Mega CD-ROM 1/megacd_rom_1.zip/megacd_rom_1/MENU/PCMS130.ZIP/PCMENU.DOC

Text File | 1990-07-22 | 36KB | 819 lines

Docs for PCMENU - Personal Computer Menu System
Copyright (c) 1989,1990  Bob Trevithick and Rick Kiss
Sun  07-22-1990

----------PERSONAL COMPUTER MENU SYSTEM----------

                   VERSION 1.30


OVERVIEW
========
PCMENU is for people who don't want lots of bells and whistles, and who need
something small, fast, and very easy to use and modify.  PCMENU can run any
and all applications on your computer, with or without password protection,
and steals NO memory (and very little disk space) from your applications.  It
requires a 'true' PC/AT/PS2 compatible system.

Many (most) of the menus available these days attempt to be all-purpose DOS
'shells' in addition to being menu systems.  PCMENU has no such aspirations.
It is for people who want a menu, period.  It is specifically tailored for
those who administer large numbers of PC's - but is so simple to use that even
beginners seem to like it.

To set up the system, you will create a simple ASCII text file which contains
the menu choices to be displayed to the user, and all of the batch
instructions needed to execute each choice.  Then you'll type "PCMENU" to
start the menu system.  If the file you create (or want to use) is named
something other than "DEFAULT.PCM", then you'll follow the "PCMENU" command
with the name of the file.  That's all there is to it.

One immediate advantage is that the systems under your control can now be
purged of all those trivial little batch files that are such a nightmare to
keep track of.  Each computer can have ONE easy to read and understand menu
text file - or, optionally, a number of logically grouped functions in a
handful of these text files (which will be loaded as sub-menus).  This can
result in significant disk space savings, as well, given the large cluster
size of many drives.



INITIAL SETUP
=============
This is an extremely easy system to set up.  All you need to do is copy the
distributed files to the directory of your choice, edit the DEFAULT.PCM file,
and you're set to go.  If the directory you picked is in your path, and you
use the MAKEMENU command described below, you will be able to start the menu
from anywhere in the system.  I just install it in the \UTILS directory of the
machines I work with, which is in the path and which includes all of the
things I use routinely.

If you are using a network, there are special notes which you should read
under 'NETWORK SUPPORT and NOTES', below.

If you're using an environment such as DESQVIEW or WINDOWS, or have a CGA
which displays 'snow' with direct video access, see the notes below on forcing
the system to 'USE ONLY LEGAL BIOS VIDEO CALLS'.

NOTE that although the executable program file is PCMS.COM, you will start the
menu by running the PCMENU.BAT batch file which calls PCMS and then processes
it's errorlevel return code in the standard way for menus such as this.
Starting the menu by executing PCMS directly will cause the menu to display
normally, but none of your selections will actually be executed.  A basic
PCMENU.BAT file is included, but you will want to run the MAKEMENU program (or
edit the file yourself) to create one which is customized for your machine.
There is a message in the supplied PCMENU.BAT to remind you to do this.

MAKEMENU.COM is a small program which will create a slightly optimized version
of PCMENU.BAT for you, checking the DOS version to see if the '@echo off'
command is supported, and inserting the drive and directory change commands in
the proper places.  Simply move to the drive and directory where you'll be
installing the menu, then issue the command:

        MAKEMENU


Once the system is installed, the only files needed to run it will be
PCMS.COM, PCMENU.BAT, and whatever menu text file(s) you created (presumably
DEFAULT.PCM will be one of them.)  All other distributed files can be deleted,
as they are not used by the menu system.  Optionally, you can also use
PCMSPASS.COM to install administrator passwords into the PCMS.COM program in
a lightly encrypted format.



CREATING THE MENU FILE(S)
=========================
The text (menu) file containing the names and commands is easy to create. Any
text editor capable of creating standard 7-bit ASCII text files can be used.
Selecting the name "DEFAULT.PCM" for your main (or only) menu file will allow
the menu, as noted above, to be started with just the "PCMENU" command.

