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THE HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM USER GUIDE Version 4.54 January 1993 MicroFox Company Post Office Box 447 Richfield OH 44286-0447 U.S.A. Developed by Jim Hass, MicroFox Company The Hard Disk Menu System (HDM) is the "push-button-easy" menu system you need. Once HDM is set up, you start programs and organize your files with a press of one or two keys. HDM is: * Compatible * Fast * Powerful * Flexible * Network-Ready * Affordable HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ORDER INFORMATION For additional information on licensing the Hard Disk Menu System, see the order form in Appendix G or contact: MicroFox Company P.O. Box 447 Richfield OH 44286-0447 U.S.A. Voice & Fax (216) 659-9489 CompuServe 73057,3113 HDM LICENSE AND DISCLAIMER The Hard Disk Menu System is the copyrighted property of Jim Hass. MicroFox Company grants you a limited, non-exclusive license to use this copy of HDM. You do not have the right to transfer the title of ownership nor do you have the right to copyright any of these materials. The author makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, the author reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of the author to notify any person or organization of such revision or changes. ABOUT THIS MANUAL This manual was written and designed by Keith Aleshire of Computer Consumer Services Inc. A freelance computer journalist and technical writer, Mr. Aleshire delivers affordable documentation services to software authors. For more information, please call 612-949-0977. Copyright 1992, Jim Hass (MicroFox Company). All rights reserved world wide. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Inc. dBase is a registered trademark of Borland International. DR-DOS is a registered trademark of Digital Research Corp. IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corp. Lotus and 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corp. Microsoft, MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. NDOS is a registered trademark of Symantec Corp. Novell is a registered trademark of Novell Corp. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corp. page 2 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ORDER INFORMATION 2 HDM LICENSE AND DISCLAIMER 2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL 2 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 8 To understand a procedure 9 GETTING STARTED 9 What is shareware? 10 WHY USE HDM? 11 Compatible 12 Powerful 12 Flexible 12 Networkable 12 Affordable 12 System Requirements 13 Key Files 13 Three Easy Steps 13 INSTALLING AND STARTING HDM 14 To install HDM 14 Running HDM 15 To start HDM 15 To exit HDM 16 To return to HDM 16 Customizing HDM 16 On-Line Help 17 USING HDM 18 The Structure of HDM 18 Opening the Top Menu 19 Selecting a Menu Entry 20 Creating Menu Entries 21 To build a menu entry manually 21 To auto-build a menu action 22 Using Tilde (~) & Braces ({ }) in a Menu Action 23 Modifying Menu Entries 24 To change a menu entry 24 To duplicate a menu entry 24 To erase a menu entry 24 To move a menu entry 25 To switch two menu entries 25 Seeing Your Menu Actions 25 To see your menu action 25 Saving Your Changes 26 To save your changes manually 26 Undoing Your Changes 26 page 3 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Menu Action Macros 27 To create a menu action macro 27 Sophisticated Macros 28 Modifying Menu Pages 30 To compress a menu page 30 To erase a menu page 31 To import (duplicate) a menu page 31 To rename a menu page 32 To swap two menu pages 32 Tracking Activity 32 Security and Networks 32 CUSTOMIZING HDM 33 Changing the Look of HDM 33 To change the borders of HDM 33 To change HDM's colors 33 To change the date and Top Menu 34 To change lines User Menu & Page Index 35 To change your menu design 35 To add, change or delete title lines 35 To change your wallpaper 36 To change the date and time (& format) 36 Global Settings 36 To confirm exiting to DOS using F3 36 To hide empty menu pages 37 To hide empty menu entries 37 To keep cursor wrapping to same menu pg 37 To add, delete or change timed execution 38 To run menu entry upon logging onto HDM 39 To start a menu entry from AUTOEXEC.BAT 40 To change the inactive execution 41 To run a menu entry upon logging off 41 Changing the Keyboard and Mouse Cursors 42 To change the rate of blinking cursor 42 To change the speed of mouse cursor 42 Modem Changes 43 To set your serial port and phone type 43 Screen Blanker 43 To set up your screen blanker 43 Adding Your Own Logo 44 Home-Made Help 44 Startup Options 44 After the HDM Command 45 DOS Environment Variables 47 Other Environment Variables 48 page 4 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 USING FUNCTIONS 49 Using Tilde (~) & Braces ({ }) in Menu Actions 49 Order of Evaluation 49 Function Reference 50 &#, {&#} or {&# parameter1 parameter2 ... parameter9} 50 %# or {%#} 51 %0 or {%0} 53 ~ (Tilde) 53 ! (Exclamation Point) 53 || (Double Vertical Line) 54 @@batch-file 55 {?}, {??}, {?prompt} or {??prompt} 56 {%environment variable%} 58 {BEEP} 58 {BEEP!} 59 {CK drive-letter} 59 {COLOR foreground background} 60 {CONFIRM} or {CONFIRM prompt} 61 {CURSOR start-line end-line} 61 {DEFAULT reply-to-prompt} 62 {DELAY #} 62 {DIAL [modem-cmd1~...modem-cmd15~] phone-number} 63 {DIR}, {DIR!}, {DIR path\mask}, {DIR! path\mask} 65 {EXIT} or {QUIT} 67 {FILE}, {FILE!}, {FILE path\mask} or {FILE! path\mask} 67 {GETPROJECT} 69 {KEY k1 k2 ... k15} 69 {LOGOFF} 72 {MENU ###} 72 {NOCLEAR} 73 {PROJECT} 73 {REBOOT} 74 {RETURN} 74 {RUN program/command/batch-file} or {RUN! prgram/command/batch-file} 75 {SELECT MenuTitle~Choice1~...~Choice15} or {VSELECT MenuTitle~Choice1~...~Choice15} 76 {SETPROJECT project-data} 77 {STEP} 78 {USER} 78 TRACKING PROJECTS AND PEOPLE Using HDM.LOG 79 To activate the log file 79 Viewing HDM.LOG 79 Tracking Projects 80 page 5 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Using {GETPROJECT} to Enter a Project Name 81 Using {PROJECT} to Retrieve a Project Name 81 To add project name to your Title Box 81 Using {SETPROJECT} with Projects 82 Creating Reports 82 To load HDM.LOG (or any log file) 82 Using Filters 83 To select certain records for display 83 To save displayed list to a log file 84 Designing Reports 84 To create a report format 85 To set up filters for your report 85 To set your report length and width 86 To print your report to the screen 86 To print your report to a printer 86 To print your report to a file 87 ADDING SECURITY 88 Selecting Your Level of Security 88 An Open System 88 A Secure System 88 Security by the Numbers 88 Creating Security Levels 90 To create or change a security level 90 Adding Users 91 To add or change user accounts 91 To change your logon password 92 Restricting Access 92 Hierarchy of Security 93 To hide or restrict access to Top Menu 93 To restrict access to a pull-down menu 94 To restrict use to a menu entry, menu page or menu file 95 To prevent changes to a menu file 95 Removing Security 96 To remove security 96 USING HDM ON A NETWORK 97 Separate X.BATs 97 A Different Directory 97 A Different File Name 97 Sharing Local and Network Menu Files 98 Automated Logins 99 Automatic Logoff 100 To create an automatic logoff 100 Other Tips 100 page 6 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 HDM MENU STRUCTURE 101 Pull-Down Menu Commands 101 MENU (Alt-M) 102 PAGE (Alt-P) 103 SECURITY (Alt-S) 103 LOCAL (Alt-L) 105 GLOBAL (Alt-G) 106 EXIT (Alt-X) 107 APPENDIX A: OVERVIEW OF DOS 109 Popular Terms 109 DOS: From the Command Line 110 APPENDIX B: IMPORTANT TABLES 111 HDM Keystrokes and Key Combinations 111 Startup Switches 116 After the HDM Command 116 DOS Environment Variables 118 Picking Colors 119 Choices for the {KEY} Function 119 APPENDIX C: COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 121 APPENDIX D: ERROR MESSAGES 125 APPENDIX E: TECHNICAL SUPPORT 129 Program Distribution 129 HDM Upgrades 129 APPENDIX F: NEW FEATURES 130 New and Improved Functions 130 New Startup Switches 130 Improved Pull-Down Menus 131 New Pull-Down Menu Commands 131 Other Enhancements 131 APPENDIX G: ORDER FORM 132 User Information 133 MasterCard and Visa Orders 133 page 7 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Thank you for choosing the Hard Disk Menu System. You've taken the first step toward making your computing easier and more efficient. With a keystroke or two, you'll be able to start your favorite programs. If you are unfamiliar with DOS, we recommend you read Appendix A: "Overview of DOS". Before you continue, you should be familiar with the following conventions: MENU CHOICES: This program accesses pull-down menus. However, you can also access the same menus from "shortcut" keys. NOTE: For your convenience, this manual lists the shortcut keys for each pull-down menu choice in parentheses. KEYSTROKES: Throughout this documentation, we mention key combinations such as "Ctrl-F10" and "Alt-M." This means to HOLD DOWN the first key and PRESS the second. Remember that F1-F12 are the special function keys found on the top or left side of your keyboard. For example, F1 is NOT the two keys "F" and "1". OTHER KEYS: The Hard Disk Menu System uses other keys to do certain functions. They are: * Esc (Escape key) - usually exits you from a menu or feature. If using a mouse, press the right mouse button instead of Esc. * Up/Down arrows - move the cursor from one line or menu choice to the next. * Home - jumps the cursor to the start of a line or menu. * End - jumps the cursor to the end of a line or menu. * F1 - displays the Help menu and screens. * F10 - displays the Top Menu where all pull-down menus are located. * Alt-F10 - displays the last used pull-down menu. NOTE: All keystrokes and key combinations for HDM are listed in a table in Appendix B. page 8 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 MOUSE SUPPORT: HDM fully supports Microsoft- and Logitech-compatible mice. To "click" on an object on the menu screen, move the mouse block pointer to one of the "hot spots" listed below. Then, press the left mouse button. Pressing the right mouse button always cancels the current procedure, just like pressing the Escape (Esc) key. Most newer mouse drivers will allow you to reverse the actions of these two buttons. * Click on any entry in the HDM main screen, Top Menu, pull-down menus, or any other menu using the left button to start that entry. * Click on any key assignment at the bottom of the screen or at the bottom of any window to perform the action of that key. * Click on the top Date/Time line to open the Top Menu. * Click on the upper right corner of the screen for Help. * Click outside an open window to close it or just press the right mouse button no matter where the mouse cursor is located. * Click on the up or down arrows to move the cursor bar up or down the menu entries. Click on the left or right arrows to move the cursor bar through the Page Index. * You can adjust the vertical and horizontal motion sensitivity of the mouse from the Global pull-down menu. PROCEDURES: Step-by-step procedures are marked by a heading preceded by two exclamation points (!!) and usually the word "To." An example of how a procedure looks is: !! To understand a procedure DOS COMMANDS: Commands are usually preceded by the words "At the DOS prompt:" and consist of a command followed by the phrase "(press Enter)," which means to press the Enter key. (The Enter key is the L-shaped key found on the right side of your keyboard). Here's an example: DIR (press Enter) GETTING STARTED The Hard Disk Menu System, or HDM, is a powerful yet flexible menuing system. It puts a friendly face on the Disk Operating System, or DOS. Yet, HDM is NOT a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program. This program was first developed in 1982 by Jim Hass of MicroFox Company. In 1986, HDM became a shareware, or "try-before-you-buy" program. Registered users receive a page 9 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 published, illustrated and fully indexed version of this manual, a license for the number of copies registered, and the latest version of this software. They also receive additional programs from MicroFox are the first customers to receive notices of major upgrades to HDM. WHAT IS SHAREWARE? The user supported software concept (also known as "Shareware") is an attempt to provide quality software at low cost. Both the user and author benefit from this plan. The user will benefit by being able to "test drive" software thoroughly before purchasing it. The author benefits by being able to enter the commercial software market while avoiding the high cost of commercial distribution. This concept helps many independent authors and small companies that otherwise would be discouraged from developing and promoting their ideas. It can only work with your support. If you obtain a user supported program from a friend and are still using it after a few weeks, then it is obviously worth something to you, and a registration fee should be paid. This software is distributed under the user supported software concept. Though HDM is copyrighted, you are encouraged to copy and distribute this program to others. You are granted a 30-day limited license to test drive the Hard Disk Menu. After the 30 day trial period a registration fee is required for continued use of HDM or else you must stop using the Hard Disk Menu and remove from your system. See Appendix G for more information about registering HDM. page 10 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 WHY USE HDM? Using DOS can be frustrating. When you start your computer, the screen is blank except for the DOS command line, which may look as bare as this: C:\> Typing the commands that tell DOS what you'd like it to do can be cryptic and confusing. For example, here's a command to simply copy a file from one subdirectory to another and verify the copying went smoothly: COPY C:\WP\LET\PCR\WORD.REV C:\WP\MISC\ /V (press Enter) The Hard Disk Menu System, or HDM, doesn't require you to "speak" the DOS language. HDM is an easy-to-use DOS shell (or menu system) that runs on top of DOS. This helps the person unfamiliar with DOS without slowing the more proficient user. Like a restaurant menu, HDM gives you a way to choose quickly what you want to do. HDM bypasses DOS so computing is enjoyable and useful. However, the Hard Disk Menu System is not a memory-resident program. When you run a program using HDM, HDM gets out of memory completely so that all system RAM (random access memory) is available to your program. When your program finishes, HDM is automatically called back into memory. HDM has virtually unlimited potential. You can have up to 1,000 menu files containing 26 menu pages each. Each menu page can have up to 10 menu entries. Altogether, HDM allows you to choose from up to 260,000 entries. You use the Hard Disk Menu System in two ways: You simply can use the menus that someone has already created or design your own, either automatically or manually. HDM is "push-button easy." Once set up, HDM lets you start programs and organize your files with a press of one or two keys. For example, you could press the letter "S" and "1" to start your spreadsheet program and load your budget worksheet. Thousands of customers find HDM: * Compatible * Flexible * Powerful * Fast * Networkable * Affordable page 11 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Compatible * Runs any DOS or Microsoft Windows application, including memory-resident programs (TSRs). * Compatible with monochrome, Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA, XGA, etc. * Compatible with MS-DOS, PC-DOS, DR-DOS, NDOS and 4DOS. Powerful * Allows you to design up to 260,000 menu entries and 1000 menus. * Stack many programs, DOS commands and functions in a single menu entry. * Point-and-shoot mouse control. * Built-in screen-blanker with custom message. * Requires no memory (NOT A TSR!). * Include file and directory lists with menu entries. * Passes keystrokes to programs. Flexible * Set defaults and prompt the user for input, directories and file names. * Reorganize menu pages and entries easily as your needs change. * Customize colors, borders, menus, windows and help screens. * Extensive on-line help that can be customized. * Temporarily exit to DOS. * Inactive and timed execution to run programs automatically. * Built-in phone dialer for Hayes-compatible modems. * Customizable logo screen, title lines, menus and help. * Builds menus automatically with Auto Build. Networkable * Built-in network support. * Multi-level security for commands, menus and users. * Provide multiple user log on/off with optional password protection. * Log and report usage of programs and projects. Affordable * Network, educational, corporate and site licenses available. * Technical support by phone, mail and CompuServe. * Purchasing information: 216-659-9489 VISA and MasterCard (EuroCard/Access) gladly accepted. page 12 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The Hard Disk Menu System requires: * Only 320K of RAM * IBM PC/XT/AT, PS/1, PS/2 or compatible computer * DOS 2.0 or later * Monochrome, Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA, XGA video adapters If desired, you can use HDM with a Microsoft- or Logitech-compatible mouse, or other pointing device. HDM supports common networks like Novell, 3COM, Banyan, Token-Ring, TOPS, etc. KEY FILES HDM relies on these primary files: * HDM.BAT, the batch file that starts HDM. * HDM4.EXE, the main HDM program. * X.BAT, the batch file that returns you from the DOS command line to the exact point from which you left HDM. * HDM.CFG, the file that contains the global settings for all HDM menu files. * HDM.000-HDM.999, HDM menu files. * HDMHELP.EXE, the HDM help file. * HDMLIST.EXE, the HDM Report Module. * DIAL.EXE, the phone dialer utility. THREE EASY STEPS To use HDM, follow these steps: 1. Install HDM onto your computer. 2. Run HDM.BAT. 3. Customize your menu entries and HDM options. page 13 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 INSTALLING AND STARTING HDM Installing and using HDM is very easy. !! To install HDM 1. Put the diskette in your disk drive (we'll assume drive A). 2. Type the following: A:INSTALL (press Enter) NOTE: If you are using your second floppy disk drive, substitute "A:" with "B:". If you have a previous version of HDM, the Install program saves all your previous settings. 3. Change your installation drive and directory information using F2. The HDM logo appears. By pressing the F2 key, you can change the install-from or install-to disk drive and directory. Otherwise, press the Enter key to begin the installation. The default directory is C:\HDM. 4. Decide if HDM should start automatically. If you want HDM to start every time you turn on your computer, you need an AUTOEXEC.BAT (or startup) file. The last two lines of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file should read: CD \hdm HDM where "\hdm" is the directory where you instructed HDM to be installed. The Install program can add these lines for you. With your permission, Install will look for the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and change it. If one is not found, Install will create one for you. The program also adds the HDM directory to your PATH statement so the X.BAT file - which is used to return to HDM after a menu choice is run - can be easily found. Below is a sample AUTOEXEC.BAT modified by the Install program: ECHO OFF PROMPT $P$G PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\HDM CD \HDM HDM page 14 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 If you are using DOS (disk operating system) older than version 3.30, HDM uses COMMAND.COM (or 4DOS) to run batch files. If COMMAND.COM is in your root (main) directory, then add the following to your AUTOEXEC.BAT before starting HDM: PATH c:\ where "c:\" is the path to where your COMMAND.COM file is located. If you use DOS 3.30 or greater, the above path command is not necessary because the DOS CALL command will be used to run batch files instead of COMMAND.COM. 5. Press F2 to reboot your computer or any key to quit. If your AUTOEXEC.BAT file was modified by the Install program, you should press F2 to restart your computer so that HDM can be loaded. RUNNING HDM If you allowed the Install program to modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, HDM will begin every time you start your computer. If you just installed HDM, you'll need to restart your computer so it can be loaded automatically. Otherwise, use the next procedure: !! To start HDM The HDM program must be started from the directory that contains the HDM files. 1. Change to the directory where HDM was installed: Type: CD \hdm (press Enter) where "hdm" is the name of the directory where HDM was installed. HDM is the default directory. 2. Type: HDM (press Enter) This starts the HDM program. The opening screen of HDM features the HDM logo and registration information. You can change this logo to your own by changing the HDM.HDR logo file. For more information, see the "Customizing HDM" chapter. Press any key to continue to the main HDM screen. page 15 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 !! To exit HDM 1. Press F10 to open the Top Menu. 2. Press "X" to open the Exit menu. 3. Press "X" to exit HDM or move your cursor to the choice "eXit HDM". NOTE: A quicker way to exit is to simply press the shortcut key F3. !! To return to HDM After you've exited HDM, you can quickly return using the batch file called X.BAT. The X.BAT file is called the temporary work file because it keeps track of what you were working on in HDM before you exited. The X.BAT is also an important tool used to run your menu selection and to return you to the spot from which you ran that menu selection. 