home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Share Gallery 1
/
share_gal_1.zip
/
share_gal_1
/
UT
/
UT204B.ZIP
/
MANUAL.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-09-01
|
67KB
|
1,519 lines
-
╔══════════════════════════╗
║ fastmenu GOLD (tm) ║
╚══════════════════════════╝
Version 4.0
Copyright (C) 1990 - 1991 by:
Jack W Hildenbrand
9500 St.Rt.61
Berlin Hts., Ohio 44814
Phone 1 (419) 588-3608
User support BBS
419-588-3615 3/12/2400 N81
Distributed By:
jwh:SoftWare
P.O. Box 410
Berlin Hts., Ohio 44814
Be sure to read the 40_NEW.DOC file to see updates and changes
that may not have made this manual.
-
Table of contents. Page
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Why jwh: fastmenu GOLD?...................................... 1
Applications Main Menu....................................... 3
Edit Applications Module..................................... 3
Setup/Configuration Module................................... 5
Function Key Password Protection............................. 7
Editing the Logo File........................................ 7
Installation Instructions.................................... 9
Assigning the function key icons or prompts to access
your favorite applications................................... 9
Setting up timed application/batch execution................. 8
11 Digit Calculator.......................................... 10
DOS/Dosk Utility............................................. 10
Disk Utility File List Screen................................ 13
System/Text/Batch Utility.................................... 16
AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS File Switcher...................... 17
Phone Book/Dialer............................................ 19
Displaying PCX picture files during screen blanking.......... 21
Adding applications to the Alternative Applications MENU..... 21
NOTE !!!!! IN ORDER FOR THIS PROGRAM TO OPERATE PROPERLY YOU MUST HAVE
A PATH STATEMENT TO THE ROOT DIRECTORY AND TO THE DIRECTORY
WHERE YOUR DOS FILES ARE LOCATED. THIS PATH STATEMENT SHOULD
BE IN YOUR AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE. EXAMPLE: PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;
ALSO, IF YOU WANT FASTMENU TO AUTOMATICALLY STARTUP WHEN YOU
TURN YOUR COMPUTER ON, YOU WILL WANT TO ADD A LINE TO THE END
OF YOUR AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE. THIS LINE WOULD BE: GOLD
Over the years that computers have been with us, they have
gone from very large and complicated units to small desktop and
very powerful pieces of equipment. Along with that growth,
computers have become an almost must in every business, school
and now are becoming a standard in most homes. Also the coming of
the ever popular Hard Drive has made computing even more popular
among every computer owner from business to home use. Storage
capacities of Hard Drives have risen from around 1 megabyte to
now well over 100 megabytes of storage, enabling the user to
store and use numerous applications without the need of using
floppies for every day applications and data storage.
One problem that has arisen from these very large Hard Drive
units is that it has become very hard for the user to remember
the names of all the directories and the names of all the
executable files that start the different applications that they
have stored on their Hard Drives. Also, in an office or home
situation where there are numerous people that use the same
computer to do different tasks and with different ideas about how
to setup access to their application, a Hard Drive can become
very messy and hard to find your way around in. Also in most
business situations the need for fast access to applications is
becoming more and more important.
As most of us know, since the Hard Drive was born, there has
been numerous menu programs written to help deal with this
problem, from small applications menuing systems to very large
and memory consuming applications. However, there seems to be a
very large gap, the small ones being to small and not adequate
for most needs and the larger windowing systems needing more
computer than most office and home users have at hand.
For this reason fastmenu GOLD was created.
Page 1
-
What fastmenu GOLD can do for you:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
o.. Fast one or two key strokes to your applications.
o.. Consumes no memory during applications execution.
o.. Will operate in under 256Kb of memory.
o.. Allows up to 40 pages with up to 20 applications per page.
o.. Allows quick editing of the applications list and page titles.
o.. Can be operated with a Mouse.
o.. Built in Auto Mouse Detection.
o.. PassWord protection on any or all outside applications
execution, Module operations and DOS exits.
What you need to run fastmenu GOLD:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
o.. IBM PC/XT/AT or Compatible.
o.. 256Kb of memory.
o.. A Hard Drive and a 3 1/2in. floppy.
o.. VGA Color Card and Monitor.
o.. DOS version 2.2 or later.
QUICK INSTALLATION AND STARTUP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Make a backup copy of your original disk(s).
2>- Insert your backup disk into any drive. (disk #1)
3>- Move to the drive that you are installing from and type: INSTALL
4>- Just follow on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
5>- Make sure you have a PATH to your ROOT and your DOS directory.
6>- After the installation, simply type 'GOLD' to start fastmenu GOLD.
7>- Add 'GOLD' as the last line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file if you want
fastmenu GOLD to automatically start when you turn your computer on.
