Index
DeskMenu!

Version 1.20  May 1993

The following is a list of available topics:

Overview

New Features in this release

Using the Program

Add Item

Add Menu

Edit Item

Edit Menu

Delete Item

Delete Menu

DeskMenu! setup

Running other programs from DeskMenu!

Stay On Top

Exiting from DeskMenu!

Replacing the Program Manager

Etc.

Other Programs from Bob Dolan

Registering DeskMenu!


Overview

DeskMenu! is a Windows 3.1 program that is small in appearance but large in performance.  If the Windows Program Manager is more than you need, then try DeskMenu!.  DeskMenu! allows you to keep a smaller version of the Program Manager on the screen (freeing up space for more useful things), or it can replace it altogether.

When you run DeskMenu!, it puts a menubar at the top of the Windows desktop.  The leftmost menu in this menubar is referred to as the Control Menu and is the only one DeskMenu! needs.  Other menues can be added and modified by the user.  These other menus are used as categories and can contain the applications you determine should be there.  Compare it to the Program Manager by thinking of the menus in DeskMenu! as the Program Groups and the items within these menus as the icons that you would normally double click on to launch an application.

The Control Menu contains all of the utilities you will need to build and maintain the structure of the other menus.  There are menu items you can select to Add, Delete, and Edit Items and Menus.  You can also set the programs DeskMenu! will startup if DeskMenu! is the Windows shell and is being used in place of the Program Manager.  Other programs can be run directly.

All of these controls are decribed in their own topics, which are accessible from the main topic or by searching the help list.  However, the best way to learn how to use DeskMenu! is by experimenting with it.  You'll find that most of the commands are obvious, and that the dialogs you will deal with are natural and familiar.

DeskMenu! saves all of the menu information in it's own INI file called DESKMENU.INI.  If this file does not exist, a new one will be created.  The release version of DeskMenu! has one of these files included in it's archive.  If you place this INI file into your Windows directory, a default menu structure will already be in place.  It contains links to all of the Windows applications that come with Windows 3.1.  This provides a good starting point for building your own layout.  You can delete or edit any of the supplied items and menus.


Add Item

There are two ways to add a program item to a menu in DeskMenu!.  Both are described below.

Drag and Drop

The simplest way to add a program item to a menu is to use the drag and drop capabilities of Windows 3.1.  The suggested method of doing this is to use the File Manager application that is provided with Windows.  Start the File Manager and change the drive and directory until the file you wish to add to DeskMenu! is visible.  Move the mouse cursor to this file and click and hold down on the left button.  The cursor will change to a document icon.  While still holding the left mouse button down, move the cursor to a DeskMenu! heading (i.e.  System, Utility, Games) and release the button.

At this point, a dialog will be displayed showing the path of the file you selected, the menu heading you released the mouse cursor on, and a suggested name for this menu entry.  The suggested name is derived from the filename.  All of these items can be edited before pressing the Ok button.  To stop this process, press the Cancel button.  It is possible that the wrong menu heading will be shown.  This is due to differences in screen resolution and the lengths of the menu heading names.  However, if you drop the file in the middle of a menu heading, the correct name should be shown.

Manual Add

Selecting the Add Item entry from the DeskMenu! control menu will produce a fairly busy dialog.  When you specify the necessary information, a new application will become available in one of the user menus.  All new items require that the two controls at the top of the dialog be set, so do this first.  In the editbox under the title Menu Item Name:  type in the text you wish to appear in the drop-down menu.  This is a label and not necessarily the name of the application being added.  There is a 40 character limit on this text, but you should keep this length as small as possible while still being descriptive.  The other control at the top of the dialog is a combobox that contains all of the top level menus available.  Press the down arrow button to show all of them.  If none of the menus suits the category of the application you are adding, you will need to Cancel this dialog and follow the Add Menu process.

Now that the new item's name is set and it's menu is chosen, you can specify the actual application.  There are two ways to do this, depending on the type of application you will be adding.  The first method is used to install a standard EXE file.  Use the file selector just like any other Windows application.  If you are unsure how to do this, consult your Windows user manual.  When the Files: listbox is highlighting the application you wish to install, press the Ok button.