1. From the DOS prompt, type: X (press Enter) X.BAT runs, returning you to HDM. NOTE: Network users may be especially interested in the "SET X=" environment variable. With it, users can have temporary work files with unique names, instead of "X.BAT". See the "Using HDM on a Network" chapter for this and other tips on using HDM with a network. CUSTOMIZING HDM You can customize HDM when you start by either adding extra parameters (or switches) after the word "HDM" or using DOS environment variables. What can you customize? You can: * Jump to or automatically start a specific menu entry. * Display free disk space for a certain drive. * Tell HDM where a backup copy of the menu file is kept. * Go to a certain directory when you press F3 to exit to DOS. * Specify a global path where HDM's configuration file is located. * Use a certain logo screen or not use one at all. * Enable HDM to use up to 16 background and foreground colors. * Disable the date and time from being constantly updated in the page 16 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 main HDM screen. * Keep track of what you or others use in HDM in a special log. * Load a specific menu file instead of the default HDM.000. * Save keystrokes from the DOS keyboard buffer for use with HDM. * Change the color of the screen border. * Specify the path where the menu entries and variables are stored. * Read a user ID from the named DOS environment variable to automate the user logon procedure. * Increase the speed of the screen. * Set the video mode to monochrome (black and white). * Set the path where HDM's temporary work file is stored. For information on using these switches, see the chapter "Customizing HDM" later in this manual. ON-LINE HELP HDM includes on-line help (on-screen help text) so you can be somewhat free of the documentation. To use it, press F1 or use your mouse to click on the Help choice in the lower left corner. A list of help topics are displayed on the left side of the screen. You can move up and down through the help topics or press the letter of the topic you want to view. The information on that topic will be displayed in the window on the right. NOTE: You can also create your own help screens for menu entries and menu files. In the "Customizing HDM" chapter, we discuss how to do this. The sample files A1.000 and HELP.000 on your distribution disk are examples of such customized help. page 17 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 USING HDM The Hard Disk Menu System has almost unlimited potential. You can have up to 1,000 menu files containing 26 menu pages each. Each menu page can have up to 10 menu entries. Altogether, HDM allows you to choose from up to 260,000 entries. HDM has three components: * 1000 menu files. * 26 menu pages in each menu file. * 10 menu entries in each menu page. When you design a menu file, menu page or menu entry, you provide its description. THE STRUCTURE OF HDM In the figure below is the basic design of HDM. Date Time Mode ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ ┌─│Menu Page Security Local Global Exit │} Top Menu (F10) ┌─│ ├──────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ├─│ │ ├─│ │ User Defined Titles │} Title Lines │ │ │ │ │ │ ├───────────────┬──────────────────────────┤ │ ├─│A Page Desc. │1 Menu Entry Description │ ├─│K│B │2 │ │U│L│C │3 │ │V│M│D │4 │ │W│N│E (26 PAGES) │5 (MENU ENTRIES) │} User Menu │X│O│F (PER FILE) │6 (10 PER PAGE) │ │Y│P│G │7 │ │Z│Q│H │8 │ │ │R│I │9 │ │ │S│J │0 │ │ │T├───────────────┼──────────────────────────┤ │ ├─│ HDM.000 │ █ <--Choice? HDM V.VV │} Version Number ├─│ └─────────^─────┴──────────────────────────┘ │ └───────────│────┴──────────────────────────┘ └─────────────│───┴──────────────────────────┘ │ Current Menu File (HDM.000) HDM allows up to 1000 menu files, HDM.000 through HDM.999. page 18 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 When you start HDM, menu file HDM.000 is displayed unless you specify otherwise from your startup file. Each menu file contains 26 menu pages, one for each letter of the alphabet. The menu pages for HDM.000 are listed on the left side of the screen. The text following each letter you provide to describe each menu page. This list of menu pages is called the Page Index. On the right side of the screen are 10 numbered menu choices for the current menu page. The text after each choice describes that menu entry. This is called the User Menu. NOTE: The design of the HDM main menu can be changed so the Page Index is on the right side of the screen. See the chapter "Customizing HDM" for the procedure to change this. At the top of the screen is the Title Box. The Title Box can contain text to describe the menu file or it can contain your name. See the chapter "Customizing HDM" for more information on how to do this. Each menu entry can start a program, run a batch file or execute any DOS command. An entry also can perform multiple steps that can include the possibilities above plus special HDM functions and macros. For example, one menu function checks if a diskette is in the floppy drive. These menu functions are described in detail in the "Using Functions" chapter. OPENING THE TOP MENU Either pressing the F10 or slash key (/) displays a horizontal menu at the top of the screen. Pressing Alt-F10 or the backslash key (\) can be faster since it opens the last pull-down menu used. If you use a mouse, simply click on the top line of the screen. This is called the Top Menu. The Top Menu is used to customize the design and security of HDM. The Top Menu includes the following pull-down menus: Menu, Page, Security, Local, Global and Exit. Below are the choices and what they do: * MENU - adds, changes, deletes, moves, copies or switches menu entry descriptions and their associated menu actions. When you first use HDM, you use this menu to create menu entries for your applications. * PAGE - renames, copies, switches or removes menu pages. * SECURITY - set up several people to use HDM, such as adding page 19 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 user IDs, security levels and passwords. * LOCAL - customizes HDM for the current menu file, such as colors, border lines, date formats, etc. * GLOBAL - customizes HDM for ALL menu files, such as mouse speed, phone parameters, etc. * EXIT - leaves HDM, temporarily exits to DOS to run other programs or batch files, or prints usage reports. SELECTING A MENU ENTRY The power of HDM centers around the individual menu entry. The menu entry is the choice that runs your program file, batch file or special HDM function. It also can run a combination of these. In other words, selecting a menu entry causes some specific action to happen. You start a menu entry by either pressing its number or moving the cursor to it and pressing the Enter key. If using a mouse, simply point to it and press the left mouse button. Each menu page is limited to 10 menu entries, so you may need to switch to another menu page. You change between the 26 menu pages by pressing the PgUp or PgDn keys to move to the previous or next menu pages, respectively. To go to a specific menu page, press the A through Z keys to go directly to that lettered page. NOTE: HDM will only go to a menu page that has at least one menu entry in it. To go to that menu page, first add a menu entry to it. If using a mouse, you can point to the menu entry and press the left mouse button. With some HDM pull-down menus, you may need to refer to a specific menu entry on a specific page. A simple two-character style is used-the letter of the page followed by the menu entry. For example, the 4th menu entry of page C would be called "C4." To go to another menu file, you must use the function {MENU ###}. The menu files are numbered from zero to 999. For more information about HDM functions, see the chapter "Using Functions." page 20 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 CREATING MENU ENTRIES Each HDM menu entry has two parts: * Menu description. The menu description is displayed on the screen to describe the menu entry choice. When adding menu entries, you provide the description. The description can be up to 48 characters long. * Menu action. The menu action is the part of the menu entry that tells HDM what to do. The user of the menu does not see this part of the menu entry. The menu action can contain anything that you would normally type to run a program or place in a DOS batch file. You also can use special HDM functions and macros that give you additional flexibility and power. These functions are described in detail in the "Using Functions" chapter. You can build a menu action two ways: * Manually. * With Auto-Build. !! To build a menu entry manually 1. Select "Add Entry" from the Menu menu (Ins). 2. Type a number or move your cursor to the empty menu entry where you want to add one and press Enter. If using a mouse, click on the choice with the mouse pointer. 3. Enter a description of up to 48 characters for the menu entry and press Enter. 4. Enter the menu action. The menu action can be up to 255 characters long and can contain multiple steps. Each step is separated from the others by the tilde (~) character. EXAMPLE: If you were using a batch file that went to your BASIC directory and loaded the programming game GORILLA, then you normally would type: C: (press Enter) CD \BASIC (press Enter) QBASIC GORILLA (press Enter) page 21 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 The equivalent menu action would look like this: C:~CD \BASIC~QBASIC GORILLA~ 5. Press F2 to save your menu entry. The menu description you entered now is displayed in the menu entry you added. 6. If desired, test your menu entry. !! To auto-build a menu action When you add or change a menu action, HDM can build the menu action for you automatically with Auto-Build. 1. Select "Add Entry" from the Menu menu (Ins). 2. Type a number or move your cursor to the menu entry you want to add and press Enter. If using a mouse, click on the choice with the mouse pointer. 3. Enter a description of up to 48 characters for the menu entry and press Enter. 4. Press F4. A window is displayed in which you type the following: * Drive where your program resides. * Directory where the program is located. * Program name (this must be a file ending in .COM, .EXE, .BAT or .BTM but you don't need to type these extensions). * Any extra parameters needed to run the program. EXAMPLE: If you wanted to run Microsoft Windows and load its clock automatically, you would type: Drive: C Directory: \WINDOWS Program: WIN Parameters: CLOCK 5. Fill in the blanks or search for your program. Complete the blanks as required. If you need to search for the program or batch file to run, press F4. HDM displays a list of drives and directories on the highlighted drive. Using the page 22 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 up/down arrows, move the highlight bar to the directory where you think your program is located and press Enter. To speed searching, you can jump to a specific directory or file by pressing the first letter with which it begins. By pressing the letter repeatedly, the cursor highlights the next directory or file that starts with that letter and then starts at the top again. Press F6 to toggle between sorting the list alphabetically or by date. Press Enter on the program name to complete the blanks in the Auto-Build window. If you want to change drives, press Esc and move the up/down arrows to a different drive and press Enter. 6. Press F2 to save your menu entry. The menu description you entered now is displayed in the menu entry you added. The menu action is built automatically for you. HDM even checks the drive and directory to make sure the program really exists there. NOTE: If you get a warning message that the file couldn't be found, make sure the directory begins with a back slash (\) and that everything is spelled correctly. 7. If desired, test your menu entry. Using Tilde (~) and Braces ({ }) in a Menu Action You may need to use the braces ({ }) or tilde (~) in your menu action for other purposes than for what HDM uses them. However, as seen above, these keys are reserved by HDM. If you need to use any of these characters for other purposes, use these substitutes: To use: Instead use: ======= ============ { Ctrl-Q } Ctrl-P ~ Ctrl-Z These special characters will be converted to the correct characters. page 23 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 MODIFYING MENU ENTRIES Once made, a menu entry can be modified in several ways. A menu entry can be changed, duplicated, erased, moved to another menu page and swapped with another menu entry. These actions can be done even if the menu entries are on different menu pages. NOTE: If the menu entry you want to change has a higher security level than your own, you must enter the password for the higher security level before you can change the menu entry. For more information, see the chapter "Adding Security" later in this manual. !! To change a menu entry 1. Select "Change Entry" from the Menu menu (F2). 2. Select the menu entry you want to modify. Select the number of the menu entry or highlight it and press Enter. If the menu entry is on a different menu page, press the letter of the menu page and then the number of the menu entry. 3. Edit the description and menu action. If you need help building the menu action, press F4 to auto-build it. Then, you can enter just the drive, directory, program and parameters and let HDM build the menu action for you. 4. Press F2 to save the revised menu entry or press Esc to cancel any changes. To test your changes, press Enter on the menu entry. !! To duplicate a menu entry 1. Select "Duplicate Entry" from the Menu menu (F4). 2. Select the menu entry you want to copy. 3. Select the empty menu entry where you want to place the copy. Select the number of the menu entry or highlight it and press Enter. If the menu entry is on a different menu page, press the letter of the menu page and then the number of the menu entry. !! To erase a menu entry page 24 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 1. Select "Erase Entry" from the Menu menu (Del). 2. Select the menu entry you want to remove. 3. If you want to erase the entry, press Enter. Otherwise, press Esc. The menu entry is erased (both its menu description and menu action) and the security level of that menu entry reverts back to "00." !! To move a menu entry 1. Select "Move Entry" from the Menu menu (F6). 2. Select the menu entry you want to move. 3. Select the empty menu entry where you want to place the menu entry. The menu entry is moved. The spot from which you moved the menu entry is left empty and its security level reverted back to "00." !! To switch two menu entries 1. Select "Switch Entries" from the Menu menu (F8). 2. Select one of the two menu entries you want to swap. 3. Select the destination for the menu entry to be swapped. The menu entries are swapped, including their menu descriptions, menu actions and security levels. SEEING YOUR MENU ACTIONS Sometimes, you may want to move your cursor to various menu entries and view-but not change-their menu actions. Instead of pressing F2, which is used to change that entry, you can use a feature called Action Display. !! To see your menu action 1. Select "Action Display" from the Local menu (Shift-F1). The title lines in the Title Box at the top of the User Menu are replaced by the menu action of the highlighted menu entry. page 25 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 When you move your cursor to other menu entries, the menu actions for those entries are displayed in the title box. This choice acts as a toggle; choosing it again returns the title box to normal. Seeing your menu actions does not affect HDM performance or operation; you can leave this choice on as long as you'd like. NOTE: This choice only affects the current menu file, not all files. 2. To return the title box to normal, press Shift-F1 again. SAVING YOUR CHANGES You normally do not have to save your changes to your entire HDM menu system. Why not? HDM saves your changes automatically whenever you run a menu entry, return to the logo screen, press F1 for help or after one minute of not using the keyboard or mouse. If you want to turn your computer off or reboot it immediately, you may want to save your changes manually, rather than have HDM wait for one minute of inactivity. How do you tell if you have changes to save? An asterisk (*) appears in the lower right corner when there are changes yet to be saved. !! To save your changes manually 1. Select "Write File" from the Menu menu (Ctrl-F10). All changes made in HDM since the last save to disk are written to your system's disk. UNDOING YOUR CHANGES HDM lets you undo changes to menus and input fields (areas in which you type text or numbers). For menus, you can undo your changes by pressing Ctrl-U. To undo your changes, you must press Ctrl-U before your changes are written to your disk (while there is an asterisk displayed in the lower right corner). In an input field, your first new character automatically overwrites the information already in it. If you have not yet pressed the Enter key, you can restore the previous contents by pressing Ctrl-U. page 26 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 MENU ACTION MACROS Menu action macros make creating menu entries easier. A menu action macro allows you to recall up to 255 keystrokes you commonly use with only a few keystrokes. A macro can contain anything that is allowed in a menu action, including HDM's powerful functions. Each menu file (HDM.000-HDM.999) can have 10 local macros (0 through 9). These macros are created through the Local menu from the Top Level menu. These macros are called in a menu action by putting an "&" in front of the macro's number. For example, {&9} refers to macro #9. (The "&9" is called a macro name.) Any reference to the macro in the menu action is replaced by the contents of the macro. Besides allowing you to type keystrokes, these macros can accept up to nine parameters. NOTE: Parameters allow you to store and reuse certain information in a menu action. These parameters have many uses. For example, a parameter can contain the name of a file you want to copy to a diskette and then, in the same menu action, delete from your hard disk. But you only have to enter the name once since the parameter can be reused. (These parameters are similar to DOS batch file replaceable parameters.) In the menu action macro, you refer to the parameters by using a percentage symbol (%) followed by the number of the parameter. (This is called the parameter symbol.) Your menu action macro may look like this: {&# %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9} where "#" is the number of the macro. !! To create a menu action macro 1. Select "Menu Macros" from the Local menu (Shift-F6). 2. Move to the macro (0 through 9) that you want to create. For our example, select macro #1. 3. Create your macro. page 27 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 For example, imagine we wanted a macro to list certain types of files on drive A and then switch to that drive. You'd like to make this task a macro so you can re-use it on several menu pages without re-typing the commands. If we wanted to check for BASIC files (.BAS), we would type: {CK A}DIR A:*.BAS~PAUSE~A:~ NOTE: {CK A} is one of HDM's many special functions. {CK A} checks if there is a disk in drive A. It is friendlier than getting the DOS error message "Drive not ready." 4. Press F2 to save your macro. Now that you have created the macro, you can create your menu entry that uses it. 5. Press Insert (Ins) to create your menu entry. 6. Enter your description. For our example, enter "List Drive A." 7. On the menu action line, enter "{&#}", where "#" is the number of the macro you created. For our example, enter {&1}. 8. Press F2 to save your menu entry. Then test it by selecting it. SOPHISTICATED MACROS You can use your macro in more sophisticated ways. For example, you can use your macro with other functions. EXAMPLE: Let's use the {?prompt} function, which asks the user to make a selection. For example, {?Run BASIC: Enter number for drive 1=A:, 2=B:, 3=C:} asks you to type "1", "2" or" 3" for the drive number you want to use. The {?prompt} function is replaced by the number entered. Now, combine this with the macro symbol (&). In the menu action line of the menu entry, you would type: &{?Run BASIC: Enter number for drive 1=A:, 2=B:, 3=C:}BASIC~ page 28 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 When you run this entry, select: "1" (drive A). HDM then sees this: &1BASIC~ which translates into macro #1 and running BASIC, which is: {CK A}DIR A:*.BAS~PAUSE~A:~BASIC~ HDM then checks drive A to ensure a diskette is in it, lists all BASIC files (*.BAS), pauses, switches to drive A and runs BASIC. Using macros is quite simple but simply requires practice. NOTE: During the time that the above commands and programs run, HDM is completely out of memory, taking nothing away from your programs. When DOS is finished executing these commands and programs, HDM returns into memory. EXAMPLE: Here is another fancy macro that checks for certain files among several directories (\DOS, \BAT and \WP in our example). First, imagine macro #9 contains "C:~". The menu action in the menu entry contains: {&9 \*.{?Enter extension}}dir \DOS%1~dir \BAT%1~dir \WP%1~ The {?prompt} functions asks for a file extension to find. If "EXE" is entered, the menu action becomes: {&9 \*.EXE}dir \DOS%1~dir \BAT%1~dir \WP%1~ Next, the &9 is filled with the first macro (C:~). The "\*.EXE" becomes parameter %1, which creates the menu action: C:~dir \DOS\*.EXE~dir \BAT\*.EXE~dir \WP\*.EXE~ HDM then replaces the tildes with an Enter and gives the lines to DOS to run. The files ending with .EXE are displayed from those three directories. EXAMPLE: This next macro shows how the parameters work. Imagine your macro #3 is empty. Next, create the menu action: {&3 {?Enter some text}} Although macro #3 is empty, the {?prompt} function will be replaced by whatever you type. Since the {?prompt} function is page 29 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 INSIDE the macro, each word will take the place of the parameters %1 through %9. For example, if you typed "THIS IS A TEST," then: This parameter: Holds: ==================== ============== %0 THIS IS A TEST %1 THIS %2 IS %3 A %4 TEST Parameters %5 through %9 would, of course, be empty. NOTE: %0 is a special parameter that holds the complete reply to menu functions {?prompt}, {?}, {DIR}, {FILE} or {SELECT}. See the "Using Functions" chapter for more details about using %0. Refer to the "Using Functions" chapter for more information on using HDM's special functions in your macros. MODIFYING MENU PAGES Menu pages are just a collection of menu entries. Each menu page holds 10 menu entries. In each menu file, there are 26 menu pages, one for each letter of the alphabet. Once made, a menu page can be modified in several ways. A menu page can be compressed (so menu entries are closer together), erased, imported (copied), renamed or swapped with another menu page. NOTE: If the menu page you want to change has a higher security level than your own, you must enter the password for the higher security level before you can change the menu page. For more information, see the chapter "Adding Security" later in this manual. !! To compress a menu page 1. Select "Compress Page" from the Page menu (Ctrl-F1). 2. Select the menu page you want to compress. 3. Confirm your choice by pressing Enter, or press Esc to cancel. page 30 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 The menu entries, along with their security levels, are moved to the top of the menu page, placing the empty menu entries at the bottom of the menu page. If there were no empty entries or all the empty ones were already at the bottom, then nothing changes on the page. !! To erase a menu page 1. Select "Erase Page" from the Page menu (Ctrl-F2). 2. Select the menu page you want to erase. 3. Confirm your choice by pressing Enter, or press Esc to cancel. The menu entries on the menu page are erased. Also, the security levels of that page (and each menu entry on it) are reset to "00". If any of the menu entries have a higher security level that yours, HDM asks you for a password for the highest security level found. If you enter a correct password, all entries will be removed from the page. Otherwise, only the entries with security levels equal to or lower than your security level will be erased. !! To import (duplicate) a menu page 1. Select "Import Page" from the Page menu (Ctrl-F3). 2. Enter the menu file number (000 through 999) and page letter of the menu page you want to import. 3. Press F2 to import the menu page, or press Esc to cancel. You'll receive an error message if the menu file from which you're importing doesn't exist or was done in an older version of HDM. 4. Select a menu page where you want to place the copy. The menu entries from the imported menu page are copied to the current menu page, including their menu description, menu action and security level. Only the empty menu entries on the selected page will be filled. Existing menu entries will not be overwritten by the menu entries of the imported page. page 31 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 !! To rename a menu page 1. Select "Name Page" from the Page menu (Ctrl-F4). 2. Select the menu page you want to rename. 3. Enter a new name and press Enter. The new name of the menu page is displayed in the Page Index. !! To swap two menu pages 1. Select "Switch Pages" from the Page menu (Ctrl-F5). 2. Select the letter of one of the two menu pages to swap and press Enter. 3. Select the letter of the second menu page and press Enter. The menu entries of each page are swapped, including their descriptions, menu actions and security levels. TRACKING ACTIVITY HDM allows you to keep track of who uses what HDM menu entries and when. For more information on this feature, read the chapter "Tracking Projects and People." SECURITY AND NETWORKS HDM allows you to have up to 99 levels of security. See the chapter "Adding Security." For tips on using HDM with a network, see the chapter "Using HDM on a Network." page 32 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 CUSTOMIZING HDM You can customize several features in HDM, including: * Changing the look of HDM, such as colors and menu layout. * Hiding empty menu pages and entries. * Automatically executing menu entries. * Changing the keyboard and mouse cursors. * Changing your modem settings. * Creating your own screen blanker. * Adding your own logo in place of the HDM logo. * Creating your own help screens. * Configuring HDM each time it starts. CHANGING THE LOOK OF HDM You can change how HDM looks in many ways. You can: * Change the border lines around HDM windows (L). * Change HDM's colors (L). * Change how the date and Top Menu appear (L). * Change where lines appear in the User Menu and Page Index (L). * Change the positions and look of the User Menu and Page Index (L). * Add, change or delete title lines at the top of the main screen (L). * Change the character used for HDM's background wallpaper (L). * Change the system date and time as well as its format (G). Local changes, just affecting the current menu file, are indicated by an "L" within the parentheses. Global changes, affecting all menu files, are indicated by a "G." !! To change the borders of HDM 1. Select "Border Lines" from the Local menu (Shift-F2). 2. Select one of the four types of lines to use on the border: S - single lines D - double lines B - bold lines N - no lines !! To change HDM's colors 1. Select "Change Colors" from the Local menu (Shift-F3). page 33 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 2. Select which of the five items to change. Select which item whose color you want to change and press Enter. You can also press the first character (M, 1, 2, 3, S, R) of the item you wish to change. If you use a mouse, just click on your choice. Select "Restore Defaults" to reset all colors to HDM's initial values. The righthand box shows what your current colors look like for each item. 3. If changing a window or the main panel, select one of the eight color palettes. Choose a palette by moving the cursor to it and pressing the Enter key. You can also press the first letter of each palette (S, B, G, C, R, M, Y or W). 