ADDING A APPLICATION.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- After you have gotten fastmenu GOLD up and running, at the main menu
screen you will see a window with twenty blank lines listed. The
numbers on these lines will be blue. These lines represent the page
titles. Before adding any applications you must first create a page
and give it a title. To create page #1, simply press the #1 key and
then press enter. At this point you will be given a place to enter
the page title and then press the enter key.
2>- After entering the page title for page #1 and then pressing the enter
key you will automatically be taken to page #1. At this time you will
also see two new prompts, Title and Edit Applications. At this point
we want to add a application to this page so choose option Edit.
3>- After selecting the Edit option, you will be taken to the
applications editor module. To Add an application, from the opening
menu, simply select the Add/Edit option by choosing option 'A'.
4>- After selecting the Add/Edit option, an Applications List window will
be displayed. We will Add an application to line #1, so move the
highlight bar to line #1 and then press the enter key.
Page 2
-
5>- After selecting the line that you want to add this application to you
will be presented with data entry screen to fill out. At the first
field, enter the title or name of the application that you want to
execute with this line.
6>- At the Drive field, press the F2 key and select the drive that this
application resides on. At the directory field, press the F2 key and
select the directory that this application resides in. At Run File
field, press F2 and select the file that runs this application.
7>- If you want this application password protected, enter a 'Y' at the
Password field. If you are running DOS Version 3.3 or later, answer
the Fast Run field with a 'Y'. If you want fastmenu GOLD to pause
before execution and ask you for command line parameters, answer the
Command Line Parms field with a 'Y'.
8>- After completing all fields, press the Esc key to exit the edit mode.
9>- At this time you will be presented with two more fields. If you enter
any information in these fields, it will be displayed at application
execution or exit. If you do not want any prompt displayed, simply
leave these fields blank. When you are finished with these two fields,
press the Esc key to exit the edit mode.
10>- At this time you may save this entry by pressing the 'S' key or abort
and not save it by pressing the Esc key. Pressing the 'C' key will
return you to the editor.
fastmenu GOLD Applications Main Menu.
====================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Setup................ This option should be used the very first
time you use fastmenu GOLD.
Here you will set the program parameters that will make
fastmenu PLUS work properly. This option may be accessed by
pressing the letter (S) or by pointing the mouse at the prompt
icon and then pressing the left mouse button.
(ESC).................. This option will Exit you to DOS.
F1 through F8.......... Used as hot keys to Applications.
fastmenu GOLD Edit Applications Module.
======================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ESC=Exit............... Using this option will return you back to
the applications menu.
Add/Edit............... This option allows you to add or change
programs or applications to the
applications list.
Any application that can run in DOS can be started or
executed with fastmenu PLUS, either through the applications
menu or through the (S)tart option from the file list menu.
Page 3
-
Adding a new application.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Choose option Add/Edit from the edit applications menu
prompt list then from the applications list select the
application or the line that you want to Add/edit. You will
be presented with seven questions to answer.
2>- The first question will be asking you for the Title or
Name of the program that you want to run. This Title or
Name can be anything you want it to be, and is only used
as a reference.
3>- The second question will be asking you for the name or
letter of the drive that your new program will be
running from. Examples would be: A, B or C.
4>- The third question will be asking you for the name of
the directory that this new program is in. Fifty nine
characters are allowed here. Always separate multiple
directory entries with a backslash (\).
NOTE ! If you are running this new program from a floppy
and/or the program is in the root directory, just
press <enter> at this prompt.
5>- The fourth question will be asking you for the name of
the file that you normally have to type in to run the
program (The executable file). You may also enter any
command line switches here.
NOTE ! This file will normally have an extension name of
either .EXE or .COM and sometimes may be .BAT. Also
you do not need to include the file extension when
entering this name.
6>- The fifth question will be asking if you want to
password protect this program. If you do not want
password protection, just answer this question with
a [ N ]. If you want password protection for this
program, answer this question with a [ Y ].
7>- The sixth question will be asking if you want to use the
Fast Load method of launching this application. This
method is recommended, but may cause some problems with
early versions of DOS.
8>- The seventh question will be asking if you want fastmenu GOLD
to pause before execution of this application so you may
enter a DOS command line parameter.
8>- After answering all seven questions just press the Esc key to
exit the edit mode.
9>- At this time you will be presented with two more fields. If
you enter any information in either of these fields it will
be displayed with a pause during application execution or
exit. If you do not want any prompt displayed, simply leave
the field blank. After completing these fields, exit by
pressing the Esc key. Then press the 'S' key to save this
new entry.
Page 4
-
10>- At this time, if you chose to password protect this
program, you will be given a place to enter the password
that you want to use to access this program. You are
allowed up to six characters or numbers in this
password. After entering this password, you will be
prompted to verify it's validity.