If the application to be added is not an EXE file, the file selector will not show it.  In addition, you may want to specify parameters which will be passed to the application (such as document names to a word processor).  In these cases, you will need to type the actual command line into the Path: editbox.  Once the proper text is entered, press the Ok button.

In both of these situations, pressing the Ok button will remove the Add Item dialog box from the screen and bring up a message box.  This box will show you how it understood the information you provided, and ask for confirmation.  The choices are Ok and Cancel.  Even if you indicate Ok and the information is wrong, you can edit it later using the Edit Item control.  Once you respond to this message box, the DeskMenu! menubar will now have a new application available in the top level menu that was specified.


Add Menu

This menu selection will present a dialog with one user control: an editbox to type in the name of the new top level menu you wish to install.  When you press the Ok button, the DeskMenu! menubar will be redrawn to reflect the new menu, which will be added at the end of the menubar.  You cannot reorder these menus, so plan ahead if you need a special arrangement. If you select this new menu, you will see that it contains no menu items.  You need to add items using the Add Items command from the control menu.


Delete Item

Selecting this menu item from the control menu will place DeskMenu! into choose mode.  Once you have made the selection, another message box will appear confirming your choice.  When you press the Ok button, the application will be removed from DeskMenu!.


Delete Menu

This menu selection will cause a dialog to be displayed that contains one user control: a combo box which contains all of the top level menus currently in DeskMenu!.  Press the down arrow on this combo box to reveal all of the menus.  Click on the one you want to remove, and then press the Ok button to remove it.  Note that all of the applications contained in this menu will also be removed by this action so be careful!


Edit Item

Selecting this menu item from the control menu will place DeskMenu! into choose mode.  A message box will be displayed, prompting you to choose the menu item representing the application you wish to remove.

Once your selection is chosen, a dialog will display with two important user controls.  Both of these controls must contain text to allow a successful edit.  The Ok button will be disabled until these requirements are met.

The two user controls allow you to change the definition of the label to be displayed in it's respective top level menu and to change the command line that is used to launch the program.  In most cases, the command line consists of the program's pathname only.  The command line editbox will allow an entry of up to 80 characters by scrolling left and right to accommodate your typing.


Edit Menu

This menu selection brings up a dialog with two important user controls in it.  The top control is a combobox listing of all of the menus currently in use in DeskMenu!.  Change this combo box to show the name of the menu you wish to edit.  Then press the Tab key to move to the other user control, which is an editbox.  Type in the new name for this menu, and press the Ok button.  DeskMenu! will be redrawn to show the new name in use.


Setup
Set Startup

When you choose Set Startup from the control menu, you will be presented with a dialog allowing you to change the applications that DeskMenu! will load when it is run as the replacement for the Program Manager.

The Set Startup dialog is divided into two parts.  The upper half is the Add section and the lower half is the List section.  In the Add section, you will enter the command to load application when Windows comes up.  In the List section, you can delete entries from the current list and exit the dialog with the option of saving any modifications.

If you wish to add an application to the list, type in it's command line (typically the pathname) and press the Add button to the right of the editbox.

If you wish to delete an application from the list, select it from the list by clicking on it, and press the Delete button.

Once the list looks the way you want it, press the Ok, Save button.  If you wish to abandon the changes made and not save, then press the Cancel button.

Note that this process can be accomplished by using the drag and drop capabilities of Windows 3.1 and the File Manager.  Simply drag a file from the File Manager to the DeskMenu! control menu and release.  That file will be added to the Add editbox.  Then just press the Add button to place it in the Startup list.


Running Programs
Running other programs from DeskMenu!

Other Windows and DOS applications as well as batch and PIF files can be run from this control.  This duplicates a similar function provided in the Program Manager.  The dialog that appears when you select this control presents a file selector.  This enables you to find and select the file you wish to launch, without any typing.  Only EXE files can be chosen in this manner.  Any other file type or command can be entered by clicking in the command editbox and typing a valid command line.  When the Enter key is pressed or the Ok button is selected, the highlighted command will be launched.

If an error occurs as a result of running a program from DeskMenu!, a message box will be displayed to show the cause of the problem.


