home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
BBS Toolkit
/
BBS Toolkit.iso
/
qbbs
/
mm110.zip
/
MM110.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1990-06-18
|
34KB
|
775 lines
Menu Master(tm)
The Ultimate Menu Editor
For Supported BBS Systems
Majik Board(tm)
QuickBBS(tm)
RemoteAccess(tm)
Copyrighted (C) 1989,1990 by Dale Barnes
Version 1.10 Documentation
INTRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Menu Master is designed to make your life much easier when creating
and editing menus for supported Bulletin Board Systems. Making menus
with Menu Master has even been described as 'Fun'.
Currently Supported Bulletin Board Systems:
Majik Board(tm)
QuickBBS(tm)
RemoteAccess(tm)
Futures versions might support:
Enhanced Bulletin Board System(tm) "EBBS"
The Bread Board System(tm) "TBBS"
Menu Master is menu driven and has limited mouse support.
If you have used a version of Menu Master prior to v1.02 you will notice
a huge difference in look and feel. You may delete the old MMC.EXE
and MM.CFG files. They are no longer used.
Due to the failure of the shareware idea, Menu Master has an annoying
feature. There is a delay upon loading of un-registered versions.
It is not crippled in any other way. I apologize for adding the
delay 'feature' but Menu Master has become VERY popular, yet VERY few
have registered it. Registration is only $10. Please print the
PRINT.ME file for more information. If you are on a limited income
and can't afford the ten bucks, get in touch with me at the address
at the end of this file.
GETTING STARTED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Menu Master must be run from your BBS directory. It needs some
information from the following files.
Majik Board(tm) - (* Still in development *)
QuickBBS - QConfig.BBS, FlSearch.Ctl
RemoteAccess - Config.RA, Messages.RA, Files.RA
Also if you have both QuickBBS and RemoteAccess config files, Menu
Master will prompt you for which system to simulate. If you run
one or the other you can do the following. If Menu Master finds
either QBBS.Ctl or RA.Ctl in the same directory, then Menu Master
will run in the correct mode without prompts. This is of course
optional.
Load Menu Master by typing MM at the dos prompt and hitting enter.
------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Menu Master v1.10 |
| Menu Editor/Simulator For QuickBBS |
| Copyright (c) 1988, 1990 By Dale Barnes |
| Based on code by Rob Fletcher |
| |
------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
| |
| Registered To: |
| |
| Dale Barnes |
| 2459-A Meadow Ridge Lane |
| Montgomery, AL 36117 |
| |
| <Hit Any Key> |
| |
-------------------------------------------------
You will first be greated by this if you are registered. If not, you
will get the above and a clicking message asking you to register Menu
Master and a color change then you will be able to proceed after it
displays the "Hit Any Key" message. I must point out the registered
version does not have any delays or messages of any kind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| F1 Help <- Select Space Toggle |
| E:\MM\MENUS\*.MNU |
| Matching files: 32 Total bytes: 36573 |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| BINKLEY.MNU CBVMAN.MNU CECHO.MNU EBBSTEAM.MNU ECPROG.MNU |
| FILEAREA.MNU GOODBYE.MNU LOCAL.MNU MERCHANT.MNU MONT.MNU |
| MSGAREAS.MNU NETDEV.MNU NETMAIL.MNU PASCAL.MNU QUICKBBS.MNU |
| QUICKDEV.MNU SYSCHAT.MNU SYSOP.MNU SYSOP375.MNU TEST.MNU |
| TEST1.MNU TEST2.MNU TEST3.MNU TEST4.MNU TEST87.MNU |
| TEST88.MNU TEST99.MNU TESTIT.MNU TESTON.MNU TOP.MNU |
| TOP_2.MNU UTILITY.MNU |
| |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Sidekick like directory box will then appear after the intro like above
and is used thruout the program to select a menu. You can get help
with the dir box with the F1 key. Get use to seeing this box within
this program. When we refer to the SideKick(tm) type box, the above it
what we are talking about.