CAUTION !!! Be sure to remember this password, it cannot
be removed from a program listing unless you
know the password. This password is totally
scrambled before it is written to file and
would be very hard to unscramble.
Delete application..... This option is used to delete or remove
an existing application.
Deleting a listing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Choose option Delete application from the menu list.
2>- After choosing this option, all applications listed on this
page will be listed to screen. Select the one that you want
to delete with the highlight bar and then press enter. You
will be asked to verify your delete
List................... This option will list to screen, all
applications or programs that are on this
page.
NOTE ! If you have password protected any of these programs,
their directories and run file names will not be
listed to screen.
Title.................. This option will allow you to change the
Title or Name that is presently being
used for this page.
Delete this page....... Choose this option if you want to delete this
page from the menu.
Update Directory Tree.. This option will update the directory tree
list that you see when you press the F2 key
to list the directories.
fastmenu GOLD Setup Module.
==========================:>
This module offers several options for customizing fastmenu GOLD
along with setting the default drive and directory. The default
drive ( C: ) and directory ( GOLD ) may be changed from this
screen if need be. However I strongly recommend that you leave
them at their defaults. If you change them for some reason, you
will also need to edit the GOLD.BAT found in your DOS or root
directory. This file contains the necessary drive and path
statements to start fastmenu GOLD.
Page 5
-
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ESC=Quit............. This option will return you to the fastmenu
applications menu.
A >-- Password Protect Exit To DOS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may exit fastmenu
GOLD and go to DOS with or without using a password.
B >- Password Protect The Setup Module
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may enter the
Setup module with or without using a password.
C >- Password Protect The Edit Applications Module
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may enter the
Edit Applications Module with or without using a password.
D >--- Update Directory Tree Files at Startup
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you answer this option with a 'N', fastmenu GOLD will startup
much faster skipping the opening screen and updating the directory
tree files. You will need to update the directory tree files manually
if any directory maintenance is done outside the fastmenu environment.
E >- Toggle Screen Blanking On/Off
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to select whether you want screen blanking or not.
This option will present you with one question that can be
answered by either a Y if you want screen blanking or a N if you
do not.
NOTE ! This screen blanking only has an effect on fastmenu
screens and will not interrupt your applications in any way.
During screen blanking a logo will dance around on your screen,
letting you know that fastmenu is ready to go at any time by
pressing any key on your keyboard.
If you have chosen to use the screen blanking option, you will
then be asked to enter the amount of time (seconds) that
fastmenu GOLD waits before going into screen blanking. The time
can be any number of seconds between 1 and 999.
F >------- Set Opening Screen Mode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fastmenu GOLD will run in either of two different screen modes.
Mode 1 >- In this mode fastmenu GOLD will display the page titles on
the first screen, at startup of fastmenu GOLD.
Mode 2 >- In this mode fastmenu GOLD will display an application
page on the first screen, at startup of fastmenu GOLD.
You may choose the page that is first displayed.
Page 6
-
When you select option J from this setup menu, you will first be
asked if you want the page titles displayed first. If you answer this
prompt with a 'N', then you will also be asked to enter the page title
number that you want displayed at startup. You may enter any page
number between 1 and 40.
G >---------------- Edit Logo File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to edit or change the FASTLOGO.IFO file. This file
contains the information that you will see moving about during
screen blanking. Also the information in this file is listed to
screen on the main menu. After choosing this option you will be
presented with a screen that has this file listed in a small editing
window. You may make any changes you want to this file and then press
the ESC key to exit. You will be asked if you want to save any changes
you have made.
H >- Password Protect The Function Key Icons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup password protection to each individual
Function key F1 through F8.
NOTE ! The password protection setup through this
option only has effect on the function keys and will not affect
applications execution from the main menu. Applications run
through fastmenu have their own password protection that may be
setup through the Edit Applications module. Choosing this option
will take you to a screen where you may select the function keys
you want to have password protected. Select the function keys you
want password protected by moving the highlight bar to that option
and using the space bar to toggle your answer to either Yes or No.
Only function keys marked 'Yes' will be password protected.
After marking all function keys you want password protected, just
press the enter key to advance to the next screen. This next
screen will have all function keys listed again along with a place to
enter passwords. Also at the top of your screen you will be shown
the password number. You are allowed up to 50 different password
combinations. When you first enter this screen the prompt will be
in the password editor window. At this point you may enter the
first password up to 40 characters long. After entering the
password the prompt will move down to the modules list. The first
option in this list will be asking you if you want to log the use
of this password. If you answer this with a Yes then every time
that this password is used it will be recorded in a file called
MASTER.LOG. The remaining prompts in this box will determine
whether or not this password has access to the corresponding
function key or not.
NOTE ! On the previous screen if you chose not to have some of
the function keys password protected, they will show up on
this screen in a blanked out mode. Answers placed after these
blanked out function keys will be ignored.