Menu Layout
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Exiting DeskMenu!
Exiting from DeskMenu!

Depending on the way DeskMenu! was itself launched, there can be two ways of exiting from the program.  If DeskMenu! is replacing the Program Manager, the only available exit is to Exit Windows.  This action will result in a confirmation message box.  Once exit is confirmed, DeskMenu! will save it's layout to the DESKMENU.INI file, as indicated by the alert box in the center of the screen.  When this process completes, Windows will terminate and return to DOS.

If DeskMenu! has been launched from the Program Manager, there will be two different Exit commands: Exit DeskMenu! and Exit Windows.  Either selection will result in the DeskMenu! layout being saved as described above.  The Exit DeskMenu! selection will terminate DeskMenu! and Windows will continue running.

You should be aware of the fact that any changes made to the menu layout and contents through the use of Add, Delete, Edit Item or Edit Menu will not become permanent unless you exit DeskMenu! by using one of the methods described above.


Registration
Registering DeskMenu!

DeskMenu! is distributed as shareware.  This means that if you regularly use the product and benefit from it, you should register with the author (see name and address below).  The software you now have is not crippled in any way.  This indicates a basic trust of the shareware concept by myself and other shareware authors who provide useful products with the hope of some type of return for their efforts.  Basic registration is $10.

If you are a shareware author, you can register by mailing to me a registered version of your product.

Please print the registration form and fill in the requested information.  Mail it with a check or money order in U.S. funds and made payable to Bob Dolan to this address:

Bob Dolan

P.O. Box 16514

Rochester, New York 14616

You may reach me on GEnie at the

following EMail address: DOLAN

Distribution

If you distribute DeskMenu! to friends, associates, or to a computer bulletin board system (BBS),  you may only distribute the compressed file including the copyright and disclaimer.

Disclaimer

The Copyright Owner hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The Copyright Owner will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if The Copyright owner or an agent of The Copyright Owner has been advised of the possibility of such damages.  In no event shall The Copyright Owner's liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid for the license to use the software, regardless of the form of the claim.  The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software.


Replacing the Program Manager
Replacing the Program Manager With DeskMenu!

DeskMenu! is designed to be used as a replacement of or an addition to the Windows Program Manager.  If you plan to startup Windows with DeskMenu! as the shell, you must do one of the following:

    1. Rename DeskMenu! to the Program Manager

In DOS type the following commands:

    REN   PROGMAN.EXE  OLDPM.EXE

    REN   DESKMENU.EXE  PROGMAN.EXE

Run Windows, and DeskMenu! will show up on your screen first.

                  OR

    2. Set the shell variable to use DeskMenu! in SYSTEM.INI

Use an ASCII editor or SYSEDIT to edit the SYSTEM.INI file

Search for shell=PROGMAN.EXE.

Change it to shell=DESKMENU.EXE.

Run Windows and DeskMenu! will show up on your screen first.

Once DeskMenu! is running as a shell, you may want to use the Set Startup control in the control menu to select some applications to run when the Windows environment comes up.

To reset the Program Manager as your Windows shell just reverse the above process.


Installing DeskMenu!
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Temp Title 16
Top Level Menu

Menus on the menubar which represent the categories of applications.


Control Menu

The leftmost menu with the name DeskMenu!

All of the user controls used in DeskMenu! are found here.


Command Line

A string of characters, representing the drive, directory, and filename

and followed by any necessary parameters to be passed to the program

being called.  Usually typed into a dialog's editbox by the user.

Example:  C:\DOS\COMMAND.PIF  STARTUP.BAT


Reg Form
Registration Form

To print this registration form, open the File menu and select Print Topic.

Please register me as a satisfied user of DeskMenu!  (ver 1.20):

Amount Enclosed:

                 $10 [  ]  Registration	No disk included

                 $15 [  ]  Register w/upgrade.	[  ]3.5   [  ]5.25

Please note that 720K 3.5 disks will be used unless you request otherwise.

For orders from outside of the U.S., please add $3 to cover additional postage.