4. If creating your own palette (User Defined), change the colors of each of the five components. Move the cursor up or down to go to the different components, or press the first letter (E, F, W, T or B) of the one you want to change. Move the cursor left or right to choose the colors. If using a mouse, simply click on any one color in the row. Press F2 to save your new colors or press Esc to cancel. 5. If changing the status bar, select a color for both the foreground and background color. Move the cursor up or down to choose "Foreground" or "Background," and then move it right or left to choose the colors. When done, press F2 to save your color choices. 6. To restore your colors to their normal color, select "R" (Restore Defaults) from the first color menu and press Enter to confirm your choice. NOTE: If you want to change your cursor color, remember this simple rule: The cursor uses the reverse of the background color for its foreground and the foreground color as its background. !! To change the date and Top Menu 1. Press "Date/Top Menu" from the Local menu (Shift-F4). The date/Top Menu changes to a different look. You have three choices: date and time only, Top Menu commands only, or both date and Top Menu commands. page 34 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 NOTE: If you display only the Top Menu, the time will appear in the lower righthand corner. 2. Press Shift-F4 until the date/Top Menu looks the way you'd like. !! To change lines in your User Menu and Page Index 1. Select "Lines in Menu" from the Local menu (Shift-F5). The lines that separate menus changes to one of four choices, two if you are using the menu design that has shadows. NOTE: You can change your menu design by selecting "Switch Screens" from the Local Menu (Shift-F7), described next. 2. Keep pressing Shift-F5 until the lines appear where you want them. !! To change your menu design 1. Select "Switch Screens" from the Local Menu (Shift-F7). The positions of the User Menu and the Page Index are either swapped or shadowed. There are six different designs from which you can choose. 2. Keep pressing Shift-F7 until you have a menu design you prefer. !! To add, change or delete your title lines 1. Select "Top Box Titles" from the Local menu (Shift-F8). 2. Add or edit each of the four title lines and press F2 to save. To delete an entire title line, press Ctrl-Bksp. To restore a title line to its original contents BEFORE YOU LEAVE IT, press Ctrl-U. Besides entering text, you can use some variables and functions to customize the title lines. They are: * {USER} - Current HDM user that is logged on * {PROJECT} - Current HDM project name, if given * {%COMSPEC%} - Your command processor page 35 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 * {%PATH%} - Your DOS path * {%environment-variable%} - Other environment variables For example, if you enter "{USER}'s Menu" and the current user (from the User ID Security Table) is "Laura Lavish," then the title box will say "Laura Lavish's Menu." NOTE: Although there are four title lines, not all of them may appear, depending on the date/Top Menu choice and menu design you're using. See the previous few procedures to change these. !! To change your wallpaper 1. Select "Wallpaper" from the Local menu (Shift-F9). 2. Select one of the 255 ASCII characters to be your wallpaper background and press Enter. (ASCII 176 is the default.) !! To change the date and time (and format) 1. Select "Date and Time" from the Global menu (Alt-3). 2. Select the format for the date. You can select American (MM/DD/YY) or European (DD/MM/YY). 3. Select a format for the time. You can select standard (Hr:Mn am/pm) or Military (24 Hr:Mn). 4. If desired, change the date and time. Select either Date or Time. Enter new values and press F2 to save. The new date and time will be saved by your PC's clock. 5. Press F2 to save your changes, or press Esc to cancel. GLOBAL SETTINGS HDM has five settings that affect all menu files. They are: * Whether or not to ask for confirmation when exiting to DOS using F3. * Whether or not to hide empty menu pages in the Page Index. * Whether or note to hide empty menu entries in the User Menu. * Whether or not to wrap to the same page when using the cursor. * Whether or not to ask for the project name when starting HDM. !! To confirm exiting to DOS using F3 page 36 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 If you want every user to confirm whether they truly want to exit to DOS (using F3), you need to turn this feature on. For quicker exiting, leave this feature unselected. 1. Select "Global Settings" from the Global menu (Alt-4). 2. Press Enter on the choice "Confirm (F3) Exit HDM" until there is an "X" next to it. If using a mouse, simply click on your choice. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. !! To hide empty menu pages If you want to have empty menu pages not shown, therefore creating a "cleaner" looking Page Index, turn this choice on. 1. Select "Global Settings" from the Global menu (Alt-4). 2. Press Enter on the choice "Don't Show Empty Pages" until there is an "X" next to it. If using a mouse, simply click on your choice. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. !! To hide empty menu entries If you want to have empty menu entries not shown, therefore creating a "cleaner" looking User Menu, turn this choice on. 1. Select "Global Settings" from the Global menu (Alt-4). 2. Press Enter on the choice "Hide Empty Menu Entries" until there is an "X" next to it. If using a mouse, simply click on your choice. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. !! To keep the cursor wrapping to the same menu page Normally, HDM will let you move the cursor from the top or bottom of the User Menu to the next or previous menu page, respectively. In other words, moving the cursor down from the last menu entry of the current menu page takes you to the first occupied menu entry on the next menu page. Likewise, moving the cursor up from the current menu page takes you to the last occupied menu entry on the previous menu page. This cursor page 37 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 "wrapping" is an alternate way to move between menu pages besides pressing the letter of another menu page, pressing PgUp and PgDn, using your mouse, etc. If you want the cursor to wrap to the same menu page, use this procedure: 1. Select "Global Settings" from the Global menu (Alt-4). 2. Press Enter on the choice "Same Page Cursor Wrap" until there is an "X" next to it. If using a mouse, simply click on your choice. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. !! To ask for a project name when starting HDM If you are using the -L startup switch (described later) to track how HDM is used, you may want to have this switch on. Then each time HDM starts, you (and others) will be asked what project you are working on. When the -L switch is used, the HDM.LOG file will record the project name along with the user ID, date, time and menu entries that were run. For more information, see the chapter "Tracking Projects and People." 1. Select "Global Settings" from the Global menu (Alt-4). 2. Press Enter on the choice "Ask for Project Name" until there is an "X" next to it. If using a mouse, simply click on your choice. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. AUTOMATIC EXECUTIONS You can have HDM automatically run a certain menu entry when: * A recurring day of the week, day of the month or time happens. * Certain individuals log onto HDM. * HDM first starts. * HDM is isn't used for a certain amount of time. * An individual logs off HDM. !! To add, delete or change a timed execution A timed execution will automatically run a menu entry based on the day of the week or month and the time of day. For the menu entry to be run, you must be in HDM at the time. Once the timed execution warning window is displayed, you will have 15 seconds to cancel the running of the entry. Otherwise it will run as page 38 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 scheduled. 1. Select "Timed Execution" from the Global menu (Alt-9). 2. From the table, make your choice: * To add a new timed event, press Ins. If using a mouse, click on the first empty event or the word "Ins." * To change an existing event, highlight the event to change and press Enter. If using a mouse, click on the event. * To remove an event, highlight the event to remove and press Del or, if using a mouse, click on the word "Del." 3. If creating or changing an event, you have these choices: * Menu file number - Enter the file number where the menu entry to be run is located. * Menu entry - Enter the menu entry to be run. * Every week or month - Enter "W" for weekly or "M" for monthly. * Days - If you chose weekly, enter up to seven days of the week you want the entry run (1 = "Sunday"). If you chose monthly, enter up to seven numbered days of the month you want the entry run (1 = first of the month). * Time - Enter the hour and minute you want the entry run. Also enter whether this entry is to be run in the morning (am) or afternoon (pm). 4. Press F2 to save your timed execution. 5. Press F2 again to save the entire table of timed execution entries. !! To run a menu entry upon logging onto HDM HDM allows you to create User IDs to restrict who uses HDM. When you add these User IDs in the User ID Security Table, you can force each User ID to run a specific menu entry each time that User ID is used. For example, you can force certain users to run a menu entry that logs them onto a network. For more information about User IDs, please see the "Adding Security" chapter. 1. Select "User ID Security Table" from the Security menu (Alt-F9). 2. To add new users, press the Insert (Ins) key. To change information on an existing user, move your cursor to the user account you want to change and press Enter. page 39 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 3. Enter the following information for each user. * User ID * Menu file you want this user to first use when HDM starts. * Menu entry number you want automatically run for this user (optional). * Security level for this user (optional). * Whether or not to require a logon password for this user (optional). NOTE: Each individual's logon password is independent of the password required for their particular security level. For more information about setting security levels, see the chapter "Adding Security" later in this manual. 1. Press F2 to save your changes for this user. 2. Press F2 again to save your changes to the User ID Security Table. HINT: You can automate the logon process by using HDM's -U startup switch. You first set an environment variable that has the user's name and then refer to that variable in the startup switches for HDM or through the "SET HDM=" environment variable. EXAMPLE: Here is an excerpt of an AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SET HDMUSER=LAURA CD \HDM HDM -UHDMUSER or SET HDMUSER=LAURA SET HDM=-UHDMUSER CD \HDM HDM When Laura starts HDM, HDM automatically reads the HDMUSER variable and enters her User ID for her. Then, the menu entry that is set for her to run automatically after logging onto HDM is run. !! To start a menu entry from AUTOEXEC.BAT You can start a menu entry by adding switches to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The -A switch automatically runs the page 40 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 selection specified by the switch -Bp#, where "p#" is the page and menu entry A1 through Z0. You can use these switches as either parameters after the "HDM" line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file or as an environment variable. In the following examples showing both methods, the menu entry A3 will be automatically run when HDM is loaded: PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\UTILS; SET HDM=-A -BA3 CD\HDM HDM or PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\UTILS; CD\HDM HDM -A -BA3 !! To change the inactive execution An inactive execution will automatically run a menu entry after the keyboard or mouse is not used for a set number of minutes. Once the automatic execution warning window is displayed, you will have 15 seconds to cancel the running of the entry. Otherwise, the entry will run as scheduled. 1. Select "Inactive Execute" from the Global menu (Alt-5). 2. Enter the number of inactive minutes before the menu entry runs. 3. Enter the menu file number where the menu entry to be run is located. 4. Enter the page letter and entry number of the entry to be run. 5. Press F2 to save your changes. NOTE: To turn off the inactive execution, enter "00" as the number of minutes before automatic execution. !! To run a menu entry upon logging off You can have a menu entry automatically run when a user logs off HDM. The feature can also log the person off after a certain amount of inactivity. These two activities are independent of each other. You can have an automatic execution page 41 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 of a menu entry at logoff, automatic logoff after inactivity, or both. NOTE: This feature is similar to the "Inactive Execution" choice found in the Global menu except that it can force a menu entry to be run every time the user logs off HDM - even without inactivity. 1. Select "Log Off Automatically" from the Security menu (Alt-F7). 2. Enter the following: * Number of inactive minutes before logoff ("00" to turn off). * Menu file number containing the menu entry to run when the user logs off. * Page letter and entry number to run when the user logs off. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. NOTE: See the "Adding Security" chapter for more information about security and the individual commands available in the Security menu. Changing the Keyboard and Mouse Cursors You can change the blinking rate of the keyboard cursor as well as the sensitivity of the mouse. These changes are global, affecting all menu files. !! To change the rate of the blinking cursor 1. Select "Blinking Cursor" from the Global menu (Alt-1). 2. Select a number from 0 to 99 (slow to fast) and press F2 to save. (The default value is 77.) !! To change the speed of the mouse cursor 1. Select "Mouse Speed" from the Global menu (Alt-6). 2. Select the horizontal speed, from 0 to 99 (slowest to fastest). 3. Select the vertical speed, from 0 to 99 (slowest to fastest). 4. Press F2 to save or Esc to cancel. page 42 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 MODEM CHANGES You need to tell HDM what serial port your modem occupies (COM1 through COM4) and what type of phone line you have. When the {DIAL} function is used, HDM uses this information to dial phone numbers for you through your modem. !! To set your serial port and phone type 1. Select "Phone Parameters" from the Global menu (Alt-7). 2. Select a serial port from 1 to 4. 3. Select the type of phone you have, whether tone or pulse. 4. Press F2 to save. SCREEN BLANKER HDM has an automatic screen blanker. After a set number of minutes of inactivity, the screen is blanked out. This prevents the images of your screen from "burning" into the phosphor of your monitor after long periods of time. Also, you can enter a message to be displayed in various positions on the screen to remind you that HDM blanked out the screen. When the screen is blanked out, you can press any key to bring the hidden screen back. NOTE: You can blank the screen at any time you choose by pressing Ctrl-B. !! To set up your screen blanker 1. Select "Screen Blanker" from the Global menu (Alt-8). 2. Enter the number of minutes of inactivity before the screen blanker clears the screen. Entering "00" will keep the screen blanker from working. 3. You can also enter a message that will be displayed randomly in different colors when your screen is blanked. 4. If desired, press Ctrl-B to test your screen blanker. 5. Press F2 to save your changes. page 43 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ADDING YOUR OWN LOGO You can use your own opening logo screen by starting HDM with the -H startup switch and the path to your logo file. (More information about startup switches is found later in this chapter.) For example: HDM -HC:\DOS (press Enter) reads your logo from the HDM.HDR file in the C:\DOS directory. Your customized header or logo must be named HDM.HDR. If you do not enter a path to the directory where HDM.HDR is located, then this file must be in the same directory as the HDM.BAT and HDM4.EXE program. The first seven lines of the this file are placed in the top box of the opening screen (currently the HDM logo). The next seven lines replace the contents of the box in the lower half of the opening screen. Each line can be up to 40 characters long. If you use the -N startup switch, the logo/header screen will be skipped and you will go directly to the first menu screen-unless you force users to log on. HOME-MADE HELP You can also create custom help screens for each User Menu entry by creating a plain text (ASCII) file with a name that uses a combination of the menu entry page letter and entry number and the menu file number. For example, custom help for menu entry B5 in menu file HDM.333 would be named "B5.333." When F1 is pressed while the cursor is on that entry, your custom help text is displayed first, followed by the normal HDM help screens. You can also create a general help screen for each menu file named HELP.XXX, where "XXX" is the number of the menu file. For example, help text for menu file HDM.000 would be called HELP.000. The screen in this file is displayed if an individual help file does not exist for the menu entry. STARTUP OPTIONS If the last line of your AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file contains just "HDM" or if you simply type "HDM" to start HDM, you are using the basic HDM system. To support some features you want page 44 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 or to customize HDM upon starting the program, you have two choices: * Add extra parameters (or switches) after the HDM command. * Use DOS environment variables in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Below are command line and DOS environment parameters you can add to AUTOEXEC.BAT to customize HDM. Don't feel too overwhelmed, since HDM can operate without any of these changes. You may just want to use a few of these parameters. AFTER THE HDM COMMAND By entering parameters (switches) after "HDM" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you can customize HDM. Below is a template for the various commands available: HDM -switch1 -switch2 ... etc. where "switch1," "switch2," etc. is a combination of the switches. When done, your AUTOEXEC.BAT file may look like this: ECHO OFF PROMPT $P$G PATH C:\HDM CD \HDM HDM -CC:\BACKUP -EC:\UTIL -GC:\DATA -TC:\DATA -WC:\TEMP Each parameter you add should be separated by a blank space. Optional parameters are shown with brackets. When typing these parameters, omit the brackets. NOTE: In the following startup switches, "path" must include the drive letter. For example: C:\DIR\SUBDIR. Below are the switches from which you can choose: Switch Purpose ====== ======================================================== -A Automatically runs the selection specified by -Bp#. -Bp# Specifies entry to highlight in the User Menu. (p# is A1 through Z0). -Cpath Specifies path where a backup copy of the menu file is kept. -Ddrive Displays free disk space for the specified drive (-DC page 45 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 shows free space on C:). -Epath Exits to this path when you press F3 to exit to DOS. -Gpath Specifies global path to the configuration file HDM.CFG. This file contains the global settings for all menu files. -H[path] Reads header/logo screen from the HDM.HDR file in the HDM directory or in [path]. [path] is optional. -I Intensifies the background colors by allowing all 16 colors. The last 8 background colors become bright versions of the first 8 (for color monitors). This may not work with some video hardware. -K Disables key lock status from being displayed and the date and time from being constantly updated. Used to eliminate video bleed-through on multitasking systems. -L[path] Logs usage to the HDM.LOG file in the HDM directory or in [path]. [path] is optional. -M### Specifies menu file to be used when HDM is started, where "###" is any number from 0 through 999. -N Disables logo screen from being displayed when HDM is started. If a user logon is required, HDM goes directly to the logon window. -O Turns off the NumLock key when HDM starts. -Q Queues keystrokes in the DOS keyboard buffer when HDM starts or after returning from running a program. Normally, HDM clears any keystrokes so its operation is not affected. -S Sets screen border on color monitors. The border will match the background color of the Status Bar. This may not work well with some EGA video cards. -Tpath Specifies the path where the menu entries and variables are stored (HDM.000 to HDM.999, see -0 to -9 also) -Uname Reads a user ID from the named DOS environment variable to automate the user logon procedure. page 46 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 -VF Sets fast screen output for snow-less video boards. This parameter prevents HDM from waiting for your video card. This is the default except with CGA video systems. -VM Sets video mode to monochrome (black and white). Use this parameter to correct the problem of unreadable screens on laptops, portables and similar computers. -VS Stops static (snow) from displaying on the screen by waiting for your video card to draw the screen. This is the default for CGA computers. -Wpath Specifies work path where the temporary work file is stored. This work path must be in the DOS path statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT. -#path Similar to -T except this parameter specifies the path to each group of 100 menu files. -# is a number from -0 to -9. (-7 is for HDM.700-799). DOS ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES Instead of typing switches after "HDM," you can use a DOS environment variable to customize the program. This SET command must be in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file before starting HDM. Below is a template for the various commands available: SET HDM=-variable1 -variable2 ... etc. where "variable1," "variable2," etc., is any of the switches mentioned in the previous section. NOTE: Do not use spaces on either side of the equal sign. For example, your AUTOEXEC.BAT file may look like this: PATH C:\;C:\DOS;C:\UTILS;D:\RAMDISK SET HDM=-A -BF5 -Cc:\bkup -Ec:\dir -H -I -Wd:\ramdisk CD\HDM HDM page 47 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 OTHER ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES There are other environment variables you can use to customize HDM. * SET X= - Allows the use of another name instead of X.BAT (DOS 3.0 or above). You can rename the temporary batch file called X.BAT to another name (up to 8 characters). You will then have to type this new name to return to HDM after exiting to DOS. EXAMPLE: In this example, the temporary work file will now be named RETURN.BAT. You would then type "RETURN" instead of "X" to return to HDM from DOS: SET X=RETURN CD \HDM HDM WARNING: For the righthand side of "SET X=," don't use any DOS commands like "EXIT," "CALL," "RESTORE" or names already used, such as "HDM," "HDM4" or other program names you use. * SET name= - This command is used in conjunction with the -U startup switch. The variable to the left of the = sign (name) must be the same environment variable referred to by the -U switch. This DOS environment variable will tell HDM to automatically log on the User ID specified to the right of the = sign. EXAMPLE: In this example, HDM will not wait for the user to enter an ID at the logon window: SET HDMUSER=LAURA CD \HDM HDM -UHDMUSER -N "Laura" will automatically be entered by HDM. By also using the -N switch and not having a logon password for this user ID, HDM will go directly to the User Menu screen with "Laura" already logged on. For this automatic logon to work, "Laura" must be an entry in the User ID Security Table. page 48 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 USING FUNCTIONS HDM offers many powerful functions. Knowing how to use them and when will help you get the most from the program. NOTE: Remember that functions simply are replaced by their contents in a menu action. For example, if you are using the {FILE} function, which lets you select a specific file name, the chosen path and file name are substituted for that function. USING TILDE (~) AND BRACES ({ }) IN MENU ACTIONS Because the braces ({ }) are used to identify HDM menu functions and the tilde (~) is used to separate commands (the equivalent to the Enter key), they cannot be entered in the menu action as normal characters. If you need to use any of these characters for other purposes, use these substitutes: To use: Instead use: ======= ============ { Ctrl-Q } Ctrl-P ~ Ctrl-Z These special characters will be converted to the correct characters. ORDER OF EVALUATION Menu functions are generally handled from left to right in the menu action, but functions can be nested. Just like in math, functions in the inner braces are evaluated before functions in the outer braces. EXAMPLE: If macro #1 (&1) contains "COPY" and macro #2 (&2) contains "DELETE" and the entered filename is "MYFILE.TXT" then: {&1 {?Enter file name} C:\SAVE} %1 %2~&2 %1~dir %2~ becomes: COPY MYFILE.TXT C:\SAVE~DELETE MYFILE.TXT~DIR C:\SAVE~ In the previous example, note that the file name MYFILE.TXT becomes the first parameter (%1) and that c:\save becomes the second parameter (%2). EXAMPLE: Note that the following two menu actions do the same page 49 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 thing-they take you to the DOS directory. {default C}{?Enter drive}:~CD\{default DOS}{?Enter directory}~{exit} {?Enter drive{default C}}:~CD\ {?Enter directory{default DOS}}~{exit} The defaults in the inner braces are evaluated first. When the user is prompted for the drive, a "C" is in the input field. When the user is prompted for a directory, "DOS" is in the input field. The user can accept the defaults or enter something else. HDM then exits to that drive and directory and displays the DOS prompt. When you want to return to HDM, press X and press Enter. NOTE: If the name of X.BAT was changed by using the "SET X=" environment variable, then use the new name instead of X to return to HDM. FUNCTION REFERENCE Below is an alphabetical listing of functions available through HDM. Each function is listed with its general purpose, detail use and examples. ================================================================ &#, {&#} or {&# parameter1 parameter2 ... parameter9} FORMAT: {&1 THIS IS A TEST} OVERVIEW: Replaced by the contents of a macro (&0 through &9) and fills up to nine parameters in the parameter symbols %1 through %9. Each menu file allows up to 10 macros. The macro can contain a combination of program names, DOS commands and other HDM functions. DETAILS: This function replaces the macro name (&#) with the contents of that macro in the menu action where it is called. Macros are created from the Local menu from the Top Menu. The maximum number of parameters is nine, separated by spaces. If there are any parameters present, they are put in parameter symbols %1 through %9 and can be used anywhere in the macro itself or the menu action where the macro is used. If the macro has no parameters, then the braces around it aren't required. However, the braces affect when a macro is evaluated. Since a space is used to separate the parameters, any phrase that is used will have each word in a separate parameter. page 50 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 EXAMPLE: To create a macro that copies files to a disk in drive A, you first would define the macro under the Local menu. For example, you could define macro #8 as: COPY *.