Any entry (with a few exceptions, below) which starts in the first column is
an item NAME - that is, it's what the user will see as one of the selection
choices.  A name can be up to 21 characters long.  Any text which begins in
any other column (indented by a space or tab) is a COMMAND, and is associated
with the last NAME above it.  These can be any valid batch file instruction,
and each can be up to 127 characters long.  You can have as many commands as
you want for any given item name.

Here's an example of a couple of typical entries:

--------------------------------
Run WordStar
        d:
        cd\ws
        ws

dBase III Plus
        cd\db
        dbase
--------------------------------

There will be only two items displayed when the menu above is run.  The rest
of the lines (the indented ones) will be written to a temporary batch file if
their parent item name is chosen.  Neither of the items above will return to
the menu when completed (see below for that).

Note that you may separate items in your file with blank lines, or insert
comments by preceeding them with a semicolon in column one, and that ANY valid
batch file command can be used (including branching to labels).

The program will look for the menu file DEFAULT.PCM unless you specify another
name on the command line (note the %1 parameter in PCMENU.BAT, which allows
the PCMENU command to load any text file you want).  A couple of sample menu
files are included, but they don't do anything significant. The batch file
which is created and executed when an item is selected is normally called
PCM_EXEC.BAT, but can also be named via an environment variable for network
users (see below under 'NETWORK SUPPORT and NOTES'.)

While a menu is being displayed, the cursor keys move the highlite bar.
Pressing <Enter> will execute the highlited selection.  Pressing <Esc> will
exit the menu.


ERROR MESSAGES
==============
The four types of errors most likely to occur are those reported by
PCMENU.BAT, and include errors reading and writing files, having too many menu
items in a given menu text file, and using invalid 'dot' commands.  The first
problem is usually due to mis-spelling a menu file name on the command line,
or having forgotten to run MAKEMENU to customize your PCMENU.BAT file.  The
second is likely due to a disk-full condition, but will also occur if you set
PCM_EXEC.BAT (or the file named in the environment variable PCM, described
below) to read-only attribute. The invalid dot commands problem can be a typo,
or an attempt to use a command no longer supported such as the .a= command.
The last problem occurs when you attempt to list more than 66 items in a
single menu text file.  By this we mean 66 NAMES which are displayed to the
user.  You can have ANY number of COMMANDS listed under each NAME (I've tested
it with files containing 1300 command lines for a single item.)  If you need
more than 66 items, simply chain to another menu file (described below.)


That's all you need to know to get started.  Read on when you're ready for
some simple but handy options.



---OPTIONS, BELLS, WHISTLES:

AUTOMATIC RETURN TO MENU WHEN SELECTED ITEM CONCLUDES
=====================================================
The first bell (whistle?) will cause an automatic return to the menu after an
item has finished executing.  Using just a '/' character as the last command
for an item will cause the batch file to be created with the necessary return
commands added at the end.  You can think of this as a way of telling PCMENU
to "do whatever you have to do to get the menu running again after this item
finishes executing."  For example, if you're currently logged to the E:\UTILS
directory, you invoked the menu by typing "PCMENU MENU1" to use the MENU1 text
file, and you selected the middle item on the top row which looks like this:

----------------------------
TEST ITEM
        c:
        cd\finance
        dbase finmenu
        /
----------------------------

The batch file which would be created would contain the following commands:

----------------------------
c:
cd\finance
dbase finmenu
E:
cd\UTILS
pcmenu MENU1 +1
----------------------------

NOTE that this option will only work if you start the system from a batch file
named PCMENU.BAT, as the program has no knowledge of the command line prior to
it's own invocation.

The +1 in the above example shows one use of the '+' option described below.
This option tells the menu to move to a specific menu item as soon as the menu
is displayed on the screen. By doing this, the user is returned to the menu
with the highlight bar and mouse cursor positioned as they were when the
selection was made.  Note that if you prefer the old system of always
returning to the menu with the first item highlighted, you can use '/+0'
instead of just '/'.

In addition to the default '+' value which returns to the same item, you can
optionally include your own custom value immediately after the '/' character
in your menu file.

----------------------------
TEST ITEM
        c:
        cd\finance
        dbase finmenu
        /+2
----------------------------

This will cause the menu to reappear, after executing the selected item, with
the top right item (i.e., the 3rd one) highlighted.  Using /+0 will put the
highlight on the first item.