Can you UNZIP files?  Yes________  No________

Name:_____________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________

City:______________________State:_______Zip:__________________

Phone(optional):_____________________________________________

GEnie/CompuServe/Internet mail address:_______________________

Where did you get DeskMenu! ?___________________________

___________________________________________________________

Comments:_________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________


Other Titles
Other Products from Bob Dolan

DeskMenu --  A slimmed down Program Manager for Windows

Version 1.20 - May 1993

An efficient replacement or addition to the Program Manager.  Provides a menubar at the top of the Windows desktop with menu headings defined by you to represent the categories of applications you typically need to access.  A simple interface allows you to customize the look and feel of this useful system utility.

Shareware.........$10

WinGo! --  The classic Bingo for Windows

Version 1.0 - May 1993

Finally Bingo has arrived for Windows!  You match wits with Rosie, an alert and cunning adversary.  You can play with as many cards as you can handle at the speed you like.  Fully configurable to adapt to your playing style.  The registered version includes digitized voice calling for the most realistic Bingo play possible.

Shareware.........$10

WinDial -- A  Windows Phone Book that dials

Version 1.0 - May 1993

An easy to use phone book that will automatically dial any selected number as long as you have a modem.  When a busy signal is detected, you can tell WinDial to retry until someone answers.  Other busy attempts can be placed into a queue, and all will be retried in order.

Shareware.........$10

Mister Clean -- Clean up your hard drive

Version 1.00 -- March 1993

One of the most efficient ways to clean up those hidden but unwanted or unused files that take up needed space.  A slick Windows 3.x user interface makes this utility a must have for your toolbox.  Mister Clean finds the files you specify and sorts them by size.  You click on the ones you want deleted and then off they go, one-by-one (to be safe) or all at once.  Not sure what the file is?  Then run it right from Mister Clean and check it out before dumping it!  Truly a unique way of managing precious disk space.

Shareware.........$10

<softWAREhouse> -- A warehouse for all of your software

Version 1.00 -- January 23, 1993

<softWAREhouse> provides your system with the ability to access more applications than it can hold at one time.  This is made possible by storing installed applications offline until they are needed.  When required, they are put back on the user's machine in the same condition and location as they were when originally stored.  All of this power is surrounded by an easy to use point and shoot menu interface.

Shareware.........$15

Yacht-Z  --  A dice strategy game for Windows 3.X

Version 2.2 -- May 1993

Yacht-Z is a version of the classic dice game.  Now, in addition to triple scoring, single scoring is included for quicker, simpler games.  Due to popular request, up to four players can now play at one time.  A new look to all dialogs gives the program new life in the world of Windows 3.1

Shareware.........$10

BattleGrid -- War in a window -- Battleship for Windows 3.x

Version 2.0 -- May, 1993

BattleGrid is a version of the classic board game.  Play against the computer or another person.  Watch the computer play against itself using different strategies.  Several levels of a computer opponent are available, from idiot to genius.

Shareware.........$10

MagnaFile -- A DOS user interface

Version 2.2 -- October 1992

MagnaFile is a DOS shell which is directed at a wide range of users from the DOS beginner to the most prolific DOS power users. MagnaFile provides services to the user to simplify access to DOS.  It also increases the efficiency of doing many of the more tedious operations DOS requires.

MagnaFile commands are carried out using a one-key interface.   Most operations are associated with a very obvious key, such as <C> for the Copy command.

The most useful utilities provided by MagnaFile are:

        For Single Files or Groups of Files:

            Copying

            Moving

            Deleting.

            Attributes

            Printing

        File Descriptions (40 characters)

        File Viewing & Editing

        File execution

        Disk navigation

        File & Directory Renaming

        File Archiving, Unarchiving, and Archive viewing

        Command line interface

        Mouse handling

        Screen saver and password protection

        Run programs from a smart menu interface

MagnaFile is similar to Norton Commander(NC). Users of this product say that MagnaFile will be an important tool on your computer, no matter what level user you are.

Shareware..........$20

Smart Solitaire -- The Smart way to play Solitaire

Version 1.01 -- November 9, 1989

A text mode klondike solitaire card game which uses the mouse.  Features BOSS mode and smart playing features, such as automatic card placement in obvious situations.  Very addicting and fun!