After entering all information for this password you may use the
down arrow key to move to the next password. When the highlight
bar is on the last option in the module box pressing the down
arrow key will move you to the next password screen. When the
cursor is in the password window pressing the up arrow will take
you to the previous password screen. After entering all
Page 7
-
passwords, pressing the F1 key will save them to disk in the
MASTER.DAT file. You may edit or change these passwords at any
time simply by entering this module making your changes and then
saving them by pressing the F1 key. This password protection not
only lets you determine which function keys that you want password
protected but also lets you assign different access to
different passwords.
I >---------- Delete Function Key Password Protection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to delete or completely remove all function key
password protection. You will be prompted to verify this choice. The
MASTER.DAT file will be deleted.
J >-------- View Password Log File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to view the password log file (MASTER.LOG). If
you have chosen to have any of the passwords logged, then they
will be listed in this file.
K >------ Delete Password Log File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to delete or completely remove all logged password
use. You will be prompted to verify this choice. The MASTER.LOG
file will be deleted. NOTE ! If you delete this file, it will be
re-created if a password is used that was marked to be logged.
L >--- Setup Drive/Directory Path
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have copied fastmenu to an alternate path, you may want to
make the drive and directory path to fastmenu current.
M >--- Timed Application execution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will open a wibdow with data fields for you to
fill in.
At the first field, enter the time in 12 hr format (civilian time)
that you want the application or batch file executed. NOTE ! From
midnight to 12:59 afternoon is considered AM and from 12:59 afternoon
to 11:59 afternoon is considered PM.
At the Date field enter the date that you want this application or
batch file to be executed. NOTE ! If you want this execution to be
on a daily basis, leave this Date field completely blank. Then answer
Yes/No weekday prompts to tell fastmenu on what days you want this
application/batch file to be run.
At the remaining three fields, enter the Drive, Path, and the name of
the executable file.
After completing all fields, press the Esc key to exit then press the
'S' key to save them.
Page 8
-
fastmenu GOLD installation instructions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE ! Before you install fastmenu GOLD I strongly recommend that
you make backup copies of your original disk. Consult
your DOS manual on making backup copies or using DISKCOPY
on your machine.
fastmenu GOLD is not a complicated program to setup and does not
require a lot of work to get running. The following three steps is
all that is needed to insure proper operation.
1)-Insert your fastmenu backup/distribution disk into any drive,
move to that drive and type: [ install ] <enter>. (disk #1)
Follow on-screen instructions to install fastmenu GOLD.
2)-Make sure your AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains a path statement to
the root directory of your hard drive and also to the directory
where your DOS files are located. An example of the path
statement:
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS
3)-If you want fastmenu GOLD to startup automatically, add to the
end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file the following line:
GOLD
NOTE ! This line must be the last line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file.
This should complete the setup procedure for fastmenu GOLD.
After installation you will have two new files added to your DOS
or root directory of your hard drive C: (GOLD.BAT and BRUN45.EXE).
Also you will have a new subdirectory on drive C: (GOLD). If you
have installed fastmenu GOLD and for some reason you want to
change the installation to a different configuration you may do
this by just running INSTALL again from the installation disk
using the new options you want. The new installation will simply
overwrite the old one.
Assigning applications to the function key prompts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To assign a application to one of the function key prompts, simply
press the Ctrl key plus the corresponding function key down or click
the right mouse button on the function key prompt. Complete the
displayed path information and then save it by pressing the 'S' key.
Page 9
-
fastmenu GOLD 11 Digit Calculator.
=================================:>
This calculator works somewhat different than most people are used
to, in that you first need to enter a number and then enter the
operator. To start a calculation you first need to type in the first
number and then press the enter key then enter the second number
followed by the operand. Continue a chain calculation by entering the
number and then the operand.
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BackSp................. This option will delete the number at the
cursor location and move the cursor left
one position.
1 to 0................. This option will enter the chosen number
to the calculator.
/...................... This option is used to divide numbers.
*...................... This option is used to multiply numbers.
-...................... This option is used to subtract numbers.
+...................... This option is used to add numbers.
Enter.................. This option is used to end a calculation.
P...................... This option toggles printer on/off.
Up Arrow............... Use this key to enter numbers to memory.
Down Arrow............. Use this key to pull numbers from memory.
C...................... Press this key to clear the tap.
M...................... Press this key to clear memory.
DOS/Disk Utility Module.
=======================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Format Diskettes....... Use this option to format new diskettes
or floppies.
NOTE ! For reasons of compatibility between computers, this
program uses the standard DOS format program found in
your DOS directory. For proper operation, your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file must contain the path to your DOS
files.