You can use this feature to guide a person through a series of menus or items,
making a guess about which item they are likely to want next.  The first item
is number zero, so the +2 means the third item.  Or, think of it as meaning
'add 2 to the initial item'.  Also note that the menu counts items from left
to right - just use the right arrow key to count them in the order the menu
system does.

The first two items in the distributed .PCM files use this approach to show
how to do it.  Selecting 'Utilities Menu' places you on a certain item in that
menu.  If you run that item, you return to the option which allows exit from
the menu.  Similarly, selecting 'Aphrodisiac Research' will cause the next
default item to be 'Incident Reporting', and if that is run the next item will
be the 'Exit' from the menu.  If there are certain sequences that you use
routinely, these '+' options can make them easier and smoother.


LOAD ANOTHER MENU TEXT FILE
===========================
There is a way of loading another menu text file directly to the display,
which provides a very fast method of chaining between multiple menus.  If a
command consists of a '<' character immediately followed by a filespec, the
file specified will be loaded just as if it's name had been specified on the
command line.  For example:

--------------------------------
UTILITY MENU
    <utility.pcm
--------------------------------

This will load the file "utility.pcm", and the items defined in that file will
immediately be displayed for selection.  Full pathnames are supported.

This command also supports the new '+' ability to index directly to a desired
option (see discussion of '/' character above).  You can follow the filename
with a plus sign and the number of the item you want.  For example,

        <utility.pcm +2

will put the highlight bar on the righthand top menu item.  Remember that the
first item is item number 0, so +2 means the third item.  This is a handy
option for constructing menu systems which anticipate the user's choices.  The
demo menu goes to a specific item using this command.


PASSWORDS
=========
You can include password protection with any item.  You do this by following
the item name with a comma and the password.  For example:

----------------------------
Exit to DOS,password
----------------------------

Note that no space was included surrounding the comma.  If you wanted to get
tricky, you might require the user to press the space bar twice before
entering the password:

----------------------------
Exit to Dos,  password
----------------------------

Passwords can be up to 21 characters long (the same max length as an item
name).  They can also be a phrase with embedded white space as long as the max
length is not exceeded.  Case is not significant.


DEFAULT PASSWORDS
=================
A related option allows setting one or more default passwords, which will
protect the menu items subsequently defined in the text file.  This is done by
placing a '.p=' in the far left column, immediately followed by the password.
Items which have been entered with a comma and their own password will still
be protected by that explicitly defined word, and items which are followed by
only a comma will NOT be protected by any word (i.e., they are then exempt
from the current default password).  A lone '.p=', with no word specified,
will turn off default password protection for subsequent items.

For example, examine the following text file fragment:

--------------------------------------
.p=aardvark
Item One
        d:
        cd\item1
        item1
        /
Item Two
        cd\item2
        item2
        /
Item Three,password3
        cd\item3
        item3
        /
Item Four
        cd\item4
        item4
        /
.p=hello world
Item Five
        cd\item5
        item5
        /
Item Six,
        cd\item6
        item6
        /
Item Seven
        cd\item7
        item7
        /
.p=
Item Eight
        cd\item8
        item8
        /
Item Nine
        cd\item9
        item9
        /
--------------------------------------

The first two items above would be protected by the work "aardvark", but the
third item would have it's own password set to "password3".  The fourth item
would use the current default of "aardvark" again, but then a new default
password is set with the ".p=hello world" statement.  Items number 5 and 7 are
protected by this new phrase, but item number 6 is exempt because of the
trailing comma.  The '.p=' all by itself prior to the eighth item turns off
the default password feature, so the remaining items (8 and 9) have NO
password protection at all.


ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD
======================
Yet another password option allows setting an 'administrator' password, which
can be used whenever the program requests a password.  This USED to be done by
putting '.a=' in the far left column, and immediately followed by the
password.  We decided this was not sufficiently secure, so wrote a utility
program (PCMSPASS.COM) which inserts the admin password directly into the PCMS
program in a lightly encrypted format.  With PCMS.COM in the current
directory, just type PCMSPASS new_password old_password, where the
new_password is any phrase up to 21 characters long and the old_password is
the one which is currently set (none if PCMSPASS has never been used).  Case
is not significant.  Enclose the password in quotes if you want embedded
whitespace.  For example:

        PCMSPASS bobt oldword
            or
        PCMSPASS "new password" oldword

Assuming your current administrator password is 'oldword', this will cause the
phrase 'bobt' (or 'new password' in the 2nd example) to be accepted in
addition to any other password which might be defined for a given item.  It
will allow access to ANY item which is password protected.  It's handy for
people who have to maintain multiple machines - and who don't want to memorize
eighty or ninety routinely changing passwords.