Shareware.........$10

                 FreeWare

VLINES  Version 1.0 - May, 24 1990

VLINES is a flying lines demo that runs on VGA adapters.  It can produce some interesting moire patterns as well as brilliant color combinations.

TCAL  Version 1.0 -- June 24, 1990

The TSR Calendar (TCAL) is a resident popup calendar which is useful for viewing any month of any year by controlling the PgUp, PgDn, and arrow keys.

Laser Fireworks  Version 1.0 - August 11, 1990

Laser Fireworks is a pyro like demo program which utilizes lasers having the effects of fireworks.  Hard to explain, fun to watch!

Phone Base  Version 2.0 --  November 8, 1990

Phone Base is a program that includes a small dedicated database with just two fields.  Any two field database requirement you have can be filled by Phone Base.  However, the primary intention of this application is the storing and dialing of phone numbers.

DcD  Version 1.1 -- October 1991

DcD is a utility to assist DOS users in moving about a Hard disk drive directory structure.  When you run DcD, it scans your disk and builds a tree which reflects the directory relationships that exist.  Once this is done, DcD can present you with this tree, displayed in a graphical nature.   You may move a cursor to other directories and change to them by pressing the <Enter> key.

TLines  Version 1.0 -- October 1991

A moving lines demo, similar to VLINES, this program runs in text mode and draws lines using several types of text characters.

FreeView  Version 1.0 -- October 7, 1991

FreeView is a hex or text file viewer.  FreeView provides text searching functions and can handle files up to 5000 lines in length.

Idle  Version 1.0 -- October 1991

Idle is a text mode screen saver, which will display a message you specify.  The message is shown in a box which moves around the screen until a keystroke interrupts it.  The user is returned back to DOS if the correct password is entered.  All parameters are user specified.

Starz  Version 1.0 -- October 1991

A user controllable starfield.  If a mouse is connected, the user can steer the display.  Occasional speed changes and swirls make this an interesting screen saver.

BackYard Football  Version 1.00 -- November 16, 1991

A DOS text mode real-time football game for one or two players.  Modeled after the old hand held football games.  Complete running stats, and challenging control of passing, running and kicking make this a fun game.  Games can be saved and loaded in progress.


New Features
New Features in this release

Version 1.20 -- April 25, 1993

Drag and Drop:  To help make the process of adding items to DeskMenu! easier, this capability of indows 3.1 has been added.  Files can be dragged from the File Manager directly to the appropriate menu.  In addition, files can be dragged to the Control Menu to add them to the Startup list.

3-D Look:  In order to improve the look of the dialogs that appear, the CTL3D library from Microsoft has been added.  This addition gives the dialogs a 3-D or chisled look.

Stay on Top:  You can now select whether DeskMenu! will stay on top of all other windows on the screen.  Previously, other windows would obscure access to the DeskMenu! menubar.

Rename renamed:  The Rename Item and Rename Menu have been changed to Edit Menu and Edit Item.  Many registered users indicated that this made more sense to them.

The program has been recompiled using Visual C++.  Also, the Help system has been rewritten.

The registration cost has been reduced from $15 to $10 in keeping with all of my other Windows shareware prices.

The edge of the menu has been fixed so that screen garbage from other windows doesn't accumulate there.  This was a strange side effect of implementing DeskMenu! as a popup window with no client area and no caption.

The Vertical menu option has been removed.  Hardly anyone ever used it, and it was not supported by the drag and drop additions which really make DeskMenu! much easier to use.

When an error occurs as a result of an attempted program launch, a descriptive error message is displayed.  The previous release showed only the error number returned by Windows.


Choose Mode

A mode of operation in DeskMenu! in which a menu entry selection is needed to continue.  You must select the application in the same way as when you launch it; move the mouse up to it's menu, and select the appropriate entry.


Stay On Top

To prevent other applications from covering up the DeskMenu! menubar, select the Stay On Top menu entry in the control menu.  This will keep DeskMenu! on top of all other windows, even if they are maximized.  A checkmark will appear next to this item to show that it is in the Stay on Top mode.  If this presents a problem with other programs, select it again (turns the checkmark off) to return DeskMenu! to it's normal behavior.