Page 10
-
Formatting diskettes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- After choosing the Format Diskettes option, you will be
asked to choose whether you want to format a Non Systems
Disk or DOS Systems Disk (Boot Disk). If you choose to
format a systems disk, after the format process the
necessary DOS files will be copied to it, creating a
bootable DOS diskette.
2>- After choosing the format type you will be asked to
choose the drive that you want to format from.
NOTE ! This drive menu has three options: A: Drive, B:
Drive or Other. If you choose the Other option
you will need to manually enter the drive
designating letter. Entering a 'C' here will be
rejected.
3>- After choosing the drive you will be presented with
three more options.
The first option in this list will be used if you
want to format a disk to the same capacity that
is standard for your disk drive unit.
The second option in this list will be used if you
have a high density 1.2 Meg 5 1/4in. drive and you
want to format a low density 360Kb disk.
The third option in this list will be used if you
have a high density 1.5 Meg 3 1/2in. drive and you
want to format a low density 720Kb disk.
4>- After choosing the format density you will be asked to
insert a disk in the chosen drive and press any key to
begin formatting.
File Maintenance....... Use this option if you want to perform
any of the following: Copy Files, Delete
Files, Rename Files, View Files, Edit
Files or Run a program not listed in the
applications menu list.
1>- After choosing this option, you will be asked to choose
the drive that you want to perform file maintenance on.
2>- After choosing the drive, fastmenu GOLD will check the
drive to see if it has any directories. Select the
directory you want and then press enter. At this time
you will be presented with the file list that
was found on this drive. If no files are found you will
be returned to the directory menu.
Choosing a directory is done by moving the highlight bar to
the directory you want with the Up and Down arrow keys and
then pressing enter.
3>- After choosing the directory, you will be taken to the
file list menu. Help with the file list options can be
found later in this manual.
Page 11
-
DOS DiskCopy........... Use this option to make a duplicate copy
of a diskette.
Only diskettes of the same capacity and size should be used
here. You will first be asked to choose the Source Drive.
The Source drive will be the drive that you will be placing
the original copy in. Then you will be asked to choose the
Target Drive. The Target Drive will be the drive that you
will be transferring your original to.
NOTE ! The Source Drive and the Target Drive can be the same
Drive. If so, you will be asked to switch diskettes
back and forth until the copying process is complete.
Creating a new Directory from the Directory Tree screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After choosing the File Maintenance option, you will be
asked to choose the drive that you want to work with. After
choosing the drive you will be taken to the Directory Tree
screen. From the directory tree screen, you will move the
highlight bar to the location that you want this new
directory placed. You can do this by moving the highlight
bar up or down the directory tree and then pressing enter.
NOTE ! To place a new directory from the root directory,
you will want to highlight the ROOT option on the
directory tree list. If you want to
place a new directory off from an existing directory,
just highlight that directory.
After choosing the directory location, press the 'C' key,
enter the name of the new directory and then press enter.
Deleting Existing Directories from the Directory Tree Screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option can be reached from the Directory Tree Screen,
after choosing the File Maintenance option from the DOS/
Disk Utility Menu and the drive from the Drive Menu.
NOTE ! A directory cannot be deleted without first deleting
any files it may contain.
Choose the directory that you want to delete by moving the
highlight bar to that directory then press the 'D' key. You
will be asked to verify your choice.
Locate a File(s)...... Using this option will take you to a module
that you may use to search for a file or
a group of files on any drive or directory
on your system. You may also search for text.
Update Directory File. Using this option will manually update the
directory tree mirror files.
NOTE ! fastmenu GOLD automatically updates the
directory tree files if any directory
maintenance is done with the utility module.
Page 12
-
If you select not to have fastmenu GOLD update
the directory tree files at startup from the
Setup module and you perform any directory
maintenance outside of the fastmenu GOLD
environment, you may need to use this option
to update the directory tree files manually.
fastmenu GOLD Disk Utilities File List.
======================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(ESC).................. Using this option will return you to the
previous menu.
(Up/Dn)................ Use these options to move the highlight
bar up and down the file list.
One key press will move the highlight bar up or down one
file. Holding the key down will fast advance the highlight
bar till you release the key or the end of the file list is
reached.
(-/+/enter)............ Use these options to mark files for later
maintenance. An asterisk will appear to
the left of the file name of every file
that is marked.
Marking and Un-Marking Files.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Move the highlight bar to the file you want to mark and
then press the enter key. If this file has already been
marked it will be un-marked. After using the enter key
to mark or un-mark a file, the highlight bar will
advance to the next file in the file list.
2>- Pressing the plus key will mark all files in the file
list.
3>- Pressing the minus key will un-mark all marked files in
the file list.
(Q)uery................ Use this option to query the file list.
DOS wild cards are valid here.