* A:~PAUSE~ Your menu action to use this macro would then be: C:~CD \123~&8CD \DBASE~&8 CD\MM&8 Each &8 is replaced by the macro's contents. What HDM runs is then: C: CD \123 COPY *.* A: PAUSE CD \DBASE COPY *.* A: PAUSE CD \MM COPY *.* A: PAUSE ALSO SEE: %# for more information on parameters. ================================================================= %# or {%#} FORMAT: %1 or {%1} OVERVIEW: Used with an HDM macro to give your program, batch file, DOS command or other macros more information when used, such as the name of a file to immediately load. This is replaced by the contents of parameters %1 through %9. DETAILS: This function is used with macros to provide more information to the macro. Whatever follows your use of a macro is placed in the macro's parameters %1 through %9. Items separated by spaces are placed sequentially in the next parameter: %1, %2, ... %9. Once placed in the parameter, the contents can be used in the rest of menu action, the current macro or in another macro. EXAMPLE: Imagine your macro &5 is: COPY C:\NEW\%1 C:\OLD\%1 page 51 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 And you create a menu entry with the menu action: {&5 {?Enter file to move:}}~DEL C:\NEW\%1~DIR C:\OLD\%1~PAUSE~ When this menu entry is run, HDM will ask: Enter file to move: If you type, BUDGET90.WKS, this file becomes the contents of the first parameter (%1). The menu action that is executed is: COPY C:\NEW\BUDGET90.WKS C:\OLD\BUDGET90.WKS DEL C:\NEW\BUDGET90.WKS DIR C:\OLD\BUDGET90.WKS PAUSE Note that the prompt function ({?Enter file to move}) is executed first because it is in the inner braces. The prompt is replaced by the file name BUDGET90.WKS which is then placed in %1 because it is the first (and only) parameter of macro &5. The {&5} is then replaced by the contents of the &5 macro. Each %1 in the menu action is replaced by BUDGET90.WKS, including the two that came from the macro and the two that were already in the action line. The file BUDGET90.WKS is moved from C:\NEW to C:\OLD and is displayed in the C:\OLD directory. By putting braces around the macro parameter {%#}, the parameter can be evaluated sooner, if needed. EXAMPLE: For example, the %1 parameter can be used in an immediate run function like the following: {&5 {?Enter file to move}}~{RUN! DIR C:\NEW\{%1}}~DEL C:\NEW\%1~ If the {%1} in the {RUN!} function didn't have the braces around it, the {RUN!} function would be executed before the parameter {%1} was replaced. DOS would try to run the command: DIR C:\NEW\%1 but would give you an error message. By putting the braces around the %1, it is evaluated before the {RUN!} is executed. DOS then properly runs: DIR C:\NEW\BUDGET90.WKS page 52 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ %0 or {%0} OVERVIEW: Used to contain the results of certain menu functions. DETAILS: %0 is a special purpose parameter used with the functions {?}, {?prompt}, {DIR}, {FILE} and {SELECT}. After executing one of these functions, %0 contains the input (or default) data. ALSO SEE: {?}, {?prompt}, {DIR}, {FILE} or {SELECT} for more details. ================================================================ ~ (Tilde) OVERVIEW: Used to separate programs and DOS commands. It is replaced by the carriage return/line feed (CR/LF) characters when the menu entry is run. DETAILS: The tilde character is used in a menu action to represent pressing the Enter key. Just as you use the Enter key to end lines in a batch file or to run a program after you type its name, you use the tilde to end or separate commands in a menu action. EXAMPLE: The menu action A:~COPY LIST.* B:~COPY EPSON.EXE B:~CHKDSK B:~PAUSE~ becomes A: COPY LIST.* B: COPY EPSON.EXE B: CHKDSK B: PAUSE If you need to use the actual tilde (~) in your program or command but not for its intended use with HDM, use Ctrl-Z. Pressing Ctrl-Z displays a double tilde, which is converted to a single tilde when the menu action is run. ================================================================ ! (Exclamation Point) OVERVIEW: When a menu entry is run, HDM normally leaves memory and lets DOS run the menu action. If an exclamation point (!) page 53 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 is used in the first position of the menu action, the menu action will run while HDM stays in memory (memory resident). Use this function for programs that require little memory. DETAILS: The exclamation point (!) used in the first position of a menu action will cause HDM to run the menu action while staying in memory. One advantage of this is that the menu action executes faster because HDM will not have to spend time to leave memory or to reload when the menu action is completed. There are some limitations to using the exclamation point. First, only smaller programs that will fit into memory alongside HDM can run. Second, you cannot start a memory-resident program (TSR) this way. In these cases, create your menu action without the exclamation point. EXAMPLE: You can use the exclamation point with simple programs: !C:~CD\NORTON~NORTON~ ================================================================ || (Double Vertical Line) OVERVIEW: Divides a menu action into segments that will run independent of one another. The segment after the double vertical line will start when the segment before the double vertical line has completely finished. DETAILS: Two vertical lines in a menu action cause HDM to run the menu action up to that point as if that were the end of the action. HDM then returns to resume the menu action. You can use as many double lines as needed in one menu action. One good use of the double vertical line is to go to another menu file or to run another menu entry. To put the double vertical line in your menu action, hold down the shift key and press the \ (backslash) key twice. EXAMPLE: The double vertical lines can ensure that one function is not run before another. Imagine your menu action is: C:~CD\QUICKEN~Q~||{CONFIRM Backup?}COPY C:\QUICKEN A:~ After running Quicken, HDM asks you if you want to back up your Quicken personal finance files. If you answer YES, the files are copied to diskette. If the answer is NO, then you are returned to HDM. page 54 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 For network users, the double vertical lines can be used like this: C:~CD\NETWORK~LOGIN~||{MENU 400} Because the MENU function is within braces, it would normally be run first. In this case, menu file 400 would not be found because HDM.400 is on the network server, unavailable until you have logged onto the server with LOGIN. The double lines ensure that the LOGIN is done before HDM switches to menu number 400. EXAMPLE: The double vertical line can help you run more programs from one menu action. Imagine your menu action is: C:~CD \DIR1~PROG1~ ... ~CD \DIR9~PROG9~||{KEY R 5} In this case, you want to run 20 programs from different directories, but there wasn't enough room in one menu action to contain them all. The solution was to continue executing the programs from menu entry R5 ({KEY R 5}), which had programs 10 through 20 in it. Without the double vertical lines, the keystrokes typed by the {KEY} function would have been squandered in the current menu action (the first nine programs that were run). ================================================================ @@batch-file FORMAT: @@TEST (to run TEST.BAT or TEST.BTM) OVERVIEW: Used to run a batch file (.BAT) or a 4DOS/NDOS batch to memory file (.BTM) and then return to HDM. DETAILS: This menu function allows you to execute a batch file from a menu action. @@ is not needed to run .COM or .EXE files. Prior to running the menu action, @@ is replaced by: DOS Version Command Processor =========== ================= <DOS 3.0 COMMAND /C DOS 3.0-3.2 COMSPEC DOS 3.3+ CALL This causes the batch file to be executed by a second copy of DOS's command processor or by the DOS CALL command. The CALL command is more efficient and will be used automatically if you are running DOS 3.30 or greater. page 55 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Without the @@, the batch file is run by the current command processor, returning you to the DOS prompt instead of the menu. Why? Menu actions are run as temporary batch files. When a second batch file is run, DOS does not return control to the first one. NOTE: If you are returned to DOS, just press the X key and press Enter. You'll be returned to HDM. EXAMPLE: DW5.BAT is a batch-file to load the word processor DisplayWrite 5. The menu action is: C:~CD\DSPLYWR5~DW5~ When the program is finished, you are exited to DOS, not the HDM program. This may be inconvenient, such as: C:\> _ You can avoid being "kicked out" to DOS if you change your menu action to this: C:~CD\DSPLYWR5~@@DW5~ When the DW5 batch file finishes, you return to the same entry in HDM menu. If you are using DOS 3.30 or greater, HDM automatically uses the DOS CALL command instead of COMMAND /C. By using CALL, you avoid loading a second command processor, saving memory and time. The Auto-Build feature (F4) automatically puts @@ in front of batch files. HDM recognizes the version of DOS you are using. With DOS 3.30 or greater, HDM replaces @@ with CALL so that @@DW5 becomes CALL DW5. ================================================================ {?}, {??}, {?prompt} or {??prompt} FORMAT: {?Type the file you want to copy} OVERVIEW: Displays a prompt message and waits for your answer. The answer replaces this function and is put in the parameter %0. DETAILS: This function halts the execution of the action until the Enter or Esc keys are pressed. During the pause, you can enter up to 64 characters. These characters are remembered as parameter %0 and can be used in the rest of the menu action. page 56 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Press Enter to continue the rest of the menu action. Press Esc to cancel the menu action from continuing. You'll then be returned to your menu. When used, the prompt message is displayed in a window. Your answer to the prompt is placed inside the window, just below the prompt. If no prompt is supplied, HDM uses "Pause for input ...". EXAMPLE: Here is a simple but common use of the prompt function. Imagine you are creating a menu action that copies files from a directory to a diskette, such as: COPY C:\{?Enter the directory to copy to diskette:}\*.* A:~ When run, you will be asked: Enter the directory to copy to diskette: If you enter "LOTUS\FILES" and press Enter, then the menu action will run like this: COPY C:\LOTUS\FILES\*.* A: (press Enter) All files in the C:\LOTUS\FILES directory are copied to the diskette in the A: drive. You are then returned to your menu. If you use two question marks (instead of one), the answer you type to the prompt will be hidden from view. The {??prompt} function is useful for passwords. If you need to use the answer to a {?prompt} in more than one place in the same menu action, use %0 where you need it. EXAMPLE: Here is an example of using the answer to a prompt, which is in the parameter %0, in more than one place. Assume you have a menu action such as: COPY C:\{?Enter the directory to move to A}\*.* A:~DEL C:\%0\*.*~ Even though the prompt is answered only once in the beginning, your menu action will translate into this: COPY C:\LOTUS\FILES\*.* A:DEL C:\LOTUS\FILES\*.* page 57 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ {%environment variable%} FORMAT: {%PATH%} OVERVIEW: Used to retrieve the contents of the DOS environment variable of the same name. DETAILS: This function retrieves the contents of the DOS environment variable of the same name. If there is no matching variable, the function is removed from the menu action. This function also works in the title lines at the top of your menu. For example, HDM lists your path in the title of your menu. These lines are set up using "Top Box Titles" from the Local menu. EXAMPLE: This function can be helpful for network users. Assume your menu action is: C:~CD\NET~LOGIN {%NETUSER%}~ If the DOS environment variable NETUSER is "BOB," then the above menu action becomes: C:~CD\NET~LOGIN BOB~ EXAMPLE: In titles, you can use the following to customize the top of your menus. (Change your titles by selecting "Top Box Titles" from the Local menu.) * {%COMSPEC%} - Your command processor * {%PATH%} - Your DOS path ================================================================ {BEEP} OVERVIEW: Causes a short beep from your computer's speaker. DETAILS: This menu function causes the speaker to sound a short beep. It doesn't beep while you're in HDM. Rather, it is converted to a Ctrl-G so DOS will beep when it sees that character in the temporary batch file (X.BAT). This can be used to alert you that a task is completed. EXAMPLE: Imagine you want to create a menu action that beeps when the menu action is finished. The beep is useful when you page 58 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 are running menu actions that require large amounts of time but not your presence. For example: C:~CD\CLIPPER~CLIPPER BIGPROG~TLINK BIGPROG~{BEEP}~ When done, the speaker will beep. ================================================================ {BEEP!} OVERVIEW: Immediately sounds a beep before going to DOS. DETAILS: This is the beep immediate function. It sounds an alert in HDM as soon as it is run. It is useful in alerting a user to an upcoming {?prompt} or {SELECT/VSELECT} function. EXAMPLE: Imagine your menu action is: C:~CD\CLIPPER~{BEEP!}CLIPPER {?Enter program}~TLINK %0~{BEEP} HDM will beep before you are asked to enter the program's name. ================================================================ {CK drive-letter} FORMAT: {CK A} OVERVIEW: Checks if the disk drive is ready. If not, a message is displayed and action is canceled. DETAILS: This function ensures that a disk drive is ready before continuing. If the drive isn't ready, an error message is displayed and the menu action is canceled. This prevents you from getting a "Drive not ready" error from DOS. EXAMPLE: Let's assume you want to ensure drive A has a diskette in it before you copy files to it. Your menu action could look like this: {CK A}COPY C:\MM\*.DOC A:~ If there is a diskette in drive A, then all the files with a .DOC extension in the C:\MM directory will be copied to the diskette in drive A. If the drive isn't ready, HDM will warn you. The rest of the menu action will be canceled. page 59 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ {COLOR foreground background} FORMAT: {COLOR 7 0} OVERVIEW: Sets foreground and background colors for the current menu entry's DOS screen. DETAILS: This menu function sets the foreground and background colors of the DOS screen for the menu action that contains the {COLOR} function. Foreground and background colors are numbered from 0 to 15. These are the available colors: Color Number ============= ====== Black 0 Blue 1 Green 2 Cyan 3 Red 4 Magenta 5 Brown 6 Light gray 7 Dark gray 8 Light blue 9 Light green 10 Light cyan 11 Light red 12 Light magenta 13 Yellow 14 White 15 EXAMPLE: This menu action displays the files of C:\DIR in white on a blue background: {COLOR 15 1}DIR C:\DIR/P~ NOTE: The {COLOR} function cannot be used if the ANSI.SYS device driver is loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file. ANSI.SYS overrides any colors you set with its own. Also, background colors 8 through 15 are the same as 0 through 7 unless HDM's -I startup switch is used to enable high-intensity background colors. See the chapter "Customizing HDM" for more information on startup switches. page 60 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================= {CONFIRM} or {CONFIRM prompt} FORMAT: {CONFIRM Proceed or not?} OVERVIEW: Displays prompt message, and waits for you to choose "Y" (yes) to continue or "N" (no) to cancel the menu action. DETAILS: This menu function pops up a window with your prompt message. If you don't supply a prompt message, it will ask "Are you sure?" You can press Enter or "Y" for yes to continue the rest of the menu action. If you press Esc or "N", the menu action is canceled. If you use a mouse, click on "Yes" or "No" at the bottom of the confirm window. ================================================================ {CURSOR start-line end-line} FORMAT: {CURSOR 0 7} OVERVIEW: Sets the shape of the cursor when you exit to DOS or for the program that will be run. DETAILS: This menu function sets the shape of the cursor when you leave HDM to run any program, DOS command, or batch file, or if you exit to the DOS prompt. The start- and end-lines are the top and bottom scan lines of the cursor. The range is different for each type of monitor used: * Monochrome monitors 0 to 13 * CGA, EGA, VGA, etc. 0 to 7 Check your display adapter's manual for the number of scan lines you can use. EXAMPLE: This menu action sets a block cursor when exiting HDM on a color monitor: {CURSOR 0 7}{EXIT} page 61 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ {DEFAULT reply-to-prompt} FORMAT: {DEFAULT C:\DOS} OVERVIEW: Default reply to the {?} or {?prompt} functions that you can change. DETAILS: This menu function allows you to display a suggested reply to the {?prompt} function. The user can accept it by pressing the Enter key, modify it before accepting it or type a completely different reply. The {DEFAULT} function must either precede the {?} function or be contained inside the {?} function, such as: {?Enter a file name{DEFAULT C:\DB4\CUSTOMER.DBF}} EXAMPLE: The prompt below asks for a directory to copy files from to a disk in drive A. The menu action is: {DEFAULT LOTUS\WK2}COPY C:\{?Enter the directory to copy:}\*.* A: When this menu entry is run, you are asked: Enter the directory to copy: In the input (answer) field of the same window, the directory LOTUS\WK2 is already listed, thanks to the {DEFAULT} function. If you press Enter, this default answer will be used. The menu action then run is: COPY C:\LOTUS\WK2\*.* A: EXAMPLE: This function can also be used with blank macros to provide the answer in several places. Consider this menu action, which uses a blank macro #5 (&5): C:~CD\ASM~{&5 {{DEFAULT MYFILE}?Enter file:}}MASM %1~LINK %1~ When run, you are asked: Enter file: The default answer is MYFILE, but if you type "DEMO31" and press Enter, the menu action executed is: C:~CD\ASM~MASM DEMO31~LINK DEMO31~ page 62 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 The &5 macro is replaced by an empty string since it contains nothing. Its first parameter (%1), which is the prompt function and its default answer, is replaced by the "DEMO31." Since %0 always contains the result of the {?prompt} function, you could avoid using a blank macro and write a simpler menu action, such as: C:~CD\ASM~MASM {{DEFAULT MYFILE}?Enter file}~LINK %0~ ================================================================ {DELAY #} FORMAT: {DELAY 5} OVERVIEW: Pauses for a number of seconds before continuing with the rest of the menu action. DETAILS: This function allows you to add a built-in pause in a menu action. One possible use is to add a pause before using the {REBOOT} function. The pause may be needed so that your disk caching software can write to disk. Without a delay, some of your data may be lost. EXAMPLE: Let's assume you are using disk caching software (like Windows 3.1's SmartDrive) and have enabled delayed writes. The default time before writing to disk is one second. To ensure your data is safe before rebooting your computer, your menu action could look like this: COPY C:\CONFIG.NEW C:\CONFIG.SYS~||{DELAY 2}{REBOOT} NOTE: The double vertical lines (||) are used to force the {DELAY} function to wait for the first part of the menu action to run before it delays. Without the double vertical lines, the {DELAY} function would have run first because menu functions are run before other parts of the menu action. ================================================================ {DIAL [modem-cmd1~...modem-cmd15~] phone-number} FORMAT: {DIAL S11=30~9,1 (999) 555-1212} OVERVIEW: Dials a phone number using a Hayes-compatible modem and can also send a setup string to the modem. DETAILS: To use this function you need two items: page 63 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 * A modem that can dial a phone number using the Hayes ATD command. * A telephone connected to your modem or on the same phone line. If you have a Hayes-compatible modem, this function allows you to automatically dial phone numbers from a menu entry. For example, one complete menu file could be dedicated to a phone directory, each page representing a different company, and each selection on a given page being a person in the company that you call. EXAMPLE: If menu file 50 were a phone directory, use the {MENU 50} function to display the directory. If page B is Software Companies, and entry 5 is Borland International, then its menu action would be: {DIAL 1(800) 255-8008} To call Borland, you would press "B" and then "5." Once the dialing is done, a message on the screen tells you to pick up the phone and press a key. This disconnects the modem so you can talk. Press the Esc key or use the {RETURN} function to go back to the Menu File that called your phone directory menu file. Dialing is logged if HDM was started with -L. The {DIAL} function can send modem set-up commands to initialize the modem, turn off auto-answer, turn on the speaker, etc. These commands are optional and are not needed to dial a phone number. You can have up to 15 of these commands, each of which must end with a tilde (~). If you only want to change a setting in the modem, you can use this function to send modem commands but do not include a phone number. Consult your modem manual for the list of commands available. NOTE: Do not end the phone number with a tilde because HDM will mistake it for a modem command and not dial. Also, do not start the commands with an "AT" or end them with a carriage return. HDM does this automatically. You can use a maximum of 36 characters in the phone number and 64 in the entire {DIAL} function. Use the Global menu to change the communications port and the dial type. EXAMPLE: To create a phone entry that automatically dials 9 to get an outside line, use this menu action: page 64 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 {DIAL 9,1 (999) 555-1212} EXAMPLE: To use fast tone dialing when dialing a phone number, use this menu action with a modem command: {DIAL S11=30~9,1 (999) 555-1212} EXAMPLE: To turn off your modem's speaker and auto-answering but do not dial a phone number, use this menu action: {DIAL M0~S0=0~} ================================================================ {DIR}, {DIR!