Use your cursor keys to highlight the menu you want to edit and
press ENTER. If you prefer, you can start typing the name of the
menu instead of cursoring to it. Entering a name the does not exist
will cause Menu Master to ask you want to create it. You can also enter
the name of a menu on the commandline and Menu Master will load that menu
without going through the directory display. If you have both QuickBBS/
RemoteAccess config files and did not use the .ctl files, you will be
prompted for which BBS System before going straight into the menu you
selected on the command line.
Example: MM MESS1
Loads the MESS1.MNU file into the editor.
Your menu is simulated for you constantly. Every change you make
will update the simulation. The simulation is preset to the below
levels depending on the BBS software supported and all flags ON:
QuickBBS - 32000
RemoteAccess - 64000
This is so you can always see exactly what you have in your menu
at all times.
STATUS LINE & FUNCTION KEYS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bottom line tells you what menu you are editing, what level and
flags settings the simulation is using, the time, and the simulation
toggles. The function keys change the simulation toggles.
Status Line Example:
F1:ANSI ON F2:Data Mode OFF F3:Numbers ON F4:Ctrl-A Mode OFF F5:Line Wrap OFF
BINKLEY.MNU S:32000 A:XXXXXXXX B:XXXXXXXX C:XXXXXXXX D:XXXXXXXX
As you can see from the example of the status line, you are told what
menu is currently being simulated along with security, flags and what
options are currently in use.
F1- Toggles ANSI or ASCII mode.
F2- Toggles Data mode. In data mode you are given brief information
about each menu option instead of the display text. Data mode is
very useful if you are making text file menus. (Ctrl-A type)
F3- Toggles the line numbers. Helpful in picking the correct line
to edit.
F4- Toggles Ctrl-A mode. In Ctrl-A mode the simulator will display
any text file that you may be using for the menu. You must have
a Ctrl-A type 40 menu option setup somewhere in the menu for this
to work. See the BBS documentation for more info on type 40
menus. Also will load type 1,2,4 menus with a Ctrl-A if this
option is ON. If you need to Edit a type 1,2,4 menu, turn OFF
this option and you will stop at that menu and be allowed to
edit the options in it.
F5- Toggles line wrap. If line wrap is ON you get a more accuate
simulation of what will display. Leaving line wrap OFF makes
editing menus with long display lines a little easier.
F6- Allows you to change the security and flags that the simulation is
using.
To change to another menu, simply hit the hotkey that activates it.
Menu Master supports the menu stacking of the supported BBS Systems as
well as displaying ASC/ANS files. You can move through your menus just
as if you were on your BBS. Other keys will pop up message boxes telling
you what that particular option will do on your board.
HOT KEYS
~~~~~~~~
Menu Master has its own set of hot keys that is uses to activate the editing
options. The command hotkeys are shown on the Menu Master main menus.
To activate the main menu hit ESC, F10, or the mouse button. You will
now see the below menu:
------Menu Master------
| File * Alt-F |
| Settings * Alt-S |
| Add * Alt-A |
| Delete * Alt-D |
| Insert * Alt-I |
| Edit * Alt-E |
| List * Alt-L |
| Global * Alt-G |
| Copy * Alt-C |
| Make * Alt-M |
|---------------------|
| HighLight * Alt-H |
| Prompt * Alt-P |
|---------------------|
| Quit * Alt-X |
-----------------------
All the above keys are HOT keys which can be called almost anywhere
within the program. We will explain each and every option here.
--- File ---
ALT-F
~~~~~
------Menu Master------
| File * Alt-F |
| Settings * Alt-S |
| Add * Alt-A |
----File Management---- | Delete * Alt-D |
| New Menu * Ctrl-N | | Insert * Alt-I |
| Save * Ctrl-S | | Edit * Alt-E |
| Rename * Ctrl-R | | List * Alt-L |
| Copy * Ctrl-C | | Global * Alt-G |
| Delete * Ctrl-D | | Copy * Alt-C |
| Write To * Ctrl-W | | Make * Alt-M |
| OS Shell * Ctrl-O | |---------------------|
----------------------- | HighLight * Alt-H |
| Prompt * Alt-P |
|---------------------|
| Quit * Alt-X |
-----------------------
Alt-F brings up the File management menu which gives you a few more
options that are explained next.
