window's Desktop or Pegif's Icon.  (See Setup for more information).


Initialization

Initialization File

PEGIF.INI - is the only initialization file needed for pegif.exe, it should be located in the same  directory as Windows itself.  If PEGIF.INI does not exist, it will be created and placed in your windows directory by saving a Menu Entry or  Setup Information. Pegif will not change the WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI.


Accessing Pegif

Pegif is a windows program which always stays iconic (or Hiden).  Its features can be accessed by its  system menu or by Holding Down the Mouse Button on the Icon or Desktop (this can be turned off, see Setup).  Pegif can be launched in the usual windows fashion (  e.g. from the program manager, file manager, etc.).


Options Menu

The Options Menu is where you access Pegif's setup information, build or edit your User Menu,  call up this help file or read the About Box.


Setup

The Setup menu item will call up the Setup Dialogue box.  You can set whether or not Pegif will  pop-up the user menu if you click on the desktop with the right, left or middle mouse buttons as well as  set the location of where the User Menu will pop-up on the screen if you assecc it by keyboard stroke or through Clicking on Pegif's Icon.  The location for where Pegif  will pop-up the User Menu is in screen coordinates with (0,0) being in the upper left corner.  You can also set wither or Not Pegif's Icon is visible the Next time you run Pegif.  If you  press the OK button the settings will be saved to the PEGIF.INI file in the Windows Directory (If it does not exist it will be created).


Menu Editor

The Menu Editor entry will pop-up Pegif's menu editor.  At this time there are four types of menu  entries.  You can have Pegif call up a program and run it.  Pegif can call-up and run a built in function.  You can start or end a sub-menu.  You can add a Horizontal or Vertical Menu separator.

The Title is what shows up on the Menu, the command is what the menu executes.  Commands can be other programs, data files which have been associated under the windows environment or built in menu functions.  Built in menu functions start with the at sign (@).  Programs can be started either iconic with out the input focus, maximized, minimized or normal.

If you wish to start a sub-menu then start the title with greater then sign (>).   To end a sub-menu the first character of the Title must be the less then sign (<).  If you wish to add a menu separator the use a minus sign(-) for a horizontal menu bar or a pipe charater (|) for a vertical menu bar.  You can use an  ampersand (&) to have a letter underlined in the menu title.

Menu Entry List Box - Starting from the upper left corner of the menu editor you will see the  menu entry list box.  This is a list of all the menu entries including all sub-menu entries, separators, and built in functions.  To  change or see the contents of a given menu entry simply scroll through the box and select the item you wish to view with you mouse.  After selecting, the settings will appear in the Title Edit  Box, Command Edit Box and with radio buttons showing the launch status.

Title Edit Box - The title is what shows up on the Menu.  The first character in a title is also what lets Pegif know if it is a start or stop of a sub-menu or the entry is a menu separator bar. To start  a sub-menu the first character should be a greater then sign ">" (with out the quotation marks).   To end a sub-menu the first character should be a less then sign "<".  If you wish a character in  the menu entry to be underlined and have quick access from the keyboard then place an  ampersand "&" before the letter you wish to underline.  If you wish the entry to be a separator bar then the first letter must be a minus sign "-" or a pipe character "|".

Command Edit Box - The command edit box is where you enter the program path and file name you wish to launch.  Pegif will load data files which have been associated with a given file name extension.  You can also enter command line style entries with program options and flags.  This is also where you would call one of Pegif's built in functions.  Pegif assumes all functions start with the at sign (@).  The at sign should be the first character of the entry. (See Function List for a list of the available functions)

Maximize, Normal, Minimize and Iconic No Focus radio buttons - These radio buttons set the launch state of the program.

Add Button - The add button will add a new menu entry below the current.  The entry when  added will say New Menu Item in the Entry List Box.  The previous Title and Command stay the  same so you can use or change them as desired.  The new changes will not be save to the empty entry until you press the Save Button.  If your menu is long and you are adding to the  beginning or middle of the menu it may take a few moments before the dialogue box updates.  This because information has to be shifted in the PEGIF.INI file to make room for the new entry.

Insert Button - This button functions the same as the Add button but allows you to add an entry before the current menu position.

Delete Button - This button will delete the current menu entry.  Because of the routines used by windows for saving settings to an initialization file if you delete many entries you should use the

Cleanup Button to cleanup the blanks left in the file.  If the file is long then delete will take a few moments to shift around the data in PEGIF.INI.

Browse Button - The Browse button allows you to look for the file or program you wish the menu entry to access.

Save Button - This saves the contents of the current entry.  If you make a change you wish to keep you must press the Save Button to keep them.

Finished Button - This button exits the Menu Editor. It will also clear the Old menu from memory so the next time the User Menu is access it will then be reloaded with any new changes.

Cleanup Button - The cleanup button will do house keeping in the PEGIF.INI file which will improve performance of the User Menu.  The way Cleanup works is to create a backup file, copy the current pegif.ini file to it, then write out all the data in PEGIF.INI that is being used to a fresh PEGIF.INI file.  Depending on the demands of your system, disk space and what you are  running, Cleanup could take a few minutes.


About

Pops up the About dialogue box.


User or Desktop Menu

User Menu

Pops up the User Menu.


Pegif Functions
Built In Functions

@ExitWindows - Exit windows with a prompt

@ExitWindowsQuiet - Exit windows with out a prompt

@Reboot - Reboot the computer

@RestartWindows - Close and Restart Windows

@RunIt - Pop-up Run Box

@About - Pop-up the About Box

@Help - Pop-up Pegif Helpfile

@Setup - Pop-up the Setup Dialog box

@MenuEditor - Pop-up Pegif's Menu Editor

@SystemSetup - Pop-up Small dialog box to Edit the "LOAD" and "RUN" lines in WIN.INI

and "SHELL" line in SYSTEM.INI

@InitWindows - Execute the "LOAD" and "RUN" lines in the WIN.INI file.

@Close - Shutdown Pegif


Release, Usage and Distribution

Release, Usage and Distribution of Pegif.

Pegif - Ulithian Software for the Masses  By Robert Doiel 1992

Pegif is supplied without any warranties of any kind.  USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Pegif can be copied and distributed freely for any non-commercial purposes. Commercial users may use Pegif inhouse.

I can be contacted by e-mail on the internet at doiel@aludra.usc.edu.

or by regular surface mail in the United States at

Robert Doiel

21136 Alaminos Dr.

Saugus, CA 91350

USA