This 'backdoor' password is null when PCMS.COM is first extracted from the
.ZIP file.  Hence, to set it the first time you will not use the old_password.

Obviously you want to keep PCMSPASS on floppy, and not give it out to your end
users...


DISABLE ESCAPE KEY
==================
Another security related option involves the ability to turn off the <Esc>ape
key as a means of exit.  Including '.e=0' in the first column will accomplish
this.  For example:

--------------------------------
.e=0

Run WordStar,bob
        d:
        cd\ws
        ws
        /

Exit to System,sys

dBase III Plus,norm
        cd\db
        dbase
        /
--------------------------------

Note that you should provide some other means of exit if you turn off the
Escape key.  The 'Exit to System' option above does this by not defining any
commands to be executed.  As long as the user knows the "sys" password, this
item will allow exit to DOS.


SETTING A MENU TITLE
====================
You can optionally have a short title (21 chars max, same as item name and
password) displayed at the top of the screen, which can be handy if you're
using multiple menus.  Here's how you would set the title of your utilities
menu:

--------------------------------
.t=UTILITIES MENU
--------------------------------


TIMED SCREEN PROTECTION
=======================
Three minutes (by default) of no keyboard activity will result in a screen
save routine being invoked.  The screen will clear, and a small message saying
'Hit any key for menu' will move slowly down the screen.  Users report liking
this kind of message, as they tend otherwise to assume the machine is dead or
the monitor turned down.  The next keystroke or mouse activity will restore
the menu display.

You can set the Screen-protect delay by including '.s=' followed immediately
by the number of seconds delay you want.  Using 0, or any value less than 5,
will disable the screen protect feature entirely.  For example, the value 300
will set the delay to 5 minutes (300 seconds), as shown below:

--------------------------------
.s=300
--------------------------------

As an aside, this screen protection is very important for the old monochrome
monitors, which tended to 'burn in' a stationary image.  I'm not sure whether
the newer color monitors need this, but it can't hurt...


USE ONLY LEGAL BIOS VIDEO CALLS
===============================
By default, the system writes directly to video ram for all screen output. If
your system doesn't permit this, or if you're running under an environment
where this is inconvenient, you can force the system to use only legal BIOS
calls by including '.b=1' in the menu text files.  This is an option you
should only use if you have to, as it will slow down the display (most
noteably on slower machines).  If would be worth using this option if, for
example, you're running DesQview or Windows - which would have to routinely
de-window the environment otherwise.  This will also solve 'snow' problems if
you have any old CGA adaptors in use.


SINGLE KEY SELECTION
====================
While the menu is being displayed, the highlite bar is normally moved with the
cursor control keys.  You can also move directly to an item by pressing the
character key which corresponds to the first letter of the item name. If there
are multiples, pressing the same key will move to the next item beginning with
that character.


MOUSE SUPPORT
=============
If you have a mouse installed, PCMENU will activate a mouse cursor and will
move the highlight bar to wherever the mouse cursor is when you press any
mouse button. If the highlight bar is already on this item, the mouse button
will act like the <ENTER> key and select the item.  NOTE that the mouse cursor
will follow the highlight bar if the bar is moved via the keyboard.

A small program called MPAUSE.COM is also included, and simulates the DOS
'pause' command -- allowing mouse button hits as well as key hits.  It allows
you to include a pause during the execution of a menu selection, while
maintaining the mouse 'feel' of the menu.  This is optional, of course, and
can be used independently of PCMENU if you wish. You use it by making sure
it's in the path, then substituting the MPAUSE command anyplace you'd normally
use a PAUSE command.