--- New Menu ---
CTRL-N
~~~~~~
Ctrl-N brings up the SideKick(tm) type box which you can either select
the menu you wish to edit or start typing the name of the menu.
--- Save Menu ---
CTRL-S
~~~~~~
Saves current menu without asking. No prompts at all.
--- Rename Menu ---
CTRL-R
~~~~~~
Enter Menu Name, ENTER For Directory, ESC To Abort
-----------------------------------------------------
|Rename What Menu? (.MNU Extention Assumed) ········|
-----------------------------------------------------
Ctrl-R asks you first what menu you would like to rename, if you hit enter
you will get the familiar SideKick(tm) box.
Enter Menu Name, ENTER For Directory, ESC To Abort
-----------------------------------------------------
|Rename What Menu? (.MNU Extention Assumed) ········|
-----------------------------------------------------
If you hit <enter> you will bring up the SideKick(tm) type box in which you
can select the menu you wish to rename.
Enter Menu Name, ENTER For Directory, ESC To Abort
-----------------------------------------------------
|Rename What Menu? (.MNU Extention Assumed) ········|
-----------------------------------------------------
|Enter New Name: (.MNU Extention Assumed) ········|
---------------------------------------------------
You can use the cursor keys to highlight the menu you wish to rename and
when you hit enter, you will be asked for the new name. Remember you can
always use <Escape> to exit out of this option.
--- Copy Menu ---
CTRL-C
~~~~~~
Select Menu To Copy
Copy menu allows you to copy one menu over the top of another or copy
to a new menu. The Sidekick(tm) type box will be displayed for you
to select the menu you wish to copy.
----------------------------------------------------------
|Destination Menu Name: (.MNU Extention Assumed) ········|
----------------------------------------------------------
You are now prompted for the menu name to copy TO. Be careful using
this as you may copy a menu over one you wanted to use.
--- Delete Menu ---
CTRL-D
~~~~~~
This one you can use to delete files/menus in your menu directory or
your backup files. You will see the SideKick(tm) type box and just
highlight the menu or type the name and when you hit <enter> the menu
will be deleted.
----------------------------------
|E:\MM\MENUS\BINKLEY.BAK Deleted.|
----------------------------------
You will NOT be prompted for "are you sure?" so be careful!
--- Write To Menu ---
CTRL-W
~~~~~~
-------------------------------------------------------------
|Enter Name To Write To. (.MNU Extention Assumed) : TEST····|
-------------------------------------------------------------
Used to copy the entire menu that is currently loaded to another
menu name.
---- Shell to DOS ---
CTRL-O
~~~~~~
Menu Master Shell Active. Type EXIT to Return.
The IBM Personal Computer DOS
Version 3.30 (C)Copyright International Business Machines Corp 1981, 1987
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1981, 1986
[Menu Master v1.10 Shell]
C:\MM>
Not much to say here. This option allows you to shell to DOS, check on
a few things, etc. Remember to type EXIT to return to Menu Master(tm).
--- Settings ---
ALT-S
~~~~~
-----Simulate Settings------
| ANSI Mode * F1 - On |
| Data Mode * F2 - Off |
| Line Numbers * F3 - On |
| Ctrl-A * F4 - Off |
| Wrap Lines * F5 - Off |
|--------------------------|
| Sec/Flags * F6 |
----------------------------
This just pulls up another menu which shows you what keys control what
you see but you also see this at all times on the status line.