}, {DIR title~path\mask} or {DIR! title~path\mask} FORMAT: {DIR! C:\T*}, {DIR Select Dir~}, {DIR Select Dir~C:\T*} OVERVIEW: Displays a list of drive and directory choices from which you can choose. DETAILS: This function opens two windows: * A list of disk drive letters * A list of directories for the chosen drive. Your root directory is the first directory shown unless you specify a different path in this function. You can switch to other directories by pressing Enter on your choice. If you choose "(Use This)", then the current directory is chosen. To change drives, press Esc to go back to the disk drive list. If you press Esc from the list of drives, the menu action will be canceled. To speed searching, you can jump to a specific directory by pressing the first letter with which it begins. By pressing the letter repeatedly, the cursor highlights the next directory that starts with that letter and then starts at the top again. When you finally choose a directory using F2 or picking "(Use This)", that directory replaces the {DIR} function and is placed in the %0 parameter for use elsewhere in your menu action. {DIR!} and {DIR! title~path\mask} are the same as {DIR}, but limits your access to a specified drive and directory and subdirectories. The optional mask restricts your choices to specific directories. The default mask is *.* (everything). page 65 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 If you use {DIR} without a path, it will display the root directory of the current drive. If you specify a path, that directory will be the first one displayed. If you specify a mask, only directories that match it are displayed. If you use the exclamation point in the function ({DIR!}), you cannot switch to a directory higher than the one specified in the path, and you cannot switch to another disk drive. If you use the optional title, it must end with a ~ (tilde) and it must be before the specified path or mask (if any). EXAMPLE: To copy all files in one directory to another, your menu action would be: COPY {DIR From:~}\*.* {DIR To:~} In the above example, each use of {DIR} opens a window with a "From:" or "To:" title and a list of directories. Press Enter to view different directories. Press F2 to select a directory. If you pick the UTILITY directory on drive C for the "From:" directory and the root directory of drive A for the "To:" directory, the above menu action turns into: COPY C:\UTILITY\*.* A:\ (press Enter) EXAMPLE: To go to the DOS prompt in the directory of your choice, your menu action would be: {SELECT Disk Drive~A:~B:~C:~D:~}~CD {DIR! {%0}\}{EXIT} When you pick drive C from the {SELECT} menu, the {SELECT} function is replaced by "C:". Because it is inside the innermost braces, {%0}is replaced by "C:" before the {DIR!} function is run. The menu action becomes: C:~CD {DIR! C:\}{EXIT} The {DIR!} function limits you to the root directory and all subdirectories of C: so you can't pick a different disk drive. If you next choose the DOS directory, the menu action becomes: C:~CD C:\DOS{EXIT} When this runs, it switches to drive C, if you're not already there. Then it changes to the DOS directory and HDM exits to the DOS prompt. page 66 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ {EXIT} or {QUIT} OVERVIEW: Exits you to the DOS prompt (like F3), but allows you to first change to a different directory. DETAILS: This function works the same as the "Exit HDM" command in the Exit menu or using the F3 key. One added benefit is that you can change to a different drive and directory before you exit to the DOS prompt. When you're finished in DOS, type "X" and press Enter to return to HDM. The {QUIT} function bypasses all security, whereas {EXIT} honors the security levels when exiting HDM. These security levels include the security specified in the Security menu and the individual security level specified on the "Exit HDM" command. To change the individual security level, press Alt-F1 while the cursor is on the "Exit HDM" command in the Exit menu. If your user security level is lower than the security of this menu choice, HDM will ask for the security level password before allowing you to exit. EXAMPLE: In this example, you would see a directory listing of all files ending with .DOC. Next, you're presented with a DOS prompt where you can do some other work. To return to HDM, press X at the DOS prompt and the Enter key. C:~CD\MM~DIR *.DOC~{EXIT}~ EXAMPLE: The following is an example of a menu action that logs you off a Novell network when HDM resides on a network drive: H:~CD\NETWORK~{KEY L O G O U T ENTR}{QUIT} This menu action exits HDM and automatically enters "LOGOUT" at the DOS prompt. This way, you avoid receiving an error message from DOS when X.BAT cannot be found after being logged off the network drive. ================================================================ {FILE}, {FILE!}, {FILE path\mask} or {FILE! title~path\mask} FORMAT: {FILE *.BAK}, {FILE Pick File~}, {FILE Pick File~*.BAK} OVERVIEW: Displays a list of drives, directories and files from which you can choose. page 67 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 DETAILS: The optional title must end with a ~ (tilde). The {FILE} function and its variations opens two windows: * A list of disk drive letters, and * A list of directories and files for the chosen drive. Your root directory is the first directory shown unless you specify a different path in this function. You can switch to other directories by pressing Enter on a directory name. To speed searching, you can jump to a specific directory or file name by pressing the first letter with which it begins. By pressing the letter repeatedly, the cursor highlights the next directory or file that starts with that letter and then starts at the top again. The list is automatically displayed in alphabetical order. To sort the list by date, press F6. Press F6 again to return to alphabetical order. To pick a different drive, press Esc to go back to the disk drive list. If you press Esc from the list of drives, the menu action will be canceled. When you choose a file using Enter, that path and file name replaces the {FILE} function and is placed in the %0 parameter for use elsewhere in your menu action. {FILE!} and {FILE! title~path\mask} are the same as {FILE}, but limits your access to a specified drive, directory and subdirectories. The optional mask restricts your choices to specific files. The default mask is *.* (everything). If you use {FILE} without a path, it will display the files in the root directory of the current drive. If you specify a path, the files in that directory are displayed. If you specify a mask, only files that match it are displayed. If you use the exclamation point in the function ({FILE!}), you cannot switch to a directory higher than the one specified in the path, and you cannot switch to another disk drive. EXAMPLE: This menu action lets you edit any file that ends with the extension ".BAT". You pick the file from any drive or directory. C:~CD\DOS~EDIT {FILE Edit a Batch File~*.BAT} EXAMPLE: This menu action displays the help screens from text page 68 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 files. This lets the user pick from a list of files ending in ".TXT" from the D:\HELPTEXT directory or any directories below it. It does not let the user change drives or go to the directories above D:\HELPTEXT. D:~CD\HELPTEXT~MORE < {FILE! D:\HELPTEXT\*.TXT} EXAMPLE: This menu action copies any file from diskette drive A or B to C:\TEST by first choosing a disk drive, then a directory from that disk, then a file from that directory. COPY {FILE! {DIR! {SELECT Disk~A:~B:}\}} C:\TEST ================================================================ {GETPROJECT} OVERVIEW: Asks for new project name that will be recorded in the usage log and used by the {PROJECT} function. DETAILS: This function is the same as choosing "Change Project" from the Global menu. It shows the current project name and allows you to change it. The change, which takes place immediately, is used by the {PROJECT} function and is written to the usage log. ================================================================ {KEY k1 k2 ... k15} FORMAT: {KEY X C O P Y * . * ENTR} OVERVIEW: Passes up to 15 keys to a program that uses the standard DOS keyboard buffer. DETAILS: This function allows you to automate some procedures in the programs that you start from HDM. You can pass any keystroke on the IBM keyboard plus the key combinations listed below to your program or DOS. Each keystroke and key combination must be separated by a space. The following chart shows what codes to use for various keystrokes. Keystrokes Code Keystrokes Code Keystokes Code ========== ==== ========== ==== ========= ==== Ctrl-A CA Ctrl-B CB Ctrl-C CC Ctrl-D CD Ctrl-E CE Ctrl-F CF Ctrl-G CG Ctrl-H CH Ctrl-I CI page 69 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keystrokes Code Keystrokes Code Keystokes Code ========== ==== ========== ==== ========= ==== Ctrl-J CJ Ctrl-K CK Ctrl-L CL Ctrl-M CM Ctrl-N CN Ctrl-O CO Ctrl-P CP Ctrl-Q CQ Ctrl-R CR Ctrl-S CS Ctrl-T CT Ctrl-U CU Ctrl-V CV Ctrl-W CW Ctrl-X CX Ctrl-Y CY Ctrl-Z CZ Space SP Ctrl-[ C[ Ctrl-] C] Ctrl-\ C\ Ctrl-2 C2 Ctrl-6 C6 Ctrl-- C- Enter ENTR Escape ESC Ctrl-Break CBRK Backspace BSP Ctrl-BkSpc CBSP Tab TAB Shift-Tab STAB Alt-A AA Alt-B AB Alt-C AC Alt-D AD Alt-E AE Alt-F AF Alt-G AG Alt-H AH Alt-I AI Alt-J AJ Alt-K AK Alt-L AL Alt-M AM Alt-N AN Alt-O AO Alt-P AP Alt-Q AQ Alt-R AR Alt-S AS Alt-T AT Alt-U AU Alt-V AV Alt-W AW Alt-X AX Alt-Y AY Alt-Z AZ F1 F1 F2 F2 F3 F3 F4 F4 F5 F5 F6 F6 F7 F7 F8 F8 F9 F9 F10 F10 F11 F11 F12 F12 Alt-F1 AF1 Alt-F2 AF2 Alt-F3 AF3 Alt-F4 AF4 Alt-F5 AF5 Alt-F6 AF6 Alt-F7 AF7 Alt-F8 AF8 Alt-F9 AF9 Alt-F10 AF10 Alt-F11 AF11 Alt-F12 AF12 Ctrl-F1 CF1 Ctrl-F2 CF2 Ctrl-F3 CF3 Ctrl-F4 CF4 Ctrl-F5 CF5 Ctrl-F6 CF6 Ctrl-F7 CF7 Ctrl-F8 CF8 Ctrl-F9 CF9 Ctrl-F10 CF10 Ctrl-F11 CF11 Ctrl-F12 CF12 Shift-F1 SF1 Shift-F2 SF2 Shift-F3 SF3 Shift-F4 SF4 Shift-F5 SF5 Shift-F6 SF6 Shift-F7 SF7 Shift-F8 SF8 Shift-F9 SF9 Shift-F10 SF10 Shift-F11 SF11 Shift-F12 SF12 Left Arrow LAR Right Arrow RAR Up Arrow UAR Ctrl-Left CLAR Ctrl-Right CRAR Down Arrow DAR Arrow Arrow Home HOM End END Insert INS Ctrl-Home CHOM Ctrl-End CEND Delete DEL PgUp PGU PgDn PGD Ctrl-PrtSc CPRT Ctrl-PgUp CPGU Ctrl-PgDn CPGD Alt-1 A1 Alt-2 A2 Alt-3 A3 Alt-4 A4 Alt-5 A5 Alt-6 A6 Alt-7 A7 Alt-8 A8 Alt-9 A9 Alt-0 A0 Alt- A- Alt-= A= page 70 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 This menu action... ...types these keystrokes. ======================== =================================== {KEY A B C D E F G ENTR} ABCDEFG keys and then the Enter key {KEY CA AB SF9 SP} Ctrl-A, Alt-B, Shift-F9, Space Bar {KEY A8 A 8 RAR} Alt-8, A, 8, and Right Arrow keys {KEY} works with all programs except: * Programs that clear the keyboard buffer when they start. * Programs that ignore the DOS buffer and use their own keyboard buffer. * Memory-resident (TSR) keyboard enhancement programs that expand the size of the DOS buffer or move it to a different location. EXAMPLE: This menu action starts Lotus 1-2-3 and puts the 10 keystrokes in the DOS buffer to automatically retrieve the file named "BUDGET". C:~CD\LOTUS~123~{KEY / F R B U D G E T ENTR} EXAMPLE: This menu action takes you to page W in menu file HDM.250: {MENU 250}{KEY W} EXAMPLE: This menu action runs entry W2 in HDM.250 and then returns you to the current menu file. {MENU 250}{KEY W 2}||{RETURN} EXAMPLE: In the next example, you pick menu entry L1, which runs Lotus 1-2-3. When finished, you are asked whether to back up the 1-2-3 worksheet files. If not, the menu action is ended. If you do answer "Yes," the keyboard buffer is filled with L2, which runs that menu entry. By having the backup procedure called from a separate menu entry, L2 can be run on its own when needed: L1: C:~CD\LOTUS~123~||{CONFIRM Backup 1-2-3 files?}{KEY L 2} L2: {CK A}Copy C:\LOTUS\*.WK? A:\ page 71 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ {LOGOFF} OVERVIEW: Log a user off HDM, if one was logged on. DETAILS: This function logs you off HDM if you were logged on. Otherwise, it does nothing. Unlike the choice "Log Off Automatically" in the Security menu and the "Log Off" choice in the Exit menu, this function does not automatically run the same menu entry specified in "Log Off Automatically." However, that menu entry can contain the {LOGOFF} function so all users will end up doing the same thing when they leave HDM. EXAMPLE: This menu action will first log you off a network and then log you out of HDM: K:~CD\NETUTILS~LOGOUT~||{LOGOFF} ================================================================ {MENU ###} FORMAT: {MENU 999} OVERVIEW: Creates or uses another menu file (0-999). DETAILS: This function allows you to create or read in another menu file. The "###" is any number from 0 to 999, which allows you to select any of the 1000 menu files. Zero is the default menu file. The name of the current menu file is displayed below the page index. If you try going to a menu file that doesn't exist, a new blank menu file is created, and new entries can be added to it. When you use the {MENU ###} function to display another menu file, you can use the Esc key, the {RETURN} function, or choose "Menu Exit" from the Exit menu to go back to the original menu file. There is no limit to the length of a menu chain. Menu 1 can call Menu 2, which in turn can call Menu 888, which can then call Menu 317, etc. Pressing Esc or using {RETURN} will always step you back through the chain. Each menu file has its own unique set of local variables so when you go to another menu file, it can display different colors, have different macros, different borders, titles, etc. EXAMPLE: This menu action calls menu file HDM.077: page 72 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 {MENU 77} ================================================================ {NOCLEAR} OVERVIEW: Doesn't clear the screen before running a menu entry. DETAILS: Normally, HDM clears the screen before a menu entry is run. This function keeps the last HDM screen visible while that entry runs. EXAMPLE: This menu action runs PC Tools' PCSHELL without first clearing the screen. {NOCLEAR}C:~CD\PCTOOLS~PCSHELL ================================================================ {PROJECT} OVERVIEW: Returns the current project name. DETAILS: This menu function is replaced by the project name provided by either the {SETPROJECT} or {GETPROJECT} functions. The project name can also be changed by the "Change Project" command in the Global menu or automatically at logon time by setting an option in "Global Settings" from the Global menu. This function also works in the title lines at the top of your menu. {PROJECT} can be used in the title lines above the User Menu that are set up using "Top Box Titles" in the Local menu. EXAMPLE: If the project field contained "33-154B", then the menu action: C:~CD\PROJECTS~EDIT {PROJECT}.DOC~ becomes C:~CD\PROJECTS~EDIT 33-154B.DOC~ EXAMPLE: In the title lines from the "Top Box Titles" choice of the Local menu: Working on Project Name {PROJECT} becomes Working on Project Name 33-154B page 73 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ================================================================ {REBOOT} OVERVIEW: Allows you to reboot your computer. DETAILS: This function allows you to reboot your computer. It has the same effect as pressing the keys Ctrl-Alt-Del. For example, you can use this function to make changes to the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files and automatically reboot the system with the new configuration. WARNING: You may have trouble if using disk caching software with delayed writing to disk. You should "flush" the cache so your data is saved to disk or else wait for the delayed writing to occur. For example, if you were using the new SmartDrive software for Windows 3.1, you would want to type "SMARTDRV /C" to save the cache to disk before using this function. You can also use the new function {DELAY #} to pause HDM until your data is written to disk by the disk caching software. EXAMPLE: This menu action copies a file called CONFIG.NEW in place of your CONFIG.SYS and restarts your computer: COPY C:\CONFIG.NEW C:\CONFIG.SYS~SMARTDRV /C~{REBOOT} ================================================================ {RETURN} OVERVIEW: Returns you to the previous menu file. DETAILS: This function returns you to any previous menu files from which you journeyed. If you are already at the base menu file, then you'll be told there is no where to return to. The base menu file is usually zero, but it can be different if you used HDM's -M startup switch or selected another starting menu file in the User ID Security Table. For example, assume you were taken to Menu 150 because a menu entry in another menu file had the function {MENU 150} in its menu action. The {RETURN} function would take you back to that previous menu file. Pressing the Esc key or selecting "Menu Exit" in the Exit menu also returns you to the previous menu file. EXAMPLE: This menu action takes you to menu file HDM.775 and runs menu entry C5. When done, you are returned to the menu file from which you came: page 74 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 {MENU 775}{KEY C 5}||{RETURN} ================================================================ {RUN program/command/batch-file} or {RUN! program/command/batch-file} FORMAT: {RUN! DIR /W} or {RUN QA.BAT} OVERVIEW: Immediately runs a program, DOS command or batch file while HDM stays in memory. Use this function for small programs only. {RUN! program/command/batch-file} is the same as {RUN}, but pauses before redisplaying HDM's User Menu. DETAILS: This function allows you to run a program, DOS command or a batch file without leaving HDM. Since HDM remains in memory when running a program this way, some programs may not have enough memory to run. This function makes using small programs much quicker since HDM does not have to reload itself after running your program. It can also be helpful if you want to see a directory listing before replying to a prompt that asks for a file name. For this function to work, you must either have a path to the program, DOS command or batch file, or provide the full path to it. NOTE: Some DOS commands, such as COPY, are internal and do not require a path at all. EXAMPLE: If you want to run your word processor, but you don't remember the names of the files you want to edit, try this menu action: {RUN! DIR C:\WPDIR\*.DOC}C:~CD\WPDIR~WP {?Enter document name}~ The "!" after the RUN causes a pause before returning to HDM so you can see the result of the DIR command on the screen. Press any key to return to HDM, which then asks for the document name. You enter the name and your word processing program starts using the document whose file name you found and entered. EXAMPLE: Here's an example of listing a file to the screen after seeing a list of files: {RUN! DIR C:\BAT /W}{RUN LIST C:\DIR\{?Enter file name to list}} page 75 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 First, a wide (/W) directory listing of C:\BAT is displayed and the system pauses. HDM then asks for the file name. Finally, the LIST program runs with the file you picked. Note that LIST is RUN without the pause option since it waits for keystrokes before returning to HDM. ================================================================ {SELECT MenuTitle~Choice1~...~Choice15} or {VSELECT MenuTitle~Choice1~...~Choice15} FORMAT: {SELECT DISK SIZE~720K=/N:9/T:80~1.44MB=} OVERVIEW: Displays a horizontal or vertical menu of up to 15 choices. The user's choice will replace the {SELECT} function in the menu action. Also the selected menu entry is put into %0 for later use. DETAILS: To select your entry quickly, you can press the first highlighted letter. If using a mouse, simply click on your choice. NOTE: The highlighted letter is the first capitalized letter. To avoid conflicts, make sure that each entry has a unique character highlighted. To select your choice, move the cursor to it and press the Enter key. The title and each choice of the menu choices must be separated by a tilde (~). If one of the choices begins with a "?", it is treated like the {?prompt} menu function when it is selected. You can have an empty choice by using two tildes: ~~. Besides replacing the function itself, the selected choice is placed in the %0 parameter so you can use it in additional places in the same menu action. To make your menu choices easier to use, you can have the menu display certain text but return a different value when that menu choice is selected. Instead of using "Choice1," you would type: DISPLAY=CHOICE1 DISPLAY is what you want the menu to display to the user of your menu. CHOICE1 is the value that is used when that menu choice is selected. This next example involving formatting a diskette in different sizes shows how this works. EXAMPLE: In this example, formatting a diskette is made easier page 76 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 by providing clear choices. A window opens with the title "SELECT DISK SIZE". The two menu entries are "720K" and "1.44MB". When "720K" is selected, HDM returns "/N:9/T:80" and the menu action becomes "FORMAT A:/N:9/T:80". If "1.44MB" is chosen, nothing is returned since there is nothing to the right of the equal sign and the menu action is "FORMAT A:". FORMAT A:{SELECT DISK SIZE~720K=/N:9/T:80~1.44MB=} EXAMPLE: In this example, the menu action copies all files in C:\WP that end with .DOC to drive A or B. COPY C:\WP\*.DOC {SELECT Pick Backup Disk~A:~B:} EXAMPLE: This menu action runs LOGIN with the selected name. If the user picks "?Enter Name", HDM asks you for your name and then replaces the {VSELECT} function with the name given. Note that there are no braces around the "?Enter Name" so that this function will not run before the {VSELECT}. To hide your input, you can use two question marks (see the {?} function for more details). LOGIN {VSELECT User~Dan~deWorth~Jim~Laura~?Enter Name} ================================================================ {SETPROJECT project-data} FORMAT: {SETPROJECT LAWSON} OVERVIEW: Sets project to the information in this function. DETAILS: This function allows you to change the project data from within a menu action. The project name is written to the HDM.LOG log file if you started HDM with its -L switch. EXAMPLE: This menu action changes the project name to 1234-5678-9ABC. {SETPROJECT 1234-5678-9ABC} EXAMPLE: This menu action changes the project name to that of the current user that is logged on: {SETPROJECT {%USER%}} NOTE: To use %USER% in this function, you need to use an environment variable such as "SET USER=username" where "username" is the name of the user. On networks, users often page 77 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 have such an environment variable set up for them. ================================================================ {STEP} OVERVIEW: Used to debug menu entries that aren't yet working. This function displays the menu action after each function executes. DETAILS: This function is useful in debugging (fixing) menu actions that use functions. After HDM sees the {STEP} function in a menu action, it displays a window showing what the action looks like as each function executes and just before the action is actually run by DOS. This function does not hinder the running of the menu action. However, it is best to remove the {STEP} function from the menu action once it is not needed. EXAMPLE: In the next menu action, the {STEP} function will step through each function one at a time so you can see how each individual function affects the menu action: {STEP}!echo {FILE {DIR {SELECT Disk~A:~B:~C:~D:}\}} ================================================================ {USER} OVERVIEW: Used to retrieve the current User ID, if anyone is logged on. DETAILS: This function retrieves the HDM User ID (if one was logged on). You must have at least one entry in the User ID Security Table in the Security menu for this to work. This function can also be used in the title lines of your menu to display who is using the current menu file. To configure this, select "Top Box Titles" in the Local menu. EXAMPLE: In this example, if Laura was logged on to HDM, then the prompt window would say: Dear Laura, please enter file you want to see. TYPE {?Dear {USER}, please enter file you want to see.} EXAMPLE: To customize your menu title to say: "Laura's IBM PC - User Menu," you would change your title lines to say this: {USER}'s IBM PC - User Menu page 78 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 TRACKING PROJECTS AND PEOPLE HDM is not only a menuing system but can also be a great project and people management tool. Whether using a network or an individual PC, HDM can keep track of users' activities. How much time do they spend working on this PC? On a certain project? What IDs are being used? Which menu items are being underused or neglected? How much time do you spend on a certain project? USING HDM.LOG Valuable information about how HDM is used is collected in the file HDM.LOG. This "log" file is an ASCII text file that shows which users use which menu entries and when. To start saving information to HDM.LOG, you must start HDM with the -L startup switch. See the chapter "Customizing HDM" for how to use this and other switches. !! To activate the log file 1. From the DOS prompt or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, start HDM with the -L switch. Type: HDM -L[path] (press Enter) where "[path]" is the drive and directory where you want the HDM.LOG file to be saved. You do not need to add a path; if not used, the HDM.LOG file is saved to the directory where the HDM program files are located. You can also start the log file by using the "SET HDM=" environment variable (the other way of configuring HDM when starting it). 