NETWORK SUPPORT and NOTES
=========================

Unique output files for networks
--------------------------------
The batch file created when a selection is made is normally "PCM_EXEC.BAT". If
you want multiple users to be able to each write to their own files, you can
set the DOS environment to include a variable "PCM" which will control the
primary name of this file (the '.bat' extent will be added for you - don't
include this yourself.)  Each user's autoexec can set this variable on bootup.
Note that all users on the system can share the "PCMENU.BAT" file, and the
various menu text files in a read-only mode (see below for more on this).

Unique menu files for network users
-----------------------------------
Since we already have the "PCM" environment variable defined (see above), we
can also use this to specify the name of the menu file (normally we won't want
to do this, as users can share the menu files without any conflicts.) When we
_do_ need to give them distinct menus, however, we can use this "PCM"
variable. Let's say for example that user Bob needs a unique menu.  Our
autoexec file for Bob might include these lines:

        ----------------
        set PCM=BOB
        pcmenu %PCM%.PCM
        ----------------

The pcmenu.bat file would then be handed the filename "BOB.PCM" as the menu
file to be used.  The users on the network could share sub-menus, such as a
'utilities menu', by having a 'Return to master menu' item defined in the
shared sub-menu as follows:

        ------------------------
        Return to master menu
                pcmenu %PCM%.PCM
        ------------------------

By using this approach, each user would return to his or her own master menu
when they were through sharing the common utilities menu.


File sharing modes for networks
-------------------------------
Menu users hold the menu text file they're currently using open in a shared
read-only mode.  This avoids problems caused by making a selection from a menu
whose file has changed since the menu was displayed, as any attempt to modify
the file will (or should) result in a sharing violation error.


Name changes for Novell (tm) networks
-------------------------------------
The original versions of PCMENU used to use the name "MENU.BAT" instead of
"PCMENU.BAT", but this caused a conflict with Novell systems which have their
own MENU command.  Hence, the "PCMENU.COM" file also had to be renamed, and is
now "PCMS.COM".


COLORS and KEYBOARD LOCK STATE
==============================
The system defaults to using the screen colors in effect when it's started,
and creates a reverse video attribute by simply flipping the color bits. The
screen is cleared to the original colors on exit and when an item is chosen.
The program also saves the original keyboard lock state (caps, num, etc.),
then holds all of these OFF while it is running.  This makes it certain that
the cursor arrow keys will always work, and prevents users from rebooting or
hotkeying into most TSR's from within the menu.  The original keyboard locks
are restored on exit and when any item is selected.

There are three options which will allow you to control the colors and
keyboard state directly.  Including '.c=' immediately followed by a base 10
numeric value will set the menu colors to that value.  If you include 2 values
seperated by a comma, you can set both the base color and the color to be used
for the hilite selection bar.  Using '.k=0' will prevent PCMENU from restoring
the original keyboard lock state on exit.  This is handy for dealing with
IBM's latest little joke, which takes the form of forcing numlock on when
booting. The '.k=0' option will ensure that the locks will all be off after
using the menu.  Using '.l=0' tells the program NOT to do anything to the
keyboard lock state - i.e., the keys are not held in the off state while the
program is running.  This means that control-alt-del reboots are possible, and
invoking TSR's via 'Hot-Keys' is possible.

For example, the following will set the screen colors to black on white
reverse video, allow the keys to be held off while running, and prevent the
original keyboard lock state from being restored:

--------------------------------
.c=112
.k=0
--------------------------------

The next example will set the colors to dim white (gray?), and use bright
white for the selection bar.  Note that it won't actually be a 'bar' this way,
merely a different color text.

--------------------------------
.c=7,15
--------------------------------

The program "PCMCOLOR.COM" is now included to assist you in selecting values
to use with these '.c=' commands.  Just type 'PCMCOLOR' at the DOS prompt to
see the values and the associated screen colors.  The program will show you a
menu and allow you to interactively set the colors with various of the cursor
keys.  The PgUp and PgDn keys will cycle through the colors, allowing the
system to choose the default hi-light bar color on it's own.  The Up and Down
Arrow keys will change just the normal item colors, and the Right and Left
Arrow keys will change just the hi-lighted item color.  The End key will set
the hi-lighted color to the default based on the current normal item color,
and the Home key will restore both colors to the startup value.

