Pascal Super Library/Pascal Super Library (CW International)(1997).bin/MENU_UTL/PDM_ED/MANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1989-06-24 | 12KB | 420 lines

                     PULL-DOWN/POP-UP MENU EDITOR


                               June 89



                        Coleman Software, Inc.























Introduction
------------

There are two main parts to the Pull-Down/Pop Up menu editor:
PDM_ED.EXE and PDM_USE.TPU.  PDM_ED.EXE is a stand-alone utility that
allows the user to create a pull-down or pop-up menus as easily as he
would edit an ordinary file. Pull-Down/Pop-Up menus will hence forth
be refered to as a PDMs.  The PDM, once created with PDM_ED is saved
as a "stand-alone" file that can be reference by any Turbo Pascal
program "Uses"ing the PDM_USE unit.  (It can also be reference from
other languages such as Microsoft C with additional Coleman Software
Utilities as will be described later in this manual.)  PDM_USE.TPU,
the second half of the PDM package, is designed for compiling with
Turbo Pascal.  PDM_USE "hooks" directly into your Turbo Pascal
application effortlessly allowing it to both display the PDM and
animate its inverse video selection bar based on the users key
presses.  When the user makes a selection from the PDM, a PDM_USE
function returns the selection number to the calling program thereby
allowing the program to "Key" on this value --- branching to different
routines or in general reacting to the users selection in whatever
way is appropriate.  How much code do you, the programmer, need to
write to display the PDM and get the user selection?  Exactly one
line.












PDM_ED
------

Use of PDM_ED is fairly intuitive and can probably be accomplished
without reading this documentation.  Having read this documentation
may prevent "first-time panic".

First of all, there are two ways of evoking PDM_ED:

PDM_ED

<At this point you will be prompted for PDM filename (and PDM title
if the file is a new file)>

or

PDM_ED <PDM FILENAME>

<At this point you will either go directly to the Modify phase of
PDM_ED if the filename specified is of an existing PDM file or you
will be prompted for a PDM window title if the PDM filename you
specified is that of a new (non-existant) PDM file>

Once Started, the Editing process consists of three distinct phases.
Each of these phases is tagged with an indicator in the lower left
hand corner of the screen.  These three phases are: Modify, Drag and
Color.











The Modify Phase
----------------

   When the Modify Phase first comes up a window appears on the
   screen that is the largest possible window that can be used (40
   characters by 15 lines).  If the pdm filename you specified when
   you evoked PDM_ED is of an existing PDM then the lines you edited
   into that PDM will appear within this editing window.

   The Modify Phase consists of Editing the text internal to the
   Pull-Down/Pop-Up Menu: the actual user specifiable selections.  This
   phase has several active editing keys.  For the most part these
    keys are the same keys that almost all IBM-PC editor and
   word-processors use.  An exception to this is the PgUp and PgDn
   keys which are used to insert and delete lines rather than
   functioning in their usual roles.  A summary of the modify mode
   key usage is as follows:

   Delete - deletes the character the cursor is currently on top of.

   Backspace - deletes the character behind the cursor.

   Insert - Toggles the insert/typeover mode for character typed
            into the line.  Notice that the indicator changes
            between Insert and Overtype in the lower left hand
            corner to reveal at all times what the mode currently
            is.  Additionally, the cursor changes shape based on
            what mode you are currently in.

   PgDn - Deletes the line the cursor is currently on.  If there
          are any lines below the deleted line they will all
          move up to fill in the gap.

   PgUp - Inserts a blank line before the cursor line and then
          positions the cursor on the newly created blank line.
          The one time this does not work is when the PDM is
          completely filled with fifteen lines.  (In this case
          you will have to delete line (PgDn) before you can
          insert line (PgUp).
















Drag Phase
----------

As soon as you exit the modify phase by hitting escape, you enter the
Drag phase.  If you look at the indicator in the lower left hand
corner it will reflect this change of state.  As always the on-screen
help tells you what your allowable keypresses are --- but this time
the choice is very simple indeed.  The only active keys are the arrow
keys which allow you to drag the window around the screen until it is
placed where you want it to appear when your application, with the
help of PDM_USE causes it to "pop-up" or "pull-down" on your user
interface screen.













Color Phase
-----------

As soon as you exit the Drag phase by hitting escape, you enter the
Color phase.  If you look at the indicator in the lower left hand
corner it will reflect this change of state. Once again as the
on-line help will tell you the active keys are the arrow keys.  In
the case of Color Mode, however, the arrow keys work very differently
from Drag mode.

The left and right arrows work as a team to change the part of the
window to be colored.  The right arrow key moves forward through a
list of four window parts: Title background, Title foreground, Window
background and window forground.  The left arrow key moves backward
through this same list.