2. Use HDM as you normally would. The HDM.LOG file records what you (and others) are doing while in HDM. VIEWING HDM.LOG If you use a text editor or viewer, your log file may look like this: ≡Jim Jonees 1992052313:117000A1 RUN=Dir B: ≡Jim Jones 1992052313:147000A1 ENDrun ≡Laura Lane 1992052313:217000B5Acct31 Directory of A: ≡Laura Lane 1992052313:227000B5Acct31 END! page 79 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 What do these numbers and codes mean? From left to right, the HDM.LOG log file displays the following (lengths are in parentheses): * CODE (1) - Used by HDM to identify the record format. * USER (25) - User ID. * DATE (8) - The date in the format YYYYMMDD ("19920601" = June 1, 1992). * TIME (5) - The time in the 24-hour format HR:MN ("13:05" is 1:05 p.m.). * DAY (1) - The day of the week (1=Sunday, 7=Saturday). * FILE (3) - The menu file number (000 to 999) or "DOS" if the user exited from HDM or used the DOS window. * ENTRY (2) - Menu page and number (A1 through Z0), "xt" for an exit to DOS, or "wd" if the command was run from the DOS window. * PROJECT (25) - The project name, if any was chosen. (We'll discuss projects later in this chapter.) * ACTION (3-99) - Either a description of what was run or "END". If the discription starts "RUN=", the {RUN} function was used. If it starts with "DIAL=", a phone number was dialed. TRACKING PROJECTS HDM offers you a way to keep track of projects you may be working on. How does it work? You first must enter a project name (up to 25 characters). You can do this in any of four ways: * Select "Change Project" (Alt-2) from the Global menu. * Create a menu entry that uses the {GETPROJECT} function, which asks you for a project name. * Create a menu entry that uses the {SETPROJECT} function, which provides a specific project name for you. * Changing the "Global Settings" of the Global menu to ask all users for a project name. Once set, every time HDM starts, you and others will be asked for a project name. HINT: You can use the User ID Security Table to have HDM automatically ask certain users for a project name. First, create a menu entry that asks for a project name. Then, use the User ID Security Table to automatically run this entry for the appropriate users. No matter which method you use to enter a project name, the project name will appear in the HDM.LOG file along with the other information. page 80 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 USING {GETPROJECT} TO ENTER A PROJECT NAME The {GETPROJECT} function can be used in a menu action to ask for a project name. This name will then be recorded in the HDM.LOG log file and used by the {PROJECT} function. This function is the same as choosing "Change Project" from the Global menu (or Alt-2). It shows the current project name and allows you to change it. The change, which takes place immediately, is used by the {PROJECT} function and is written to the usage log. USING {PROJECT} TO RETRIEVE A PROJECT NAME You can use the {PROJECT} function to read the project name into other functions and programs. EXAMPLE: If the project name is "33-154B", then the menu action: C:~CD\PROJECTS~EDIT {PROJECT}.DOC~ becomes C:~CD\PROJECTS~EDIT 33-154B.DOC~ !! To add the project name to your Title Box The {PROJECT} function can also be used in the title lines at the top of your menu. 1. Select "Top Box Titles" (Shift-F8) from the Local menu. 2. Enter "{PROJECT}" on one of the title lines. 3. Press F2 to save your changes. From now on, the current project name will be displayed at the top of your User Menu. EXAMPLE: In the title lines from the "Top Box Titles" choice of the Local menu: Working on Project Name {PROJECT} becomes Working on Project Name 33-154B page 81 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 USING {SETPROJECT} WITH PROJECTS You can use the {SETPROJECT} function to automatically provide a specific project name so you don't have to enter one. Use this function from within a menu action. EXAMPLE: This menu action changes the project name to 1234-5678-9ABC: {SETPROJECT 1234-5678-9ABC} EXAMPLE: This menu action changes the project name to that of the current user that is logged on: {SETPROJECT {%USER%}} NOTE: To use %USER% in this function, you need to use an environment variable such as "SET USER=username" where "username" is the name of the user. On networks, users often have such an environment variable set up for them. CREATING REPORTS You can display the HDM.LOG information in HDM's new Report Module. The Report Module lets you print reports either to your screen or to your printer. To speed loading of HDM4.EXE, this module is a separate program. The Report Module is quite flexible; you can list only the information you want to analyze, such as for a specific project, day or user. You can save subsets of the HDM.LOG file to a log file of another name. !! To load HDM.LOG (or any log file) 1. Select "Reports" from the Exit menu (F5) to access the Reports Module. NOTE: Although not needed now, the Report Module, like HDM itself, uses F10 to access its Top Menu. 2. Select the drive and directory where your log file is located. A list of directories on the drive where HDM is installed is displayed. You can switch to other directories by pressing Enter on your choice. To speed searching, you can jump to a specific directory or page 82 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 file name by pressing the first letter with which it begins. By pressing the letter repeatedly, the cursor highlights the next directory or file that starts with that letter and then starts at the top again. The list is automatically displayed in alphabetical order. To sort the list by date, press F6. Press F6 again to return to alphabetical order. To pick a different drive, press Esc to go back to the disk drive list. If you press Esc from the list of drives, you'll return to a blank Report Module screen. 3. Highlight the HDM.LOG file and press Enter to display it. The HDM.LOG file is loaded as the file TEMP.HDM. Each line in HDM.LOG is a "record," showing who did what while in HDM. Use these keys to move through the file: * Home/End - jumps to the top or end of the file, respectively. * PgDn/PgDn - moves to the next or previous 15 lines of HDM.LOG, respectively. 4. Press Enter on the record (line) of the HDM.LOG file from which you want to see more information. When you press Enter on one of the lines in the HDM.LOG file, a window displays the complete information for that record. USING FILTERS You can use "filters" to limit what you want to see in HDM.LOG, such as menu entries run by a specific user or menu entries used for a specific project. You then can save this subset of the HDM.LOG file to a new file. !! To select certain records for display 1. After loading a log file, select "Filter" (F2). 2. Select how you want to limit what is displayed. * All Records - no filtering is done. * Date Range - enter the start and end dates. * Menu Entry - enter the menu file number and menu entry. You can also just enter the menu file or just the menu file number and page number. This way, you can see who is using the menu entries in a certain menu file or on a certain menu page. page 83 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 * Project - enter the partial or complete project name. You will then see all records that match that name, even if only one letter. HINT: To see records that have NO project name, press the Space Bar once, entering no project name. * Time Range - enter the start and end times in 24-hour format. * User ID - enter the partial or complete User ID. You will then see all records used by those people, even if only one letter. 3. Press F2 or Enter to save your filter information. HDM displays the lines of the HDM.LOG that match your filters. The number of lines is displayed in the lower right corner. 4. To further limit the number of records, you may save your filtered log file to the same or different name. Then select another filter. The next procedure discusses how to save your filtered log file to a different file. !! To save your displayed list to a log file After limiting the lines of HDM.LOG to what you want, you can save the information to another disk file. This disk file is saved in the XBase (.DBF) format for use in dBase or other database programs. 1. After loading a log file and filtering it (if desired), select "Save As" from the File menu (Alt-F3). 2. Confirm whether you want to save only the filtered records or the entire file. CAUTION: To save the filtered records back to the original log file, select "Save" (Alt-F2). However, if you save the filtered records to the original file, the unfiltered records are lost. 1. Enter the file's name or accept the default file name "HDMLIST." DESIGNING REPORTS Besides viewing HDM.LOG on your screen, you can create a custom-made report that you can either view or print. The steps page 84 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 to making a report are: * Create a report format. * Set up filters to limit your choices, if desired. * Set your page width and length for printer and screen. * Display the report to the screen, if desired. * Print your report to paper or to an ASCII disk file. NOTE: You must first create a report format before displaying or printing your report. !! To create a report format 1. After loading a log file, select "Create Format" from the Report menu (Ctrl-F1). 2. Press Enter on the fields you want included in the report. If using a mouse, click on your choices. An "X" appears next to each selected field. 3. Press F4 to change the default length of any field. You may want to shorten a field so that it fits on the width of one page. However, some information may be truncated. 4. Press F2 to save your report format. !! To set up filters for your report 1. After loading a log file, select "Filter" (F2). 2. Select how you want to limit what is printed. * All Records - no filtering is done. * Date Range - enter the start and end dates. * Menu Entry - enter the menu file number and menu entry. * Project - enter the partial or complete project name. * Time Range - enter the start and end times in 24-hour format. * User ID - enter the partial or complete user ID. 3. Press F2 or Enter to save your filter information. HDM displays the lines of the HDM.LOG that match your filters. The number of lines is displayed in the lower right corner. page 85 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 !! To set your report length and width 1. From the Report Module, select "Setup Printer" from the Report menu (Ctrl-F2). 2. Enter the number of rows (length) and columns (width) of each report page. Press F2 to save or Esc to cancel. NOTE: Even if you are printing your report to the screen, you must set up your report length and width. Otherwise, some of your fields may be truncated in the on-screen report. !! To print your report to the screen 1. While displaying a log file, select "Display Report" (Ctrl-F3). 2. Press Enter to display only the records that match your filter(s). Otherwise, press Esc to display all records. 3. Scroll through your report using these keys: * Left and right arrows - move you left and right, respectively, through the report. * Up and down arrows - move you up and down, respectively, through the report. * F10 - opens the Report Module's Top Menu to make any changes in the format. * Tab and Shift-Tab - moves you right and left, respectively, one screen at a time. You can also use Ctrl-Right Arrow and Ctrl-Left Arrow. * F6 - goes to the top of the report. You can also use Ctrl-Home or Ctrl-PgUp. * F8 - goes to the end of the report. You can also use Ctrl-End or Ctrl-PgDn. * F4 - freezes portions of the display. If you have a lengthy report, you can have up to 10 horizontal rows and up to 60 lefthand characters be frozen so you can scroll to other parts of the screen while still viewing this information. 4. Press Esc to exit the displayed report and return to the log file. !! To print your report to a printer 1. After loading a log file and creating a report format, select "Print Report" from the Report menu (Ctrl-F4). page 86 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 2. Press Enter to print only the records that match your filter(s). Otherwise, press Esc to print all records. !! To print your report to a file 1. After loading a log file and creating a report format, select "Write to File" from the Report menu (Ctrl-F5). 2. Press Enter to print only the records that match your filter(s). Otherwise, press Esc to print all records. 3. Accept the default name and path "\HDMLIST.TXT" for the text file or enter your own name. NOTE: The backslash will place HDMLIST.TXT in the root directory of the drive where HDM.LOG is kept. page 87 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 ADDING SECURITY HDM allows you to control access to any menu entry and to the commands in the Top Menu. HDM's security options not only prevent unauthorized access to vital information (such as salary figures) but also protect others from accidentally destroying data files or HDM's menu structure. This new version of HDM offers better security than ever. SELECTING YOUR LEVEL OF SECURITY Do you need HDM's security options? You need to analyze how your system is set up, who uses it and how much experience they have. You must then evaluate the trade-off between security and ease of use. AN OPEN SYSTEM You may want to run a completely "open" system without individual passwords and restrictions. It is the simplest to set up and easiest to use since no passwords need to be entered. However, an open system is best only if all users of the system are "computer literate" (comfortable with DOS commands) and are willing to work with the same menus and colors. A SECURE SYSTEM You could also provide "partial security." Partial security is ideal for a family's home computer. You are the primary user and the one who is setting up HDM. Others in your family may not be comfortable with DOS commands and directory structures. In this case, you might design different menus for different family members. Each user would log on and get a personalized menu. You might also want to restrict access to the Top Menu so that nothing could be altered accidentally. In effect, you would be a "system manager" and would create a friendly HDM environment for the rest of the family. SECURITY BY THE NUMBERS HDM provides up to 99 security levels (1 through 99). HDM comes with all security levels set to a default of "00". If you want to have a totally "open" system, you do not need to change anything. page 88 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Security is added by assigning a security level to the people who'll be using HDM. You then assign a security level to the different parts of HDM you want to protect. Once security levels are established, you can access all HDM menus and menu entries that have a security level equal to or LESS than your own. If your security level is less than an area you are trying to access, you'll be asked for a password for that security level or a security level higher than that one. This is called the security level password. If you don't type the correct password, you cannot access that area. NOTE: If someone is asked for a security level password and enters either the password for that security level OR any security level above that, they will be allowed access. Security levels are just numbers. The 99 security level gives you the highest security clearance. Because HDM offers 99 security levels does not mean you must use them all. Also, you can use only a few security levels, such as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. However, we recommend you leave gaps between numbers so you have the flexibility to add more between existing levels. Perhaps you could assign your first security levels in multiples of 10 (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50). HINT: We recommend you first create a "backdoor" for yourself so you are never locked out of HDM. This backdoor should be security level 99. Then, use a lower security level such as 90 for your security of critical parts of HDM. If you are ever locked out of HDM, you can use the 99 backdoor to get back in and make corrections. Adding security requires up to three steps: * Creating security levels in the Master Password Table. * Adding up to 254 users to the User ID Security Table and setting their security level. * Restricting access to the Top Menu and individual menu entries, pages and files. These steps can be used separately. For example, you can add users to the User ID Security Table so that each user must type a password to get into HDM. However, once in, they will not be restricted from using any part of HDM. Conversely, you can add security levels in the Master Password Table and prevent people from using certain parts of HDM. However, you do not need to add users to restrict their use of these sections. page 89 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 CREATING SECURITY LEVELS Security in HDM is simple but effective. By placing a numerical security level to a menu entry, you can prevent users of lower security levels from accessing that menu entry. You first create security levels in the Master Password Table. You then assign security levels to other users of HDM through the User ID Security Table. The User ID Security Table lists the people who will be using HDM and what their security level is. (Both tables are found in the Security menu from the Top Menu.) Since you will be the system manager, you will need to give yourself a higher security level than others. !! To create or change a security level NOTE: If using this procedure for the first time, create two high security levels for yourself, the system manager. One security level, 90, for example, should be used for your everyday security use. This security level can be used to restrict use to high-level HDM functions. Another security level, 99, should be used as your "backdoor" to override forgotten or misused passwords. Then, use this procedure to create other security levels for your other users. 1. Select "Master Password Table" from the Security menu (Alt-F8). This table displays the numbers 1 through 99 for up to 99 different security levels. With any given security level, a user can access all features that have a security level equal to or less than that level. For example, if you had a security level of 50, you can access anything with a security level from 1 to 50, but not 51. NOTE: If you have a security level of 50 and gave the Top Menu a security level of 90, you would NOT be able to access it. 2. Enter the security level number you want to create or delete. Assuming you'll be the "system manager," enter an everyday security level, such as 90, in the Master Password Table. Press Enter. 3. Enter the same password twice. This security level password will be required if you wish to use a menu entry, menu page, or menu file that has had its page 90 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 access restricted to a certain security level and your security is less than that. Enter a password that is easy to remember but difficult for others to guess. You might want to jot down the passwords you assign and keep them in a safe place. Repeat this and the previous step to create other security levels, such as 99 for your security "backdoor." 4. Press F2 to save your changes. ADDING USERS Once security levels are created, you can add "accounts" for everyone who will be using HDM. For each person, you can set their security level, logon password and startup options. !! To add or change user accounts NOTE: If using this procedure for the first time, add your name and give yourself a high security level. We recommend a level of 90. For your safety, do not assign anyone the highest security level of 99. Then, use this procedure to add other users. 1. Select "User ID Security Table" from the Security menu (Alt-F9). 2. To add new users, press the Insert (Ins) key. To change information on an existing user, move your cursor to the user account you want to change and press Enter. 3. Enter the following information for each user: * User ID. * Menu file you want this user to first use when HDM starts. * Menu entry number you want automatically run for this user (optional). * Security level for this user (you may be asked to enter the password for that security level) (optional). * Whether or not to enter a logon password for this user now (optional). NOTE: Each individual's logon password is independent of the password used for their particular security level. 4. Press F2 to save your changes for this user. 5. Press F2 again to save your changes to the User ID Security Table. page 91 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 EXAMPLE: In a family scenario, you can give your spouse a security level of 70 and each of your children a security level of 50. In the figure below, you can see that each user has individual menu files, different security levels and logon passwords. Also note that everyone but you (the system manager) has a menu entry that is automatically run when HDM is started. ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ User Identification │ Menu File │ Run! │ Security │ Password ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ Bob │ HDM.300 │ │ 99 │ √ ║ ║ Brenda │ HDM.299 │ A1 │ 90 │ √ ║ ║ Melissa │ HDM.150 │ A5 │ 50 │ √ ║ ║ Kathy │ HDM.100 │ B7 │ 50 │ √ ║ ║ │ │ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ │ │ ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ Enter=Change Esc=Cancel F2=Save Ins=Add Del=Delete ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ !! To change your logon password 1. When logging onto HDM, instead of using your normal logon password, enter: CHANGE (press Enter) 2. Enter your old password. 3. Enter a new password. 4. Enter your new password again to verify you typed it correctly. Your new logon password is recorded by HDM and will be required in future sessions. RESTRICTING ACCESS Now that you have created security levels for various users of HDM, how do you restrict access and to what? There are four areas that you can protect: page 92 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 * Hide or restrict use of the Top Menu. * Restrict access to a pull-down menu choice. * Restrict use of a single menu entry, menu page or menu file. * Prevent changes to a menu file. HIERARCHY OF SECURITY HDM has a hierarchy of security that you must follow. The security of a menu entry takes precedence over the security of the menu page. In other words, if menu entry A5 has a security level of 50 and menu page A has a security of 30, the user with security level 30 will be allowed access to the menu page but will be asked for a security level password on the fifth entry. If you change the security of the menu entry to "00", then the menu entry assumes the security level of the menu page (30). Likewise, the security of a menu page takes precedence over the security of the menu file. If you change the security of the page to "00," then the page assumes the security level of the menu file. !! To hide or restrict access to the Top Menu You may not want others to access the Top Menu or make changes to it. For example, you may not want others to access the Master Password Table or the User ID Security Table. Use this procedure to deny or limit access to the Top Menu. 1. Select "Hide/Disable Top Menu" from the Security menu (Alt-F6). This security feature allows you to keep certain people from even seeing the Top Menu. This feature disables the F10 and slash keys used to access the Top Menu. NOTE: To access the Top Menu when it's hidden, you need to type "/UNHIDE" from the User Menu and enter a password of a security level equal to or higher than the hidden level. 2. Assign a security level. Enter a security level higher than that of the users you want to hide the Top Menu from. For the most security, enter a level of 90. page 93 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 3. Select "Top Menu Entries (All)" from the Security menu. This security feature allows unauthorized people to still see the Top Menu but not make any choices from it (Menu, Page, Security, Local, Global and Exit). The security level specified by this command becomes the default for the commands in each pull-down menu. It can be overridden for an individual pull-down menu command by placing the cursor on the command and pressing Alt-F1 (described later). 