NOTE ! The main purpose for including this option was to
give you a convenient way of copying or deleting
certain groups of files. For example if you wanted to
copy all the files with the .DAT extension, you would
first query the file list by entering [ *.DAT ] at
the File Spec. prompt. Then mark all these files by
pressing the plus key, then choose the (C)opy option
to copy all marked files.
Page 13
-
Querying the file list with (Q)uery option.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- After choosing this option, you will be given a place to
enter your query instructions and then press enter. After
which the file list will again be presented with only
the files that meet your query instructions listed.
Query Examples:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[ *.* ]........ This query would list all files.
[ *.EXE ]...... This query would list files with the EXE
extension.
[ FAST??.* ]... This query would list files that include the
letters FAST as the first four letters in
the file name.
(U)pdate............... Use this option to update or re-list the
files from the present drive or
directory.
NOTE ! You may change a disk while you are at the file list
screen. After changing to the new disk, just use the
(U)pdate option to list the files from the newly
inserted disk.
(S)tart................ Use this option to run applications
outside fastmenu GOLD.
This option was added to give you a way to test run an
application or to run applications or games from floppy
drives. Any program, game or application that can be run
from the DOS prompt can also be run through this option.
NOTE ! This option will only accept files with the extension
of .EXE, .COM or .BAT. Before you can use this option
option, you must first mark the file that you want to
run. After marking this file, just choose the (S)tart
option to run it.
(V)iew................. Use this option to read or view text
files.
Before you can use this option, you must first mark the file
that you want to read or view. After marking this file just
choose option (V)iew to view it.
(E)dit................. Use this option to edit or create any
ASCII text file.
To edit an existing file you must first mark it from the file
list menu. After marking it, just choose option (E)dit from
the file list menu.
Page 14
-
To create a new file, just choose option (E)dit without
marking any files. After entering the editor you will be
asked to enter the name for the new file. You may use any
DOS legal name except names that have extensions of .EXE
or .COM.
NOTE ! This editor has the ability to edit files with lines
up to 255 characters long. When you first enter the
editor, the right margin will be set to 255. If you
are editing a 80 column document you may want to
reset the right margin before you begin.
Also (for mouse users only) notice the diamonds at
the upper left and lower right corners of the edit
window. If you put the mouse cursor on these
diamonds and press the left mouse button, while
holding the button down, you can resize the editing
window. This option along with the F4 = Image
feature was added to give you a means of creating
a picture of the entire editing screen. By pressing
the F4 key or clicking on the F4 = Image prompt, a
picture of the present screen will be stored beneath
the work screen. It can then be viewed by pulling
the editing screen down. Also a reduced screen can
be moved about by holding the mouse button down
while the mouse cursor is located on the ruler bar.
Further help can be reached from the editing window by
choosing option F1 = Help.
(C)opy................. Use this option to copy a file or group
of files from this directory or disk to
another directory or disk.
Before using this option, you must first mark the file or
group of files you want to copy, using the (Up/Dn) and
(-/+/enter) keys.
1>- After marking the files you want to copy just choose
option Copy to start the copy process.
2>- You will be asked to choose the Target Drive (the drive
that you want to copy these files to). After choosing
the Target Drive, fastmenu GOLD will check that drive for
any existing directories.
3>- If any directories are found, you will be asked to
choose which directory you want to copy these files to.
4>- If no directories exist or after choosing a directory,
you will be asked to verify the copying of these files.
NOTE ! If you have marked more files than will fit on the
Target Drive, you will be prompted so and given the
option of either continuing or returning to the file
list menu. If you choose to continue, fastmenu GOLD
will copy as many files to the Target Drive as will
fit and then prompt you to insert a new disk. After
Page 15
-
which will continue to copy the remainder of the files
marked to this disk. fastmenu GOLD will continue this
process until all marked files have been copied. This
copy routine was added to give you a means of backing
up entire directories or groups of files to floppies
without the worry of running out of disk space on the
Target Drive.
(D)elete............... Use this option to delete or remove a
file or groups of files.
Before using this option, you must first mark the file or
group of files you want to delete, using the (Up/Dn) and
(-/+/enter) keys.
1>- After marking the file or group of files you want to
delete, just choose option Delete to start the
deletion process.
2>- At this time you will be asked if you want to verify
each file before deletion or continue without verifying
each file.
(R)ename............... Use this option to rename a file.
Before using this option, you must first mark the file that
you want to rename.
NOTE ! If more than one file has been marked, fastmenu GOLD
will call up only the first file in the list that has
been marked.
After marking the file that you want to rename, just
choose the Rename option, you will be shown the old
file name and given a place to enter the new file
name.
fastmenu GOLD System/Batch File Utility.
=======================================:>
System/Text/Batch File Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Provides you with options that allow you to enter DOS
commands. To run DOS commands, simply enter the commands into the
editor and then press the F1 key. Also along with this module
you may create/load/edit/save batch files to any drive/directory
on your system.
