Contents

Creating a startup sequence

Adding programs

Adding command line parameters

Starting wcStart automatically


Creating a startup sequence with wcStart

wcStart is a utility program that allows you to start your Wildcat! Server and client programs in an orderly way. The startup sequence takes into account the time required for each module to start and begin communicating with wcServer and other client programs.

To start wcStart automatically every time you restart your PC and logon to Windows, you must configure your computer to start up and log on automatically without prompting you to type a user name and password.

If you run wcOnline or other Wildcat! client modules on other machines connected to the server, they can use wcStart also.

wcServer should only be started once, on your server machine  - You can run client modules connected to that server machine on as many workstations as you like.


Adding programs

To add a program to your startup sequence:

1.   Click the Add button.

2.   Type the program and additional information to be added.

3.   Click OK to save your settings.

4.   Your program will be added to the startup sequence.

The first program in the list should be wcServer. If your BBS will be receiving calls from modem users, you should start wcOnline as well.


Adding command line parameters

To pass command line parameters to a program when it starts:

1.   Open the Edit Program Attributes dialog box for the program to be changed.

2.   Type the command line parameters to add in the Arguments field.

3.   Click OK to save your changes.

You can find information on wcStart and other Wildcat! client programs in the Reference Guide.


Starting wcStart automatically

Windows can start programs automatically if the program icons are dragged into the Startup folder (Windows 95) or Startup Group (Windows NT).

Windows 95

To add the wcStart icon to the Windows 95 Startup folder:

1.   Click the Start button on the Windows 95 Taskbar. Select Settings, then click Taskbar.

2.   On the Taskbar property sheet, select the Start Menu Programs tab.

3.   Click Add, and then click Browse to go to your WILDCAT home directory (normally C:\WC5).

4.   Select WCSTART.EXE from the Browse window and click Open to return to the Create Shortcut page.

5.   In the Command line window, add

/RUN

to the end of the command line, to start wcStart and immediately start the specified programs. The command line should look like this:

6.  Select the StartUp folder from the list of Start Menu icons.

7.  On the Select a Title page, type the name you would like the wcStart icon to display, then click Finish.

The next time you start Windows 95, wcStart will be started automatically.

Use the Remove button on the Start Menu Programs tab to remove wcStart from your StartUp folder.

Windows NT

To add the wcStart icon to the Windows NT Startup program group:

1.   Open the Program Manager icon.

2.   Open the Startup program group.

3.   From the File menu, select New.

4.   Select Program Item from the New Program Object dialog box, and click OK.

5.   Fill in the Program Item Properties dialog box. In the Command line window, add

/RUN

to the end of the command line, to start wcStart and immediately start the specified programs. The command line should look like this:

6.   Click OK to save your settings.

The next time you start Windows NT, wcStart will be started automatically.

To remove wcStart from your Startup group, simply delete the wcStart icon.


About wcStart
 Displays version number and information about wcStart.


Add
Adds an executable program to be started.


Add wcOnline
 Adds wcOnline to the startup process.


Arguments
Type any command line arguments to be used when starting the program.


Browse
Displays the programs, drives, and directories to select from.


Delete
Removes the marked program from the list of programs to execute.


Exit
Closes wcStart.


Help Topics
 Opens the help system.


Program
 Select or enter the program to execute.


Properties
Opens the Edit program attributes dialog box.


Run
Executes the program startup defined in wcStart.


Schedule
Opens the Scheduler command menu.


Start Server
 Enable this feature if the server is local and should be started first. If the server is on a different machine, this may not be possible, and the startup sequence must wait for the server to be started.


Under
Select whether the program needs to run Under Server or Under wcOnline.


View statusbar
 Toggles the statusbar view on and off.


View toolbar
 Toggles the toolbar view on and off.


Properties wcServer Path
 Type or select the path of your Wildcat! 5 home directory (normally C:\WC5).


Properties Server Name
 Type or select the name of the machine on which the server is running.


Properties On this machine
 If you are not starting a local server, enable this option.  The server you are connecting to must be running for this feature to function properly.


Browse button
 Select the proper directories and drives from the available list.


OK button
 Accept your selections.


Cancel button
 Discard you selections and close the current window.


Status Box
  The current status of the start-up procedure is displayed in written form.


Progress Bar
  Shows progress of start-up graphically.


Cancel button
 Press to cancel an ongoing start-up procedure. Canceling will not halt any programs already started using wcStart.  Closing programs already running must be done manually.


Program
 Select or enter the program to execute.


Arguments
 contains the command line arguments to be passed to program at start-up.


Under
Select whether the program needs to run Under Server or Under wcOnline. This command can be used to move a program in the tree under either when editing.


Server on this computer
 Select this option if the server to be started is on the same physical computer as wcStart. If the server is on a different machine, select Server on another computer. This is an either/or option.


Server on another computer
 Select this option if the server to be started is not on the same physical computer as wcStart. If the server is on the same machine, select Server on this computer. This is an either/or option. If you select this option, you will need to enter the computer name in the text area below.