4. Assign a security level. Enter a security level above that of the users you want to restrict from using the Top Menu. For a high level of security, enter a level of 90, for example. NOTE: Users who are not allowed access to the Top Menu will not be able to exit HDM until the system manager assigns a lower level of security to the choice "Exit HDM" (F3) in the Exit menu. See the following procedures for how to assign a security level to a pull-down menu choice. EXAMPLE: In a family scenario, you could assign a security level of 20 for hiding the Top Menu and 60 for the Top Menu entries. Your children could press F10 and see all of the items on the Top Menu because their security level (50) is greater than the security level that hides the Top Menu (20). However, only you and your spouse can access the Top Menu commands that change HDM. If you raise the security level for "Hide/Disable Top Menu" to greater than 50, then the Top Menu would be invisible to your children. !! To restrict access to a pull-down menu Besides protecting access to the Top Menu, you can restrict access to individual pull-down menu choices. For example, you may want to add security to the pull-down menu choice "Exit HDM (F3)" so that users cannot exit HDM to the DOS prompt. By limiting users to only the menu choices available from HDM, you can protect your PC and its files from possible damage. There are four pull-down menu choices that especially are important to protect. They are: * "Master Password Table" from the Security menu * "User ID Security Table" from the Security menu * "Inactive Execution" from the Global menu * "Timed Execution" from the Global menu page 94 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 NOTE: The inactive and timed executions are important to safeguard because they bypass security when these menu entries are run. 1. Open the Top Menu and highlight the pull-down menu choice to be protected. 2. Press Alt-F1 to change the security level. 3. Assign a security level and press Enter. This security level is the level another user must be equal to or greater than to access the pull-down menu. !! To restrict use to a menu entry, menu page or menu file To not allow someone to run certain menu entries, you can restrict them from the individual menu entry, all the menu entries in a menu page, or all the menu entries in a certain menu file. 1. Open the Security menu (Alt-S). 2. Select what you wish to restrict: * To restrict someone from running a single menu entry, select "Set Security" (Alt-F1). * To restrict someone from running entries in a single menu page, select "Page Security" (Alt-F2). * To restrict someone from running entries in a single menu file, select "All Menu File Entries" (Alt-F3). 3. If restricting access to an individual menu entry or menu page, choose the menu entry or menu page and press Enter. 4. Assign a security level and press Enter. This security level is the level another user must be equal to or greater than to access this restricted menu entry, menu page or menu file. !! To prevent changes to a menu file Although you may not want to keep someone from using your menu file, you may not want them to change it. This procedure protects your work in creating a menu file. page 95 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 1. Select "File Change Protection" from the Security menu (Alt-F4). 2. Assign a security level and press Enter. This security level is the level another user must be equal to or greater than to change the menu file. REMOVING SECURITY To remove security from a menu entry, menu page or menu file, set the item's security level to zero ("00"). !! To remove security 1. Open the Security menu (Alt-S). 2. Select what item from which you wish to remove security: * To remove security from a single menu entry, select "Set Security" (Alt-F1). * To remove security from a single menu page, select "Page Security" (Alt-F2). * To remove security from a single menu file, select "All Menu File Entries" (Alt-F3). * To remove security from a single pull-down menu choice, highlight the pull-down menu choice and press Alt-F1. 3. If removing security from an individual menu entry or menu page, choose the menu entry or menu page and press Enter. 4. To remove security, enter a security level of "00" and press Enter. WARNING: DO NOT delete the password in the Master Password Table for that security level since that does not remove the security from the item. Rather, deleting the password may lock you out of accessing the item if there are no passwords on security levels above the one that was deleted. page 96 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 USING HDM ON A NETWORK HDM has many features ideal for local area networks (LANs). With a little work, HDM can help you get more from your LAN. Some benefits include: * A consistent, easy-to-use menuing system. * Sharing of network users' own menu files on their local computer with those shared from a common file server. * Up to 99 levels of security to protect vital network files. * Automated login procedures. * Activity log of what each user is doing on the network. SEPARATE X.BATS Each HDM user must have a separate temporary work file called X.BAT. This file keeps track of where the user was in HDM. This file is especially useful for allowing users to reload HDM and return to the menu entry from which they exited. On a network, each user needs their own X.BAT file so that do not overwrite another's X.BAT. To avoid this conflict, you have two solutions: * Assign a different read/write directory to each user where X.BAT is located. * Use a different work file name for each user instead of X.BAT. A DIFFERENT DIRECTORY To point HDM to a different directory for X.BAT, start HDM with the -W switch. EXAMPLE: To use this switch, you would add "-W" after the HDM command that loads HDM. HDM -Wm:\network\jimh where "m:\network\jimh" is the network user's own directory. EXAMPLE: An alternative is to set the environment variable HDM in each user's AUTOEXEC.BAT file to another name like this: SET HDM=-Wm:\network\jimh A DIFFERENT FILE NAME To tell HDM to look for a different file name than X.BAT, use the "SET X=" environment variable. page 97 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 EXAMPLE: In your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you would set the environment variable X in each user's AUTOEXEC.BAT file to another name. SET X=MENU or SET X=%USER% Once set, the user must type the righthand word instead of "X" to return to HDM. For more information on startup switches and environment variables, see the chapter "Customizing HDM." SHARING LOCAL AND NETWORK MENU FILES Network users can use their own HDM menu files from their own computer alongside menu files that are available on the network. This allows network users to have their own personal menus while using standardized menus on the network. The -T, -G and -0 through -9 startup switches help network users mix local (unique) and network (common) menu files. The -T switch allows you to enter a path to where the menu entries and local variables are stored (menu files HDM.000 through HDM.999). If each person on the network will have a unique set of menu files, then they must also have their own menu text files in their own read/write directories. EXAMPLE: You can do this by using the -T switch when starting HDM for each person on the network. HDM -Tm:\network or SET HDM=-Tm:\network where "m:\network" is the drive and directory where the HDM menu files are stored. The -G switch specifies the path to the configuration file HDM.CFG. The HDM.CFG file contains the global settings for all menu files. The -0 through -9 switches are similar to -T but specify the path to groups of 100 menu files. For example, -7 is for menu files HDM.700 through HDM.799. Using these switches, you can have some menu files that are only available through the network server. Other menu files can only be available on the network user's local computer. EXAMPLE: In the next example, the menu files HDM.800-899 are found on the network in directory H:\NETDIR, while HDM.900-999 are on the user's own hard disk directory D:\MYOWNDIR. The page 98 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 remaining menu files, HDM.000-799 will default to the C:\HDM directory. This example also shows that every network user can share one copy of HDM on the network server, although HDM could be installed on every individual's computer. The advantage is that only one set of files must be maintained. PATH C:\;D:\MYOWNDIR H: CD\HDM HDM -8H:\NETDIR -9D:\MYOWNDIR -WD:\MYOWNDIR -GH:\NETDIR NOTE: One copy of HDM can be run from the network file server and shared by several users. AUTOMATED LOGINS If you're using HDM's user names, HDM's -U startup switch and its matching DOS environment variable can help automate logging onto HDM and your network. You first set an environment variable that has the user's name and then refer to that variable in the startup switches for HDM or through the "SET HDM=" environment variable. EXAMPLE: Here is an excerpt of an AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SET HDMUSER=LAURA CD \HDM HDM -UHDMUSER or SET HDMUSER=LAURA SET HDM=-UHDMUSER CD \HDM HDM When Laura starts HDM, HDM automatically reads the HDMUSER variable and enters her User ID for her. You can next automate the network login process. When you use the User ID Security Table from the Security menu, set up each user to automatically run a specific menu entry. This menu entry could automatically run a batch file that has the user log onto your network. page 99 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 AUTOMATIC LOGOFF Logging off your network can also be mandatory. After a set amount of inactivity or whenever anyone logs off HDM, a certain menu entry can run the command or batch file to log the user off your network. NOTE: These two activities - logging off after inactivity or automatic execution of an entry during a normal logoff - are independent of each other. You can have an automatic execution of a menu entry at logoff, automatic logoff after inactivity, or both. !! To create an automatic logoff 1. Select "Log Off Automatically" from the Security menu (Alt-F7). 2. Enter any of the following: * Number of inactive minutes before logoff ("00" to turn off). * Menu file number containing the menu entry with the command or batch file to log the user off your network. * Page letter and entry number to run to log off the user (leave blank to turn off). 3. Press F2 to save your changes. NOTE: See the "Adding Security" chapter for more information about security and the individual commands available in the Security menu. OTHER TIPS With a little planning, HDM will work on Novell and other networks. Some basic tips: * If everyone on the network will be using the same menu files, ensure all the Top Menu commands are protected with a high security level or that the Top Menu is hidden so only the network administrator can access these commands and make changes to menu entries. * You can protect an individual menu file so that users can run menu entries without restrictions. However, they will be unable to add or change the menu file. Select "File Change Protection" from the Security menu (Alt-F4) to add this extra security. page 100 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 HDM MENU STRUCTURE Below are two sections that describe the menu structure of HDM: * All HDM pull-down menu commands plus their shortcut keys. * Brief description of each pull-down menu choice. PULL-DOWN MENU COMMANDS Description Keystrokes Shortcut ====================================== ========== ======== SECURITY Change security on one User Menu entry Alt-S S Alt-F1 Change security on a menu page Alt-S P Alt-F2 Change security on all menu entries Alt-S A Alt-F3 Prevent changes to current menu file Alt-S F Alt-F4 Change security on all Top Menu entries Alt-S T Alt-F5 Hide the Top Menu and F10 from the user Alt-S H Alt-F6 Set inactive time to force user log off Alt-S L Alt-F7 Maintain the Master Password Table Alt-S M Alt-F8 Maintain the User ID Table & passwords Alt-S U Alt-F9 MENU ENTRIES Add an entry to the User Menu Alt-M A Ins Change a User Menu entry Alt-M C F2 Duplicate a User Menu entry Alt-M D F4 Erase an entry in the User Menu Alt-M E Del Move a User Menu entry Alt-M M F6 Switch two User Menu entries Alt-M S F8 Display menu actions in title window Alt-L A Shift-F1 Modify the current menu file's macros Alt-L M Shift-F6 MENU PAGES Compress a page of menu entries Alt-P C Ctrl-F1 Erase all menu entries on a menu page Alt-P E Ctrl-F2 Import a page from any menu file Alt-P I Ctrl-F3 Change the name of a Page Index Alt-P N Ctrl-F4 Switch two pages in the same menu file Alt-P S Ctrl-F5 Display menu actions in Title Window Alt-L A Shift-F1 CHANGING HDM'S LOOK Change border line styles on windows Alt-L B Shift-F2 Change screen and window colors Alt-L C Shift-F3 page 101 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keystrokes Shortcut ========== ======== Change date/Top Menu format Alt-L D Shift-F4 Change the lines placed in User Menu Alt-L L Shift-F5 Change the design of the User Menu Alt-L S Shift-F7 Modify current menu file title lines Alt-L T Shift-F8 Change background wallpaper character Alt-L W Shift-F9 CUSTOMIZING HDM Modify the current menu file's macros Alt-L M Shift-F6 Change the blinking of the cursor Alt-G B Alt-1 Change the mouse speed Alt-G M Alt-6 Change the project name Alt-G C Alt-2 Set the date/time and their format Alt-G D Alt-3 Set other global settings for HDM Alt-G G Alt-4 Set up execution based on inactive time Alt-G I Alt-5 Set up timed execution of menu entries Alt-G T Alt-9 Specify communication port & dial type Alt-G P Alt-7 Set screen save blank time and message Alt-G S Alt-8 EXITING HDM AND DOS SHELL Open a DOS window Alt-X D F9 Log off a user if one was logged on Alt-X L F7 Return to previous menu or logo screen Alt-X M Esc Save all changes made in HDM to disk Alt-M W Ctrl-F10 Exit to the DOS prompt Alt-X X F3 REPORTS Access the HDM Report Module Alt-X R F5 NETWORKS Set up an execution based on inactivity Alt-G I Alt-5 Log off a user if one was logged on Alt-X L F7 In the next several pages are the main menus available from the Top Menu and the commands that are underneath them. The shortcut key for each menu choice is listed in parentheses. MENU (Alt-M) Add Entry (Ins): Creates a new menu entry. Change Entry (F2): Changes the description and menu action of an entry but not its security level. page 102 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Duplicate Entry (F4): Copies a menu entry, including its security level, to an empty entry. Erase Entry (Del): Deletes a menu entry. Move Entry (F6): Moves a menu entry to an empty entry, even if on a different menu page. Switch Entries (F8): Swaps two entries in the User Menu, including their security levels. Write File (Ctrl-F10): Saves all changes made to your disk. Not normally used since HDM automatically saves changes whenever you run a menu entry, return to the logo screen, press F1 for help, or after one minute of keyboard/mouse inactivity. An asterisk (*) appears in the lower right corner if you have made changes that have yet to be saved. You can undo the changes made to the menu before they are written to disk by pressing Ctrl-U while the asterisk is still displayed at the bottom right corner of the screen. PAGE (Alt-P) Compress Page (Ctrl-F1): Moves all menu entries to the top of the page, leaving empty ones at the bottom. Erase Page (Ctrl-F2): Removes all the menu entries in a menu page that have an equal or lower security level than your user security level, and optionally allows you to remove those entries with a higher security level. Import Page (Ctrl-F3): Imports entries from a page in another menu file or the current menu file to empty entries in a page in the current User Menu. Name Page (Ctrl-F4): Changes the name of a menu page. Use up to 19 characters. Switch Pages (Ctrl-F5): Switches the menu entries and the page names of two pages in the current menu file, including their security levels. SECURITY (Alt-S) Set Security (Alt-F1): Changes the security level number of a single menu entry in the current menu file. Page Security Level (Alt-F2): Changes the security level number page 103 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 of a single menu page in the current menu file. All User Menu Entries (Alt-F3): Changes the security level number of the current menu file. The new number becomes the default for pages and entries not assigned their own security level. File Change Protection (Alt-F4): Adds a security level to protect the current menu file from being changed, although users can still run the menu entries. The Menu, Page, Security and Local menus are controlled by this security command. Top Menu Entries (All) (Alt-F5): Adds a security level to limit access to the Top Menu choices (Menu, Page, Security, Local, Global and Exit). The security level specified by this command becomes the default for the commands in the pull-down menu. It can be overridden for an individual pull-down menu command by placing the cursor on the command and pressing Alt-F1. Hide/Disable Top Menu (Alt-F6): Hides the Top Menu and its pull-down menus by disabling the F10 and slash keys. You assign a security level to limit access. To access the Top Menu when it's hidden, type "/UNHIDE" from the Main Menu, and enter a password of a security level equal to or higher than the hidden level. Log Off Automatically (Alt-F7): Logs a user off, if one was logged on, after a set amount of time with no keyboard or mouse activity. You can set the inactive time from zero to 99 minutes. If you set it to zero, there will be no automatic logoff. You can also have a menu entry automatically run whether the user logs off manually or has it done automatically after inactivity. These two activities are independent of each other. You can have an automatic logoff, an automatic execution of a menu entry at logoff, or both. Master Password Table (Alt-F8): Allows you to set up passwords for any of the 99 security levels. You must create at least one password in this table to use any security in HDM. Since this is the center of HDM's security system, you should give it a high level of security so that others cannot add their own passwords to the table. First, put a password on a high level number in the table. Then position the cursor over the "Master Password Table" command in the "Security" menu and press Alt-F1. Enter a high security level number in the window that opens. User ID Security Table (Alt-F9): Allows you to add, change and page 104 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 delete user account names, user security levels, initial menu files, initial menu entries and, optionally, to set user passwords. If any entries are made in the User ID Security Table, users must log on to HDM with a user name and a matching password (if set up) before being able to use the menu. LOCAL (Alt-L) The commands under this pull-down menu affect how the current menu file behaves and looks. Choices made here affect the current menu file only. Other menu files can have different configurations. Action Display (Shift-F1): Displays the menu action for the highlighted menu entry in the title box at the top of the screen. This choice acts as a toggle; choosing it again returns the title box to normal. Border Lines (Shift-F2): Changes the type of border lines used in all windows in the current menu file. The choices are single lines, double lines, bold (thick) lines or no lines. This command affects only the current menu file. Change Colors (Shift-F3): Changes the colors of HDM for the current menu file only. Choose from pre-defined color palettes, specify the color of each component in a palette or restore the original colors. The components are the foreground color, the background color, the emphasized color, the window title color and the window border color. Date/Top Menu (Shift-F4): Displays the top status bar with the date and time, the top menu bar or both. This choice acts as a three-way switch. Each time you choose it, you display the next of the three choices. This command affects the current menu file only. Lines in Menu (Shift-F5): Sets whether lines will be used to separate the list of Menu Pages and Menu Entries from the bottom of the windows. This choice acts as a four-way switch. Each time you choose it, you will display the next set of lines that can be used. The choices are: no lines inside the boxes, a line at the top, a line at the bottom, lines at both the top and the bottom. There are only two configurations if you are using the shadowed menu (mentioned later): with or without inside lines. Menu Macros (Shift-F6): Adds, changes or deletes any of the 10 available macros for the current menu file. Each macro can use page 105 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 up to 255 characters. To delete a macro, press Ctrl-Bksp while the cursor is in that macro's line. To restore a macro to its original contents, press Ctrl-U before you leave that field. Switch Screens (Shift-F7): Changes the positions and look of the User Menu and the Page Index to one of six combinations. You have a choice between the standard flat menus and the shadowed menus. This choice acts as a six-way switch. Each time you choose it, you will display the next set of menu layout. Top Box Titles (Shift-F8): Adds, changes or deletes any of the four available title lines in the current menu file. These title lines are displayed in the title box at the top of the screen. One, two, three or four of the lines will display depending on the Date/Time and Top Menu configuration and the type of User Menu screen used. Wallpaper (Shift-F9): Changes the character used in the background of most HDM screens for the current menu file. The default wallpaper character is ASCII 176 (a shaded character). GLOBAL (Alt-G) The following choices affect ALL menu files (HDM.000 through HDM.999). Blinking Cursor (Alt-1): Changes the rate of blinking for the cursor in all menu files. Enter a number from zero to 99, where the lower the number the slower the rate. If you enter zero, the cursor will not blink. Press F2 to save the new rate or press Esc to cancel the change. Change Project (Alt-2): Starts, changes or removes a project number or project name. This data is used by the {PROJECT} function in a menu action or in the title, and recorded in the HDM log file. Date and Time (Alt-3): Sets the system's date and time as well as format. The date format can be set to American (MM/DD/YY) or European (DD/MM/YY). The time can be set to a standard 12-hour or military 24-hour clock. Global Settings (Alt-4): Change the following Yes/No settings: * Ask for confirmation when exiting to DOS using F3. * Hide empty menu pages in the Page Index. * Hide empty menu entries in the User Menu. * Wrap to the same page when using the cursor. page 106 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 * Ask for the project name when starting HDM. Inactive Execution (Alt-5): Automatically runs a menu entry from any menu file in HDM after a set amount of keyboard and mouse inactivity. Once the automatic execution warning window is displayed, you will have 15 seconds to cancel the running of this entry. Otherwise, this entry will run as scheduled. Mouse Speed (Alt-6): Changes the horizontal and vertical motion sensitivity of the mouse. Enter a number from zero to 99 for each. The lower numbers are a slower rate of speed while the higher numbers are a faster rate of speed. Phone Parameters (Alt-7): Sets the communication port (COM1 through COM4) and the dial type (tone or pulse) for your modem. This information is used by the {DIAL} function. Screen Blanker (Alt-8): Changes the number of minutes of inactivity before the screen is blanked out. This prevents the images of your screen from "burning" into the phosphor of your monitor after long periods of time. Optionally, you can enter a message to be displayed in various positions on the screen to remind you that HDM blanked out the screen. When the screen is blanked out, you can press any key to restore it to the previous display. You can blank the screen out any time you choose without waiting for the time you set by pressing Ctrl-B. Timed Execution (Alt-9): Automatically runs a menu entry based on the day of the week or month and the time of day. For the menu entry to be run, you must be in HDM at the time. You will have 15 seconds to cancel the running of the entry once the timed execution warning window is displayed. Otherwise it will run as scheduled. EXIT (Alt-X) DOS Window (F9): Allows you to open a DOS window where you can run any DOS command or program up to 64 characters. You can also use HDM macros and functions. You can press F4 to search for and pick an executable file. Log Off (F7): Logs off a user if one was logged on and displays the logo screen. Logging off this way automatically runs the menu entry specified in the "Log Off Automatically" choice in the Security menu, if any was created. Menu Exit (Esc): Returns you to the previous menu file, if any, or to the logo screen. You must have used the {MENU} action page 107 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 function