F1 = Run.... This option will execute or run the commands that
have been entered at the editor window. Multiple
commands may be executed at the same time.
F2 = Load... Use this option to load an existing file into
the editor. When choosing this option a list of
files found on the current drive/directory will be
listed to screen. You may choose one of these files
by moving the highlight bar to the file you want and
then press the enter key. At this point if you press
the ESC key you will be returned to the editor
without loading a file.
Page 16
-
F3 = Save... Use this option to save a file that has been created
or changed. The file will be saved to the current
drive/directory listed in the top prompt box.
F4 = Clear.. This option will clear the editor window of any text.
F5 = Print.. Use this option to send the editor text to your printer.
F6 = Path... Use this option to change the current DOS path listed
in the prompt box at top of your screen. This path
may also be changed through the edit window simply by
entering the new path and then press the F1 key.
F7 = Image.. Using this option will create a screen copy of the
current screen. You may view this image by re-sizing the
edit window.
F8 = Margin. Use this option to reset the right editor margin.
AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS File Switcher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(ESC)............... This option will return you to DOS.
To create a new file, simply select a blank line from the file list
by moving the highlight bar to the line you want to add a file
description to and then press the enter key. Enter the title or
description and then press enter. At this point you will be taken
back to the file list menu and your new file description will be
listed. To edit this new file, simply select it from the list again
and then press enter. At this time you will be taken to the options
menu.
The OPTIONS Menu.
================:>
This menu will present you with several options that will be
active only on the file that you have chosen.
(ESC)............... This option will return you to the main menu.
A........ This option will take you to the text editor that will
allow you to edit or change the chosen file listed at
the top of the screen. This editor is a full featured
text editor that includes block copy and paste options.
This editor is explained fully later in this manual.
B........ This option will install the file that you have chosen
to the root directory of drive C as the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file. You will be asked to verify all actions.
C........ This option will install the file that you have chosen
to the root directory of drive C as the CONFIG.SYS
file. You will be asked to verify all actions.
D........ This option will allow you to completely remove the file
listed at the top of screen. You will be prompted to
verify this action.
Page 17
-
Editor Options and Commands:
===============================:>
Home/End........ Move cursor to start/end of line.
Ctrl-Home/End... Move cursor to top/bottom of window.
PgUp/PgDn....... Display previous/next page.
Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn.. Display first/last page.
Ctrl-Left/Right. Move cursor by whole words.
Ctrl-Y.......... Delete the current line.
Ctrl-N.......... Insert a new line.
Insert.......... Toggle insert mode on/off.
Delete.......... Delete character at cursor location and move
text left one position.
Backspace....... Delete character at cursor location and move
cursor left one position.
Tab............. Move cursor right four positions.
Shift-Tab....... Move cursor left four positions.
Arrow Keys...... Move cursor one position in direction of arrow.
Enter........... Starts a new line.
If your system is equipped with a mouse, the editor window may be
re-sized as needed or moved about your screen.
To re-size the editor window:
1>- Placing the mouse on the arrow icon at the upper right corner
of the edit window and then clicking the left mouse button
will expand the window to full size.
2>- Placing the mouse on the upper left diamond icon on the edit
window and while holding the left mouse button down, you may
move the top and left side of the window.
3>- Placing the mouse on the lower right diamond icon on the edit
window and while holding the left mouse button down, you may
move the bottom and right side of the window.
4>- The edit window may be moved about on your screen by placing
your mouse on the ruler bar and then while holding the left
mouse button down, the window will follow your mouse movement.
Page 18
-
To copy a block. Move cursor to upper left corner of block then
while holding the shift key down move the cursor
right or down to lower right corner of block.
At this point pressing any key except the ESC or
delete key will copy block to clipboard. If you
press the delete key at this point the block will
be deleted and also copied to the clipboard.
Pasting a block. Move the cursor to the new location and then press
the Shift-Insert keys.
NOTE ! Block operations may also be accomplished with
a mouse.
Also Once a block has been copied to the clipboard
you may return to the files menu, reload or create
a new file then from the options menu choose
option (1) to load this new file into the editor
and then paste a previously saved block to this
new file. Also saved blocks may be copied between
the batchDOS editor and the system file editor.
fastmenu GOLD Phone Book/Dialer.
===============================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Esc.................... Use this option to exit the phone book module.
(I)nsert............... Use this option to insert a new record to
the phone book.
The new record will be inserted just above the highlight
bar. If the highlight bar is at bottom of file, the new
record will be added to the end of the file. If you want,
you can insert a new record ahead of an existing record
by moving the highlight bar to that record, then choosing
the insert option. After choosing the insert option you will
be given a new slot to enter the information for this
record. You can move freely between fields with the Up/Down
arrow keys. When finished press the Tab key to save it.