--- Add ---
ALT-A
~~~~~
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Editing Entry #: 9 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
|123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345 |
|········································································· · |
| |
|Optional Data: |
|··········································································· |
| |
|Menu Type---=>0· |
|Security----=>5···· -----------------------Keys In Use------------------------|
|Key---------=>? |??SRE?MA ||
|ForeGround--=>15 ----------------------------------------------------------|
|BackGround--=>0· |
|A Flags-----=>-------- =====================Shift-FKeys====================== |
|B Flags-----=>-------- | F1-┌ F2-┐ F3-└ F4-┘ F5-─ F6-│ F7-├ F8-┤ F9-┴ F10┬ | |
|C Flags-----=>-------- | (Use ALT-FKeys To Change Charset) | |
|D Flags-----=>-------- ====================================================== |
| |
| [F1] to Finish and Save Changes |
| [ESC] To Abort Changes To This Entry |
| [HOME]-Beginning of Line, [END]-End of Line, [INS]-Toggle Insert Mode |
| [F2]-Center Display Line, [F10]-Menu Type Help |
| |
---------String To Appear On Menu, ^String^ Makes String HighLighted------------
This brings up the heart of Menu Master(tm) which allows you to edit
everything in a menu. Here you can change prompts, colors, displayed
strings etc. Once you used this a little bit, you will master this in
no time at all.
--- Delete ---
ALT-D
~~~~~
--------------------------
| Delete Start Entry:1· |
| Delete Ending Entry:1· |
--------------------------
If you wish to delete parts of a loaded menu, then use this feature
and you can delete one entry or all of them so be careful when using
this feature.
--- Insert ---
ALT-I
~~~~~
-----------------------------
|Insert Before What Entry?1·|
-----------------------------
This allows you to add entries to a loaded menu, just tell it where
to load it and you will then be put into the editing screen to add
the needed information like below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Editing Entry #: 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
|123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345 |
|··········································································· |
| |
|Optional Data: |
|··········································································· |
| |
|Menu Type---=>0· |
|Security----=>5···· -----------------------Keys In Use------------------------|
|Key---------=>? |??SRE?MA ||
|ForeGround--=>7· ----------------------------------------------------------|
|BackGround--=>0· |
|A Flags-----=>-------- =====================Shift-FKeys====================== |
|B Flags-----=>-------- | F1-┌ F2-┐ F3-└ F4-┘ F5-─ F6-│ F7-├ F8-┤ F9-┴ F10┬ | |
|C Flags-----=>-------- | (Use ALT-FKeys To Change Charset) | |
|D Flags-----=>-------- ====================================================== |
| |
| [F1] to Finish and Save Changes |
| [ESC] To Abort Changes To This Entry |
| [HOME]-Beginning of Line, [END]-End of Line, [INS]-Toggle Insert Mode |
| [F2]-Center Display Line, [F10]-Menu Type Help |
| |
---------String To Appear On Menu, ^String^ Makes String HighLighted------------
---Editing Entrys---
ALT-E
~~~~~
=====================
|Edit Which Entry?1·|
=====================
You will then be presented with the editing screen. This much like
the one used before so the commands should be easy to remember.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Editing Entry #: 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
|123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345 |
|=> Utility Area <=························································· |
| |
|Optional Data: |
|··········································································· |
| |
|Menu Type---=>0· |
|Security----=>1···· -----------------------Keys In Use------------------------|
|Key---------=>? |??CEPLSTGV?M ||
|ForeGround--=>7· ----------------------------------------------------------|
|BackGround--=>0· |
|A Flags-----=>-------- =====================Shift-FKeys====================== |
|B Flags-----=>-------- | F1-┌ F2-┐ F3-└ F4-┘ F5-─ F6-│ F7-├ F8-┤ F9-┴ F10┬ | |
|C Flags-----=>-------- | (Use ALT-FKeys To Change Charset) | |
|D Flags-----=>-------- ====================================================== |
| |
| [F1] to Finish and Save Changes |
| [ESC] To Abort Changes To This Entry |
| [HOME]-Beginning of Line, [END]-End of Line, [INS]-Toggle Insert Mode |
| [F2]-Center Display Line, [F10]-Menu Type Help |
| |
---------String To Appear On Menu, ^String^ Makes String HighLighted------------
Editing entrys works just the same as menuedit with a few
exceptions. At any time you can hit the F10 key to get pop-up
help with menu types. You can cursor or mouse down to the menu
type that you want and the appropriate number will be placed in
the menu type field.
You can put special characters in your display text using the
SHIFT-Fkeys. Change the current ASCII set used with the ALT-FKeys.
The ASCII sets used are identical to those used in Thedraw.
The keys in use are always shown so you
dont put the same key in twice. You can enter any number for the
menu colors, however, unpredictable results will occur if you use
values outside of 0-15 for Foreground and 0-7 for background.