The color setting 'dot command' which you would include in your menu text file
to acheive the displayed colors is shown in exactly the format it should be
entered (except, of course, that it would be in the far left column of the
text file). Pressing the Escape key will abort the program. The easiest way to
explore the color possibilities is to simply use the PgUp and PgDn keys to
find a basic setting that looks ok, then use the Right and Left Arrow keys to
fine-tune the hi-light bar to whatever looks best.



*****NOTES, and points to remember:

-You start the menu with the PCMENU command, and not by invoking PCMS.COM
 directly.

-The various 'dot' commands don't really need to be at the top of the file,
 but putting them there will make the file much more legible.  The only one
 which remains location dependent is the default password (.p=) command, for
 obvious reasons.

-Spaces are NOT stripped off the passwords, so make certain you set these to
 exactly what you want them to be.

-You can include an 'Exit' option, as I did in the example file, by simply not
 following the item name with any commands.  This will cause an empty (0 byte)
 batch file to be written, and control will go to DOS.  You could also put
 something like "echo Use PCMENU command to re-start the menu" as the only
 command for the item.  The normal exit is to simply press the <ESC> key,
 unless this has been disabled with a '.e=0' command in your menu text file.

-You should run the MAKEMENU.COM program (described above) to create a
 customized PCMENU.BAT which will change to the proper drive and directory
 prior to executing PCMS.COM.  Installing the menu system in a directory which
 is in the path will allow users to restart the menu by simply typing "PCMENU"
 from anywhere in the system.

-I tried to make the movement of the highlite bar as intuitive as I could,
 allowing the up, down, right and left arrow keys to wrap in a way that seems
 logical.  Don't forget that pressing the first letter of the item name you
 want will take you directly to it.

-For people NOT on a Novell network and who have been using PCMENU for some
 time, you might want to create a little batch file called MENU.BAT which
 contains just the line

                PCMENU %1 %2

 This will allow you to convert to the new version without having to train all
 of your users to type 'PCMENU' instead of 'MENU'!  Note that the %1 and %2
 are so the optional filespec and '+' value can be passed to the system.



SUMMARY OF SPECIAL OPTIONS:
===========================

*----------------------*
| Command line options |
*----------------------*
-The name of a menu text file can follow the PCMENU command to override the
automatic use of DEFAULT.PCM.

-A plus sign + followed by a number can be used to tell the menu to put the
highlight bar on a specific menu item on startup.

-Both of the above options can be used together, and in any order.

*-------------*
| Environment |
*-------------*
-Environment variable "PCM" can be used to name the output batch file to be
 created when selections are made (needed for network use), and can also be
 used in other ways such as to specify a unique menu file for each user.

*-----------------*
| Command options |
*-----------------*
-A single '/' character as the last command for a given item will cause the
 batch file to be written with commands for re-starting the menu and for
 'remembering' the item the cursor was on when the selection was made.

-A '<' character immediately followed by a filespec can be used as a command.
 It will load another menu text file directly into the menu system display.
 This is the fastest method of chaining multiple menus together, and a good
 way of bringing up quick sub-menus.

-Both of the above options can also be followed by a '+' sign and a number to
 allow moving directly to a specific item as soon as the menu is displayed.
 See above for details.

*----------------------*
| Dot Command Settings |
*----------------------*
-Disable ESC key as exit key:   .e=0
-Default Password:              .p=text
-Screen protection delay:       .s=n
-Use only legal BIOS video:     .b=1
-Don't change keyboard Locks:   .l=0
-Leave keyboard locks off:      .k=0
-Title for menu:                .t=text
-Colors to be used:             .c=n   OR   .c=n1,n2
-Set item password:             item name,password

NOTE that case is not significant:  '.P=' is the same as '.p=', so use
whichever you find most legible.


SUMMARY OF KEY MAPPING:
=======================

Action                          Key(s)
======                          ======

select highlited item           Enter
---
exit                            ESCape key (if not disabled)
---
move to specific item           first char of Item Name
---
move down list                  Down Arrow
move up list                    Up Arrow
move right                      Right Arrow
move left                       Left Arrow
---
left of row                     Home
right of row                    End
top of column                   PgUp
bottom of column                PgDn



TECHNICAL NOTES & MISCELLANY
============================
You can skip this part if you aren't interested in the technical aspects of
the system, but you may want to come back to it later - especially if you have
any problems getting it running.

