home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Falcon 030 Power 2
/
F030_POWER2.iso
/
ST_STE
/
MAGS
/
ICTARI03.ARJ
/
ictari.03
/
GFA
/
MENUMAKE
/
MENUMAKE.DOC
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1992-03-07
|
9KB
|
231 lines
---- MenuMaker v1.0 ----
(test release)
This is the first public release of a small utility that I wrote for my
own use to aid the making of GEM menus within GFA Basic a lot quicker,
and for the beginner, a lot easier. I have tried to make it as easy to
use as possible but as it was originally written for myself you might
find some of the menu options and prompts a little confusing. Hopefully
this document should help.
-- Copyright Stuff --
Version 1.0 is totally Public Domain. All I ask is that the program file,
MENUMAKE.PRG, and this MENUMAKE.DOC file stay together. All future
releases of MenuMaker will be released as Licenceware and will be
available through any PD library that is a member of the PD
Confederation. ONLY version 1.0 is available from anywhere.
--- How It Works (or Does It Work?) ---
When you first try to save any work you have done, the program will
create a folder on the root directory of the drive from which the program
was started, this also includes hard drives, called MENUMAKE. In this
folder all the files created will be stored. The idea of this feature is
to keep all the menu files and final source code in one directory instead
of all over the place, this is if your anything like me anyway. When you
create a menu it can be saved as raw data so it can be re-loaded at a
later date and added to or changed. When it is saved as code a GFA Basic
file in ASCII format, should have a .LST extension, is created. This code
can be merged into GFA Basic and run immediately. The only thing you have
to add is the routines for your program. There are certain do's and
dont's but I will explain these in their specific sections later. When
you are creating the menu any entries can have the routine that they are
to call entered, this is optional and the final source code will have
Procedure and return commands for them ready made, also the function
within GFA Basic that calls a Procedure when it is selected will be
included, again, this is only if the procedure to be called was entered
into MenuMaker. If no procedure was entered the only code created for
that entry is for the actual code needed to create the display menu, not
the call routines. Examine the source code to see how it works if you are
a beginner. Throughout the creation of your menu you can always see what
the finished product will look like as there is a test menu function, so
there is no need to keep saving the source code and having to merge it
into GFA Basic. The code produced has been tested on GFA Basic v2.0 and
v3.6 and it worked without any problems, SO FAR. Whenever any code is
created it will always allow the maximum of 6 desktop accessories to be
selected from the first menu list. You do not have to enter any details
about these as the program will do it automatically.
The following sections will try to explain what each menu option does and
how to use it. Each section title will show the menu heading and the menu
entry to be found under it.
Info
----
GFA MenuMaker
This is just a small information screen. Any desktop accessories loaded
will be displayed below this line.
File
----
Load Menu Info
Loads a raw menu data file.
File
----
Save Menu Info
Saves a raw menu data file.
File
----
Quit MenuMaker
Need I say more? The option to save any work is given before quitting.
Options
-------
Clear Present Menu
*** USE WITH CAUTION *** Any menu data held in memory will be deleted so
make sure any work you have done has been saved. This is used to clear an
old menu so a new one can be started.
Options
-------
Add New Menu Heading
You will be prompted for a menu heading name. This is the text displayed
above the line all the time. As you enter them MenuMaker will create the
menu bar in the same order from the left. There can be a maximum of 10
menu headings but you must be careful not to go off the end of the
screen.
Options
-------
Delete A Menu List
You can delete a complete dropdown menu by choosing the menu heading. Use
this function with care. Once a list has been deleted the existing menu
details that came after it are moved into its place. Any deleted list
cannot be recovered, unless it was saved on disk.
Options
-------
Add To Menu Heading
From here you can create the part of the menu that drops down. First you
are asked to enter which menu heading you want to add to. If it is the
first heading you can only add 1 item because of having to reserve space
for any desktop accessories. This is a feature of GEM that cannot be
changed. Any other headings can have up to 20 entries. After you have
entered this you can then enter the name of the procedure to be called.
This is optional, but if it is entered the appropriate GFA commands to
call this procedure are created when the menu is saved as code. Also the
procedure command and return are done. All you need do then is insert
your own code in between these two lines for example:-
you enter the menu name as TEST and the procedure as TESTONE.
Menumaker will create the code to check if TEST was chosen from the menu
and if so will branch off to the line PROCEDURE TESTONE, after which your
code will be run and then the last line entered by MenuMaker which will
be RETURN which will go back to monitoring the menu again. Try it and
see. When you enter a procedure name you cannot have any spaces but you
can use the underscore, for example you cannot have TEST ONE but you can
have TEST_ONE.
Options
-------
Edit A Menu Entry
First you select the menu heading and then the menu entry. From here you
can change the menu entry and the procedure to call.
Options
-------
Delete A Menu Entry
As the name suggests you can delete a menu entry, First choose the menu
heading and then the menu entry to be deleted. All other menu entries
below the deleted one will be shifted to fill its space.
Options
-------
Test Menu So Far
You can see what your finished menu will look like without having to save
it and quit the program. The screen colours will change to the default
desktop colours and your menu bar will be shown, complete with the
dropdown menus. Move the mouse over the menu headings to see what they
will look like. This is a new feature written in for the v1.0 release. To
return to the 'REAL' menu just click the right mouse button. Any changes
or deletions you make will always be shown here so keep checking your
menu.
Right, I think that's about it. Hopefully most things will be simple
enough to follow, but I remember when I first started to program menus in
GFA and it took me hours to get it the way I wanted it, this utility
should make life that bit easier. Not only that, IT'S FREE.
I am more than welcome to receive any letters giving me suggestions and
ideas to make the program better and easier to use, or even a letter
letting me know if the program was of any use to you. As I am a member of
the PdC (Public Domain Confederation) as a Licenceware programmer all
future versions will be available from PdC PD Libraries. One of which is
Jennix PD which can be contacted at 66 Abbey Rd, Strood, Kent, ME2 3QB.
Alternativly you can send me Two Pounds and your address and I will send
you the next version, when it's done. Any users who give me ideas which I
use will be mentioned in the program, now is your chance to get your name
seen by hundreds of ST users, well 2 anyway, Me and You!
Thanks to the following:-
ST Format -
It was the GFA Surgery section that made me release the program as I
was suprised at the amount of questions asked about GEM menus, also for
giving us ST users a great magazine, I get mine every month, DO
YOU?
Nick Klee -
A good friend who runs Jennix PD and first suggested that I release
some of the programs I have written, both his catalogue and invoice
programs are by me, and for introducing me to the PdC.
GFA Basic -
This must be the Rolls Royce of the basic programming languages. In
my 10 years of computing as a hobby I have never used or admired a
program as much as I do this. If only all things were as good as GFA.
YOU! -
For taking the time to read this document and for possibly trying
out the program. Please let me know what you think. Just a letter
of appreciation (no money) will mean a lot.
Finally and most importantly -
My wife, Geraldine -
Thanks for my 2 wonderful sons, Richard & Daniel, and for putting up with
me being on the computer all night. I love you... This mush is killing
me. The truth is as long as she gets her go on Llamatron every now and
again, she's happy.
The Author ( Thats me ! ) : Mark Matts
66 Telford Way
Leicester
LE5 2LX.
------------------------*-------------------------