Black ... 0 DarkGray ..... 8
Blue .... 1 LightBlue .... 9
Green ... 2 LightGreen ... 10
Cyan .... 3 LightCyan .... 11
Red ..... 4 LightRed ..... 12
Magenta . 5 Yellow ....... 14
Brown ... 6 White ........ 15
LightGray 7 Blink ........ 128
You can save the entry with either F1 or the [END] key. [ESC]
takes you out without saving the current changes.
--- List ---
ALT-L
~~~~~
--------------------
|List To Printer? N|
--------------------
You will be prompted for this list to go to the printer, if you answer
no, it will be displayed to the screen.
1 Str:[M]essage Section
Menu Type:1 Sec:5 Key:M ForGround:7 BackGround: 0
DATA:msgareas
FLAGS> A:X------- B:-------- C:-------- D:--------
2 Str:[O]nline Games
Menu Type:1 Sec:5 Key:O ForGround:7 BackGround: 0
DATA:Merchant
FLAGS> A:X------- B:-------- C:-------- D:--------
3 Str:[L]ogoff BBS
Menu Type:1 Sec:1 Key:L ForGround:7 BackGround: 0
DATA:Goodbye
FLAGS> A:-------- B:-------- C:-------- D:--------
4 Str:[P]age Sysop
Menu Type:11 Sec:5 Key:P ForGround:7 BackGround: 0
DATA:Paging the Sysop Now...
FLAGS> A:X------- B:-------- C:-------- D:--------
Press Any Key To Continue or ESC to Stop...
--- Global Changes ---
ALT-G
~~~~~
You will be prompted for the type of data to globally change. Use the
cursor keys to select the type. (Note: ESC gets you out of just about
anything in MM) You will be prompted for the search data and then the
data to replace it with. Then you will select the menu(s) in which to
make the changes. The spacebar toggles the menus to change. There
are lots of on-screen instructions so just play with it to get the hang
of it.
--- Copy Menu ---
ALT-C
~~~~~
-----------------------------------------
| Copy Range Start Entry:1· |
| Copy Range Ending Entry:1· |
| Copy Range Before What Entry:1· |
| Delete Source Entries?Y |
----------------------------------------|
This allows you to copy sections of a menu and move them to another part
of the menu and either delete the old parts or just copy.
--- Make Menu ---
ALT-M
~~~~~
This is a VERY powerfull command. You can make all your message board and
file area menus with just a few keystrokes using the menu creator this is
more for QuickBBS than RemoteAccess since QuickBBS thru 2.64 do not support
templetes that RemoteAccess. If you run RemoteAccess you can still use
this but you would be better off to read the documentation that comes with
RemoteAccess and using the editor in Menu Master, create and test with
Menu Master.
Upon entering the creator you will be asked if you want to make <M>essage
or <F>ile menus.
No matter which one you chose, you will be asked the name of a 'source
menu'. This is a special menu that you must make. All menus that are
made during this run will be based on this source menu. The source menu
should look just like any other menu with a few exceptions. If this is a
message area source menu, dont put any board numbers in the data fields
for types 23 through 27. Menu Master will put the correct data in these
fields. If you do put something there, Menu Master will ignore the entry
and leave it the same in each menu it makes. If its a file area source
menu, dont put any data for types 29 through 34. Menu Master will fill
in the correct path for each menu it makes.
You may want the same path on a certain command. For instance the
<U>pload command. You want all uploads to go to a certain directory. Just
fill in the path for this command in the data field and Menu Master will not change
it for each menu it makes.
On the text line of a menu entry you can put a (ASCII 1) character and
the maker will put the area name in place of it in each menu it makes.
You can also put the in the prompt of the source menu.
Example:
Message Area
Would turn out to be:
Hard Drives Message Area
if you happend to have included that message area in your creation run.
If you place a '|' character as the LAST character in the display text
of the source menu, the maker will automaticly center the display line.
During the make run, Menu Master goes through each area you have selected
to create, It looks at each entry in the source menu and checks to see if
it needs to have some special information added to the data field. It
also checks the display text for the special control-a and pipe character.