-PCMS.COM writes directly to the video screen buffer for increased display
 speed, uses many BIOS level calls, and directly manipulates data in the BIOS
 data segment.  Hence the need for PC/AT/PS2 compatibility.  A new option (as
 of the 2/19/89 release) allows forcing the system to write to the screen via
 legal BIOS routines, however, so this constraint is now lifted somewhat.

-The system normally holds all of the 'shift' keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Scroll,
 Caps, and NumLock) in an OFF state while displaying a menu, then restores
 them to their previous setting on exit.  This has a number of advantages for
 this application:

    -most TSR's cannot be invoked from menu (more security).
    -cannot reboot via Ctrl-Alt-Del (more security).
    -arrow keys will always work (NumLock cannot accidently be set).


-I'm not sure at what point DOS gained the ability to reference environment
 variables in batch files by enclosing them in '%' signs.  If this is reported
 by your version of DOS as an error, simply remove the offending line from the
 PCMENU.BAT file.  It's only there for network support, and people using old
 versions of DOS aren't likely to be on a network.  NOTE however that if you
 do remove this line, you WON'T be able to set the name of the output file by
 using the "PCM" environment variable.

-MAKEMENU.COM is a simple little program which does the following.  1) It
 checks the DOS version number to see if the "@echo off" command is supported.
 If it's DOS version 3.30 or higher, it includes the '@' sign, otherwise it
 suppresses it.  2) It checks the logged drive and directory, and inserts
 commands to automatically change to these prior to running the menu. 3) It
 dumps out the remainder of the text for the batch file, verbatim.

-MPAUSE.COM is a routine to duplicate the DOS 'pause' command, but also allows
mouse button hits.  If a mouse is detected, MPAUSE's prompt will change to
include a reference to it.

-PCMSPASS.COM is another simple little program which accepts a password on the
command line, encrypts it, and writes it into the PCMS.COM file as the
administrator password (which can be used whenever a password is required).

-PCMCOLOR.COM is a trivial program which displays a phony menu and allows you
 to experiment with different color combinations.  It will show you the ".c="
 command needed to reproduce the combination shown.

-PCMS.COM returns 'errorlevel' codes to DOS, which are used by the PCMENU.BAT
 file to determine what action it should take upon regaining control.  The
 normal return code is 255, which means that the user selected an item and
 that the batch file needed to run the item was created successfully.  The
 name of this batch file will be either the contents of the PCM environment
 variable with ".BAT" added as an extent, or "PCM_EXEC.BAT", which is the
 default. PCMENU.BAT issues both commands, starting with the environment
 variable name. If this variable is set, then control will not return to
 PCMENU.BAT and the other command will never be executed.  If it isn't set,
 the PCM_EXEC.BAT file will be executed instead.

-PCMS.COM returns a 0 value if the user hit the Escape key to exit the menu,
 and this tells PCMENU.BAT that it shouldn't execute the batch file this time.
 Any other value (besides the normal 255) indicates that an error occurred,
 and PCMENU.BAT then branches to it's simplistic error reporting section.  I
 kept this small, knowing how slow batch files are - and figuring that the
 three errors covered would be enough to diagnose most any problem likely to
 occur.

-PCMS.COM opens the menu text files in read-only mode, and keeps the file
 open. This has the virtue of preventing anyone else from accessing the file
 in a 'write' mode while the system is in use.  Hence, the menu text files can
 only be modified when no users are accessing them.

-"NOVELL", "DESQVIEW" and "WINDOWS" are registered trademarks of their
 respective vendors.

-We suspended our 'Aphrodesiac Research' program years ago (as soon as we
 found one that worked).

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| Bob Trevithick           | Voice.......315-331-1700 (2453) |
| Information Services     | PC Data............315-331-4899 |
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*---------------------------------*
| Rick Kiss                       |
| O.D. Heck Developmental Center  |
| Daytime Voice:  [phone]  |
| GEnie address:  R.W.KISS        |
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