Similarly the up and down arrows work as a team to actually change
the color of the part of the window that has been selected.







PDM_USE
-------

The smallest possible "client" program of PDM_USE is as follows:

Program example;

Uses
  Pdm_Use;

var
  PDM_Code : Byte;

Begin
  If ActivePDM_File('example.pdm') Then
    PDM_Code := UserSelectedPDM_Code;
End.


As can be seen there are only two functions involved in the UNIT
which makes life very simple for the Application programmer using it.
The first function: ActivePDM_File and UserSelectedPDM_Code.
ActivePDM_File translates the information save in the PDM_File into
a displayable PDM and shows it on the application screen in the
position and with the colors created (or last modified) by PDM_ED.
UserSelectedPDM_Code breaths life into the PDM by move the inverse
video selection bar over the possible selections based on the user
pressing the up-arrow or down-arrows.  If the user presses down-arrow
on the bottom-most selection the inverse video bar jumps up to the
top-most selection.  Likewise, if the user presses up-arrow at the
top-most selection the inverse video bar jumps to the bottom-most
selection.  The user may move up and down (or wrap-around) in this
manner as much as he likes until he decides what to select.  He makes
the selection by pressing the Enter key.  Once the Enter key is
pressed, the UserSelectedPDM_Code function exits returning the line
number of the selection the user has made as a function return value.
In the example above this return value is store in the variable
PDM_Code although there are nummerous other ways the return value can
be handle including making is a "tag" field in a case statement or
directly analysed by the condition clause of an if statement.

Note that to create the proper effect for PDM a pre-PDM screen save
and post-PDM screen restore should be use.  If you do not have access
to (or haven't written) such routines send and additional $10.00 with
your registration fee and I will include these routines and on-disk
documentation how to use them.










Advantages of Registering this Software
---------------------------------------

1)    Insure the release on other Coleman Software tools and software
    packages via the shareware marketing system.  Including among
    these tools is a fill-in form (data record i/o) handler with a
    similar philosophy to PDM_ED, a    script-oriented intelligent
    terminal\file uploading and downloading program and of course,
   upgrades to PDM_ED itself (incorporating menu bars, etc.).
    Registering will place you in a direct notification data-base for
    future releases of such software --- with no obligation to buy.

2)    If you are an application programmer working in anything other
    than Turbo Pascal there is a more immediate reason for
    registering than the above.  We have created a PDM_USE.OBJ module
    which may be directly linked with Microsoft C and other MS-DOS
    programs to animate PDMs in exactly the same manner PDM_USE.TPU
    does for turbo pascal.  Currently the PDM_USE.OBJ "flavor" of
    pull-down/pop-up menu animating is only availible through the mail
    by registering PDM_ED with Coleman Software.



How to Register
---------------

    To register for PDM_ED.EXE and PDM_USE.TPU costs $20.00.  If you
    want the PDM_USE.OBJ module please include and addition $10.00
    ($30.00 all together) along with the mailing address and disk
    size desired.  Similarly, if you want the screen save/restore disk
    include $10.00 extra.  If you want both pieces of software that is
   $20.00 additional dollars to the PDM_ED registration fee ($40.00
    all together). Remember to include the sales tax relevant to your
   state.

   Please pay by Check or Money order only.

   There is an order form on the following page.




Remit to:                Coleman Software, Inc.
                         15900 Crenshaw Blvd. Ste. 115
                         Gardena, CA 90249





Number of Copies being registered ......................... _________

Cost per copy ............................................. $20.00

Total Amount Remitted for PDM_ED Registration ............. _________

Check here if you want a PDM_USE.OBJ Disk ................. _________

Cost for PDM_USE.OBJ Disk ................................. $10.00

Check here if you want a screen save/screen restore disk .. _________

Cost for screen save/screen restore disk ................... $10.00

Total amount remitted for Purchase/Registration .......... _________

Sales Tax on Above Amount ................................. _________

Total Amount remitted ..................................... _________
( Make Checks payable to Coleman Software, Inc.)




Fill out below to be included in our direct software update
notification data base and/or to receice the PDM_USE.OBJ Disk.


Name:    ____________________________________________________________

Company: ____________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________




Disk Size: 3.5 inch (  )      5.25 inch (   )




Sorry, no C.O.D. orders will be accepted.




















                               WARRANTY



Coleman Software, Inc. makes no warranty of any kind, express or
implied, including without limitation, any warranties of
merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.  Coleman
Software, Inc. shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct,
indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of this
program to operate in the manner desired by the user.  Coleman
Software, Inc. shall not be liable for any damage to data or property
which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of the program.

IN NO EVENT WILL Coleman Software, Inc. BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY
DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOU USE OR INABILITY TO USE
THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.