If it finds an entry in the source menu that needs some special data, it
inserts it. IE: if you were making message menus and it found a type 27
(post message) entry AND you left the data space blank for that entry, it
would insert the proper message board number in the data field.
Now you are probly wondering, How does it know what information
to put in each menu?
--- Make Menu (con't) ---
For message menus, it gets the information from Config files. After typing
in your source menu name, it reads the config and presents you with a
selection screen where all your message areas are listed. If a board has
a checkmark next to it, it will be created on this run.
Toggle the boards with the spacebar.
When you have chosen all the boards that you want to create hit ENTER.
Each menu will be simulated as it is made. Menu Master will put the board
name as defined in the config files everywhere you put a in the source menu
and the board number in the data field everywhere it finds a type 23-27 command
in the source menu. It will NOT put the board number in the data field of
an entry if you already have something there.
You might want the option <L>eave Feedback on each message menu.
That is a type 27 (post message).
In your source menu you could enter the appropriate
board number in the data field of that entry along with /T=Your_Name and
Menu Master will not change it in each menu it makes.
Menu Master will name each message menu it makes MESSxxx Where xxx is the
board # defined in Qconfig for QuickBBS or Messages.RA for RemoteAccess.
The menu it makes for board 4 would be called MESS4.MNU.
For file menus Menu Master gets the information from a control file for QuickBBS
and a binary file for RemoteAccess. For QuickBBS, each line of the control file
should have the following format.
QuickBBS uses: <path> <sec> <AreaName>
You can use your FLSEARCH.CTL file for the control file for QuickBBS only.
After specifing the control file name, you will be presented with a
selection screen similar to the message area one. Menu Master will put
the AreaName as defined in the control file everywhere it finds a in
the source menu display text and the appropriate path everywhere it finds
a type 29-34. It will save the menu with the name FILExxx where xxx is
the line number in the control file. Up to 200 file area menus can be
defined in one control file. This should help those with CD-ROM drives
make thier menus quickly. Some sample source menus are enclosed.
I know this sounds complicated but once you play with it a little, there
is nothing to it. Experimentaion is the key to success with the Make
option. After a little experimentation youll get the idea of how
powerfull this feature is.
--- Highlight ---
ALT-H
~~~~~
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| HighLight ForeGround Color:7· HighLight BackGround Color:0 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you use the ^ in your menus this command controls what color you
see. The supported BBS systems currently use this to "highlight" text
in the menus.
An Example would be "^~^ Minutes Remaining" would highlight the ~ (time left
to user) in the color picked by the Alt-H command. This information will
be saved (if you choose) in Record[0] of the menu record in the Type and
Sec area.
--- Prompt ---
ALT-P
~~~~~
1: => Utility Area <=
================================================================================
| Prompt String:Command: ··················································· |
| |
================================================================================
This feature allows you to change what the user will be shown while waiting
for a command to be typed. This can be almost any type of string so you can
play around with it and change it as much as you like!
--- Quit ---
ALT-X
~~~~~
Only if Menu Master "thinks" a menu has been changed will it prompt you
to save it before exiting, otherwise just exits back to DOS.
Source Code:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source code is not available this time but maybe in the future.
If you are interested in purchasing the rights/ownership of Menu Master,
please contact me below with your offer.
The End!
~~~~~~~~
Thats it for the docs. Everything else if self explanatory. Have fun!
Thank you for using Menu Master.
Dale Barnes
PO Box 230203
Montgomery, AL 36123-0203
Data 205-277-3437 Fido (1:375/11)
Menu Master(tm) is copyrighted by Dale Barnes, Majik Micro Systems.
Majik Board(tm) is copyrighted by Dale Barnes, Jim Perry.
QuickBBS(tm) is copyrighted by Ultimate Software Technologies, Inc.
RemoteAccess(tm) is copyrighted by Continental Software, Ltd.
EBBS(tm) is copyrighted by Tony Hsieh.
TBBS(tm)is copyrighted by eSoft, Inc.
SideKick(tm) is copyrighted by Borland Int'l.