(C)hange............... Use this option to change or correct an
existing record.
To change a record, just move the highlight bar to the
record that you want to change, then choose the (C)hange
option. After selecting this option, you may move freely between
fields with the Up/Down arrow keys.
(D)elete............... Use this option to remove an existing
record from the phone book.
To remove a record, just move the highlight bar to the
record that you want to remove, then choose the (D)elete
option. You will be prompted to verify this deletion.
Page 19
-
(S)ort................. Use this option to sort all records on
any field.
After choosing the (S)ort option you will be asked to choose
the field that you want to sort on. Do this by moving the
highlight bar to that field and then press enter.
(Q)uery................ Use this option when you want to locate a
record or group of records from the phone
book database. After selecting this option
you will need to select where you want the
results of this query sent, to screen,
printer in list form, or to mailing labels.
You will be presented with a screen to enter
search instructions. You may search on any
one field or a combination of fields. Records
found that match your search instructions
will be listed to screen one at a time with
options to Print, Edit, or Dial the phone
number.
(D)ial................. To dial a listed number, simply highlight the
entry that you want to dial and then press the
'D' key. At the same time pick up the phone
receiver and after the number has been dialed
just press any key to close the modem port.
(P)arms................ Use this option to setup optional modem parms.
Consult your Modem Manual on available command
options.
Up-Dn.................. These options represent the up and down
arrow keys.
Using them will move the highlight bar up or down one record
at a time. Continuing to hold one of these keys down will
cause the highlight bar to scan until you release the key.
PgUp-PgDn.............. These options represent the Page Up and
Page Down keys.
Using them will move the highlight bar up or down a full
page at a time. Continuing to hold one of these keys down
will cause the highlight bar to rapid scan until you release
the key.
NOTE ! The phone book module uses a file oriented database and
is limited in the number of records only by your disk
size. Also the sort routine uses a disk sort that does
not require calling all records to memory for sorting,
eliminating the need for large amounts of memory for
sorting a large database.
Page 20
-
Displaying PCX picture file during screen blanking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE !! fastmenu GOLD will only display the PCX format files saved
in the 640 x 480 16 Color VGA Mode.
All you need to do is copy the PCX files that you want displayed into
the same directory that you installed fastmenu GOLD to. They will be
displayed in the same order in which they are found in the directory.
If only one PCX file is found it will be continously displayed and the
user logo will also be displayed.
The delay time between the different files is determined by the amount
of time you set for screen blanking delay.
Setting up applications for the Alternate Applications MENU.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE !! This option was included with fastmenu GOLD under requests
from several users and shareware authors, to allow creating
applications designed especially to be ran through fastmenu.
ALSO When fastmenu executes an application through this menu, the
VGA (640 x 480 16 Color) screen mode is not switched back to
CGA. Therefore if you are installing an application to this
menu and it is not capable of running in VGA mode, there may
be problems unless the application switches the screen mode
internally.
To install an application to this menu, you must create a file with
a file extension of .APP. The filename can be any thing you want as
long as the extension of this filename is .APP. Install this file
in the same directory that fastmenu GOLD is using. The actual
application can be on any drive or directory on the system.
The following is a sample of the information that this new file must
contain.
---------------------------------------------------------------
DISKUTIL.APP
Disk Utility UTIL CUTILITY
---------------------------------------------------------------
| | ||
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
The above file is named: DISKUTIL.APP
The Title to this application is: Disk Utility
The executable filename is: UTIL
The Drive is: C
The Directory is: UTILITY
The application title starts at the first chatacter an can be no
longer than 32 characters.
Page 21
-
The Filename starts at character 33 and can be no longer than 8
characters. This filename is the name of the executable file for
the application you want ran. Do not include the file extension.
The Drive character is at character number 41 and is only one
character long. This drive character represents the drive that the
application is on.
The Directory name starts at character 42 and can be no longer than
8 characters. This directory represents the directory that contains
the application.
There is only one line in this file and a new file must be created
for each application you want listed to the menu. Just make sure
that you give each file a different and unique filename and include
the .APP file extension.
The applications will be listed to the menu in the same order they
are read from disk (Top to bottom).
NOTE !! A kit can be downloaded from the fastbytes BBS that has
some vga screen samples along with a sample application
and .APP file that may help in the design and setup for
applications created for fastmenu GOLD. (GOLDKIT.ZIP)
CALL: fastbytes BBS 419-588-3615 3/12/2400 N81
DISCLAIMER
Users must accept this disclaimer of warranty: This application is
supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or
implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of
merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no
liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from
the use of this application.
jwh: SoftWare
PO Box 410 9500 St.Rt.61
Berlin Heights, Ohio 44814
Phone (419) 588-3608
Page 22
-