to go to another menu file. Otherwise, this command returns you to the HDM logo screen. If you have User IDs in the User ID Security Table, HDM asks if you want to log off before going to the logo screen. This command is similar to using the {RETURN} function. Reports (F5): Starts the Report Module for analyzing HDM usage. Exit HDM (F3): Exits you from HDM to the DOS prompt. The screen is cleared and the DOS prompt is displayed. You can do whatever you want while in DOS. When you then want to return to HDM, type "X" and then press Enter. You will return to HDM at the location where you left it. NOTE: The X key used to return to HDM can be changed to any other name not already used by HDM, DOS or another program. To change it, use the "SET X=" environment variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file before HDM is started. See the chapter "Customizing HDM" for more information. page 108 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX A: OVERVIEW OF DOS Now that you're using a computer, you've probably heard the term DOS. But what is DOS and what does it do? DOS stands for Disk Operating System. It is a software program that speaks directly to the computer hardware. There are many varieties of DOS, but they all perform the same basic functions. MS-DOS is Microsoft Corporation's version of DOS. The IBM version is commonly called PC-DOS. Also, Digital Research makes DR-DOS. The primary function of DOS is to be an intermediary between the computer hardware and your programs (word processor, spreadsheet, and database programs). Like a foreign language interpreter, DOS allows the computer to understand and start your programs, each of which may be written in a different computer language. DOS also allows you to manage files and subdirectories on your hard disk, including copying, deleting and moving. POPULAR TERMS Here are some basic terms you should be familiar with before using HDM: FILE: The basic unit of organization. A file is like a piece of paper stored in your computer. It can contain one of two things: a series of instructions (a program file), or words or numbers (data file). DIRECTORY: A way of organizing files. DOS comes with a root (main) directory but allows users to create other directories and to organize them into a logical hierarchy. SUBDIRECTORY: A directory that is underneath another directory, like a drawer within a filing cabinet. For example, all directories you create are subdirectories of the root directory. Like a filing cabinet, subdirectories and directories contain similar files together so you can easily find them. For example, all your letters could be saved in a directory called C:\LETTERS. PROGRAM: A series of instructions that tells your computer what to do, such as add a column of numbers or find a customer's invoice number. Of course, you control the program and tell it what to do. page 109 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 DISK: A place to store files. Disk storage consists of hard disks and floppy diskettes. HARD DISK: A physical disk inside your computer on which files and subdirectories are stored. A hard disk looks and works a bit like a record; it has cylindrical grooves and a head (needle) that reads information from between the grooves. A hard disk can be considered a large file cabinet in which you store your folders (subdirectories) and files (papers). A hard disk is sometimes called internal storage. DISKETTE: A miniature, portable disk. You use diskettes to copy programs or data files onto your hard disk and to store backup or extra copies of program and data files that already exist on your hard disk. Diskettes are read by inserting them into a disk drive located in your computer. Diskettes and disk drives come in two sizes: 3.5 inches and 5.25 inches. DOS: FROM THE COMMAND LINE Native DOS uses a command level interface; when you start your computer, the screen is blank except for the DOS command line, where you type commands that tell DOS what you'd like it to do. It looks like this: C:\> or C:\WP\LET> or C:\DBASE\WIDGET\MAR\EAST> The symbols and letters mean something to DOS but may be unfamiliar to you. Typing the commands that tell DOS what you'd like it to do can be just as cryptic. For example, here is a simple command that tells DOS to start the program Word Perfect: CD \WP (press Enter) WP (press Enter) Here's a DOS command that simply copies a file from one subdirectory to another and verifies the copying went smoothly: COPY C:\WP\LET\PCR\WORD.REV C:\WP\MISC\ /V (press Enter) To use the DOS interface, you have to "speak" the DOS language and use it correctly. The Hard Disk Menu System was created to help you use DOS without having to speak its complex language. Like a restaurant menu, HDM gives you a way to quickly choose what you want to do with your computer. HDM bypasses DOS and its hard-to-understand commands so computing is enjoyable and useful. Once set up, HDM lets you start programs and organize your files with a press of one or two keys. page 110 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX B: IMPORTANT TABLES Below are the major tables for HDM. HDM KEYSTROKES AND KEY COMBINATIONS Below are the keys used in the User Menu (main HDM menu), Top Menu (and its pull-down menus), and windows in which you enter values, such as when creating a menu entry. Keys User Menu Top Menu Window ============== ==================== ============== ========= Enter Starts selected item (Ditto) Accepts changes for current line Spacebar Moves cursor to (Ditto) Inserts or next item overwrites individual characters Right Arrow Moves cursor to Moves cursor Moves cursor first entry on to next pull- one character next menu page down menu right Left Arrow Moves cursor to Moves cursor Moves cursor first entry on to previous one character previous menu page pull-down menu left Tab Moves cursor (Ditto) Moves to next item cursor eight characters right Shift-Tab Moves cursor to (Ditto) Moves previous item cursor eight characters left Down Arrow Moves cursor to (Ditto) Moves next item cursor to next line page 111 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keys User Menu Top Menu Window ============== ==================== ============== ========= Up Arrow Moves cursor to (Ditto) Moves previous item cursor to previous line on screen Backspace Moves cursor to (Ditto) Deletes previous item character to left of cursor Ctrl-Backspace Deletes all characters in line Ctrl-Home Deletes characters from cursor to beginning of line Ctrl-End Deletes characters from cursor to end of line Page Up Moves cursor to Moves cursor Moves cursor previous menu page to next menu to first choice line Page Down Moves cursor to Moves cursor Moves cursor next menu page to previous to last menu choice line Ctrl-PgDn Moves cursor down about eight menu pages Ctrl-PgUp Moves cursor up about eight menu pages Delete (Del) Deletes a single menu entry Deletes character at cursor page 112 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keys User Menu Top Menu Window ============== ==================== ============== ========= Insert (Ins) Adds a single menu Switches entry between Insert and Overwrite mode (default is Insert) Home or Minus Moves cursor to first Moves cursor to Home moves menu entry of first pull-down cursor to all menu pages menu first character in field End or Plus Moves cursor to last Moves cursor to End moves menu entry of last pull-down cursor to all menu pages menu last character in field Escape (Esc) Returns to previous Returns to User Closes Ctrl-C menu file or logs Menu current Ctrl-Break user off HDM window and cancels changes Alt-F1 Changes security of Changes Changes a single menu entry security of security current of a pull-down menu single choice menu entry Alt-F2 Changes security of a menu page Alt-F3 Changes security of all menu entries in menu file Alt-F4 Prevents changes to current menu file Alt-F5 Prevents access to Top Menu pull-down menus Alt-F6 Hides the Top Menu and its pull-down menus Alt-F7 Creates automatic logoff and menu entry execution Alt-F8 Opens Master Password Table page 113 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keys User Menu Top Menu Window ============== ==================== ============== ========= Alt-F9 Opens the User ID Security Table Alt-F10 Opens last-used Returns to Opens last pull-down menu User Menu used pull-down menu Letter keys Moves to first menu entry of same Opens lettered menu page pull-down menu of same highlighted letter Number keys Starts the same numbered menu entry of current menu page F1 Displays Help menu F2 Edits a single menu (Ditto) Saves entry changes F3 Exits from HDM F4 Copies a single (Ditto) In a menu menu entry entry, Auto-builds menu action F5 Opens Report Module F6 Moves a single menu entry F7 Logs user off HDM F8 Swaps two menu entries F9 Opens DOS window to run a DOS command or program F10 Opens Top Menu Returns to Opens Top User Menu Menu Slash (/) Opens Top Menu Backslash (\) Opens last used pull-down menu /UNHIDE Allows access to Top Menu although hidden page 114 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keys User Menu Top Menu Window ============== ==================== ============== ========= Ctrl-B Immediately blanks the screen Ctrl-F Immediately freezes screen Ctrl-U Undoes menu changes since last save Undoes changes to current line Ctrl-F1 Compresses a page of menu entries Ctrl-F2 Erases a page of menu entries Ctrl-F3 Imports a page of menu entries Ctrl-F4 Changes name of a menu page Ctrl-F5 Switches two User Menu pages Ctrl-F10 Writes changes to menu file Shift-F1 Displays current menu action in Title Box Shift-F2 Changes window border lines in current menu file Shift-F3 Changes colors in current menu file Shift-F4 Diplays variations of date/time line and Top Menu Shift-F5 Changes number of lines in the User Menu Shift-F6 Creates or changes macros in current menu file Shift-F7 Changes menu design of HDM Shift-F8 Changes text in Title Box Shift-F9 Changes character for background wallpaper Alt-1 Changes cursor blinking rate Alt-2 Changes project name Alt-3 Changes date/time and its format Alt-4 Changes various global settings Alt-5 Creates or changes Inactive Execution page 115 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Alt-6 Changes mouse speed Alt-7 Changes phone dialer's settings Alt-8 Creates or changes screen blanker settings Alt-9 Creates or changes Timed Execution Alt-M Opens the Menu pull-down menu Alt-P Opens the Page pull-down menu Alt-S Opens the Security pull-down menu Alt-L Opens the Local pull-down menu Alt-G Opens the Global pull-down menu Alt-X Opens the Exit pull-down menu STARTUP SWITCHES If the last line of your AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file contains just "HDM" or if you simply type "HDM" to start HDM, you are using the basic HDM system. To support some features you want or to customize HDM upon starting the program, you have two choices: * Add extra parameters (or switches) after the HDM command. * Use DOS environment variables in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. AFTER THE HDM COMMAND By entering parameters (switches) after "HDM" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you can customize HDM. Below is a template for the various commands available: HDM -switch1 -switch2 ... etc. where "switch1," "switch2," etc. is a combination of the switches. When done, your AUTOEXEC.BAT file may look like this: ECHO OFF PROMPT $P$G PATH C:\HDM CD \HDM HDM -CC:\BACKUP -EC:\UTIL -GC:\DATA -TC:\DATA -WC:\TEMP page 116 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Each parameter you add should be separated by a blank space. Optional parameters are shown with brackets. When typing these parameters, omit the brackets. NOTE: In the following startup switches, "path" must include the drive letter. For example: C:\DIR\SUBDIR. Below are the switches from which you can choose: Switch Purpose ====== ======================================================== -A Automatically runs the selection specified by -Bp#. -Bp# Specifies entry to highlight in the User Menu. (p# is A1 through Z0). -Cpath Specifies path where a backup copy of the menu file is kept. -Ddrive Displays free disk space for the specified drive (-DC shows free space on C:). -Epath Exits to this path when you press F3 to exit to DOS. -Gpath Specifies global path to the configuration file HDM.CFG. This file contains the global settings for all menu files. -H[path] Reads header/logo screen from the HDM.HDR file in the HDM directory or in [path]. [path] is optional. -I Intensifies the background colors by allowing all 16 colors. The last 8 background colors become bright versions of the first 8 (for color monitors). This may not work with some video hardware. -K Disables key lock status from being displayed and the date and time from being constantly updated. Used to eliminate video bleed-through on multitasking systems. -L[path] Logs usage to the HDM.LOG file in the HDM directory or in [path]. [path] is optional. -M### Specifies menu file to be used when HDM is started, where "###" is any number from 0 through 999. -O Turns off the NumLock key when HDM starts. page 117 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Switch Purpose ====== ======================================================== -N Disables logo screen from being displayed when HDM is started. If a user logon is required, HDM goes directly to the logon window. -Q Queues keystrokes in the DOS keyboard buffer when HDM starts or after returning from running a program. Normally, HDM clears any keystrokes so its operation is not affected. -S Sets screen border on color monitors. The border will match the background color of the Status Bar. This may not work well with some EGA video cards. -Tpath Specifies the path where the menu entries and variables are stored. (HDM.000 to HDM.999, see -0 to -9 also) -Uname Reads a user ID from the named DOS environment variable to automate the user logon procedure. -VF Sets fast screen output for snow-less video boards. This parameter prevents HDM from waiting for your video card. This is the default except with CGA video systems. -VM Sets video mode to monochrome (black and white). Use this parameter to correct the problem of unreadable screens on laptops, portables and similar computers. -VS Stops static (snow) from displaying on the screen by waiting for your video card to draw the screen. This is the default for CGA computers. -Wpath Specifies work path where the temporary work file is stored. This work path must be in the DOS path statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT. -#path Similar to -T except this parameter specifies the path to each group of 100 menu files. -# is a number from -0 to -9. (-7 is for HDM.700-799). DOS ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES Instead of typing switches after "HDM," you can use a DOS environment variable to customize the program. This SET command must be in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file before starting HDM. page 118 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Below is a template for the various commands available: SET HDM=-variable1 -variable2 ... etc. where "variable1," "variable2," etc., is any of the switches mentioned in the previous section. PICKING COLORS The {COLOR} function lets you change the foreground and background colors for the current menu entry's DOS screen. These are the available colors: Color Number ============== ====== Black 0 Blue 1 Green 2 Cyan 3 Red 4 Magenta 5 Brown 6 Light gray 7 Dark gray 8 Light blue 9 Light green 10 Light cyan 11 Light red 12 Light magenta 13 Yellow 14 White 15 CHOICES FOR THE {KEY} FUNCTION The {KEY} function lets you pass up to 15 keys to a program that uses the standard DOS keyboard buffer. The following chart shows what codes to use for various keystrokes. Keystrokes Code Keystrokes Code Keystrokes Code ========== ==== ========== ==== ========== ==== Ctrl-A CA Ctrl-B CB Ctrl-C CC Ctrl-D CD Ctrl-E CE Ctrl-F CF Ctrl-G CG Ctrl-H CH Ctrl-I CI Ctrl-J CJ Ctrl-K CK Ctrl-L CL Ctrl-M CM Ctrl-N CN Ctrl-O CO Ctrl-P CP Ctrl-Q CQ Ctrl-R CR Ctrl-S CS Ctrl-T CT Ctrl-U CU Ctrl-V CV Ctrl-W CW Ctrl-X CX page 119 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Keystrokes Code Keystrokes Code Keystrokes Code ========== ==== ========== ==== ========== ==== Ctrl-Y CY Ctrl-Z CZ Space SP Ctrl-[ C[ Ctrl-] C] Ctrl-\ C\ Ctrl-2 C2 Ctrl-6 C6 Ctrl-- C- Enter ENTR Escape ESC Ctrl-Break CBRK Backspace BSP Ctrl-BkSpc CBSP Tab TAB Shift-Tab STAB Alt-A AA Alt-B AB Alt-C AC Alt-D AD Alt-E AE Alt-F AF Alt-G AG Alt-H AH Alt-I AI Alt-J AJ Alt-K AK Alt-L AL Alt-M AM Alt-N AN Alt-O AO Alt-P AP Alt-Q AQ Alt-R AR Alt-S AS Alt-T AT Alt-U AU Alt-V AV Alt-W AW Alt-X AX Alt-Y AY Alt-Z AZ F1 F1 F2 F2 F3 F3 F4 F4 F5 F5 F4 F4 F7 F7 F8 F8 F9 F9 F10 F10 F11 F11 F12 F12 Alt-F1 AF1 Alt-F2 AF2 Alt-F3 AF3 Alt-F4 AF4 Alt-F5 AF5 Alt-F6 AF6 Alt-F7 AF7 Alt-F8 AF8 Alt-F9 AF9 Alt-F10 AF10 Alt-F11 AF11 Alt-F12 AF12 Ctrl-F1 CF1 Ctrl-F2 CF2 Ctrl-F3 CF3 Ctrl-F4 CF4 Ctrl-F5 CF5 Ctrl-F6 CF6 Ctrl-F7 CF7 Ctrl-F8 CF8 Ctrl-F9 CF9 Ctrl-F10 CF10 Ctrl-F11 CF11 Ctrl-F12 CF12 Shift-F1 SF1 Shift-F2 SF2 Shift-F3 SF3 Shift-F4 SF4 Shift-F5 SF5 Shift-F6 SF6 Shift-F7 SF7 Shift-F8 SF8 Shift-F9 SF9 Shift-F10 SF10 Shift-F11 SF11 Shift-F12 SF12 Left Arrow LAR Right Arrow RAR Up Arrow UAR Ctrl-Left CLAR Ctrl-Right CRAR Down Arrow DAR Arrow Arrow Home HOM End END Insert INS Ctrl-Home CHOM Ctrl-End CEND Delete DEL PgUp PGU PgDn PGD Ctrl-PrtSc CPRT Ctrl-PgUp CPGU Ctrl-PgDn CPGD Alt-1 A1 Alt-2 A2 Alt-3 A3 Alt-4 A4 Alt-5 A5 Alt-6 A6 Alt-7 A7 Alt-8 A8 Alt-9 A9 Alt-0 A0 Alt- A- Alt-= A= page 120 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX C: COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q: What language was the Hard Disk Menu System written in? A: Turbo Pascal and Assembler. Q: After I run a batch file from a menu selection, I get a DOS prompt instead of returning to HDM. What's wrong? A: When running your batch file, DOS does not automatically return from the calling batch file (X.BAT created by HDM). You can remedy this situation by using @@ in front of your batch file name. The @@ is changed to CALL for DOS 3.30 and above, or to 4DOS or COMMAND /C for earlier versions. If DW5 is a batch file and your entry was: CD\DSPWRITE~DW5~ change it to: CD\DSPWRITE~@@DW5~ Q: When I try to run a batch file, I get a "Bad command or file name" message from DOS, then I go right back to the menu. I checked the batch file name, and it has the @@ in front of it and it's in the directory that I go to in my menu action. Why doesn't it work? A: You are running a version of DOS prior to 3.00 and HDM is trying to run your batch file with COMMAND.COM and DOS cannot locate it. This message means DOS can't find COMMAND.COM, not your batch file. Make sure that the root directory, where COMMAND.COM is located, is in your DOS path so that it is always accessible. Here is an example of an AUTOEXEC.BAT: PROMPT $P$G PATH C:\;C:\HDM;C:\DOS CD\HDM HDM Q: When I exit from HDM by pressing F3 and then type X at the DOS prompt to return to HDM, I get a "Bad command or file name" message. Why does this happen? A: This happens because DOS cannot find the file that HDM created called X.BAT. DOS must locate this file through the DOS path. Make sure you set up the proper path command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT before starting HDM. The path must include the HDM directory; or, if you used the -W switch when starting HDM, the work directory. Here is an example using a work directory: page 121 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 PROMPT $P$G PATH C:\;D:\WORKDIR;C:\DOS CD \HDM HDM -WD:\WORKDIR Q: Some DOS commands work fine from HDM while others give me a message that says "Bad Command or File Name". What should I do to fix the problem? A: The DOS commands that work are probably the internal commands. The system can't find the external DOS commands. See your DOS manual to see which are internal and which are external. The solution is a path command that points to the DOS files. Add the DOS directory to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file as shown in the previous two examples. Q: We run HDM on a Novell network with the HDM program on the server. When a user returns to the menu from a program, strange things happen. Sometimes we get "Batch file missing" and remain at the DOS prompt. Sometimes there will be a lot of "Bad command or file name" messages in a row before returning to HDM. In other cases, a user will return, but will be in another user's menu. We use the -T switch to point to each user's unique menu file. What's going on? A: The temporary work file called X.BAT is being overwritten by other users when they run menu entries. The HDM directory on the server is the default work directory for X.BAT. Each user must write the work file to a unique read/write directory because it cannot be shared unless the "SET X=" environment variable is used. Use the -W switch to point to a different work directory for each user or use "SET X=" to rename the working batch file. Here is a startup example: CD \HDM HDM -TH:\MENUTEXT -WC:\MYOWNDIR Q: If I start a program or batch file from the menu and it runs for a long time and I didn't really want to run it, can I abort it and get right back to HDM? A: DOS will let you cancel a batch file by pressing Ctrl-Break. When you do cancel it you will end up at the DOS prompt, just type X and press Enter. You'll be back where you were in HDM. Q: HDM version III let me put a password on just one of the top menu commands instead of all of them at once, I don't see anything in the Security menu that will let me do that in HDM. A: You're right. There is nothing in the Security menu to accomplish that, but it still can be done. Make sure you have page 122 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 at least one password set in the Master Password Table. Then put the cursor on the command in the menu that you want to protect and press Alt-F1. You can then type a security level number that affects just that one command. Q: How can I password protect the F3 key so you can't access DOS? A: The answer is really the same as the previous answer because F3 is just a short cut to the "Exit HDM" entry in the Exit menu. Press Alt-X, move the cursor down to "Exit HDM", then press Alt-F1. Enter a security level number that is higher than the level of the users you want to keep from going to DOS. Make sure you have a password set on that level or higher in the Master Password Table. Now both F3 and the "Exit HDM" menu command are protected. Q: We run 3270 emulation on our PC to connect to our company's mainframe. When we hot key over to the mainframe side, the key lock status, date and time, and the cursor from HDM bleed through to our mainframe application. How can we stop this? A: This happens because HDM continually writes those items out to the screen as it's waiting for keyboard or mouse entry. Use the -K startup switch and the key locks will not be displayed, and the date and time will be updated only when a key is pressed or the mouse is used. Also, set the blinking cursor speed to zero to eliminate the writes to the screen a blinking cursor requires. Q: I have a Hercules-compatible video card and I'm having a problem with my cursor. When I go into WordPerfect the cursor shows right in the middle of a character instead of below it. This makes it very difficult to see the cursor. What can I do? A: This seems to be a problem with some Hercules clones and certain PC programs. HDM itself does not change the cursor, it saves the prior cursor settings and uses its own cursor settings. When it runs another program, HDM restores the cursor to its saved shape and size. You can fix the problem by using one of HDM's built-in functions. The {CURSOR} function can set the cursor to the way you want it to look: {CURSOR 12 13}C:~CD\WP60~WP~ Q: I need to pass a parameter to WordPerfect that includes the left brace character. When I include it in the menu action and try to run it, I get a message that says unbalanced braces and it aborts. What can I do to get this to work? A: The braces are reserved by HDM to identify its functions. HDM checks to make sure they're used in pairs. To pass a single page 123 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 brace, use these substitute characters: Ctrl-Q for the left brace; and, Ctrl-P for the right brace. The other problem character is the tilde (~) since it's used as a command separator. Use Ctrl-Z if you need that character in a command or program. Q: A user who logs on to HDM is automatically logged in to our network because we include the network login entry in the User ID Security Table. Is there a way to automatically log users out of the network when they log off of HDM? A: Yes, there is. In the "Log Off Automatically" command in the Security menu, you can enter a menu file number and a menu entry's page and number. This entry automatically runs when the user logs off HDM. Q: The Timed Execution Facility works great-except if you're on a network. We have a tape backup that we want to run from the server at two o'clock in the morning, Monday through Friday, but all the computers on the network try to run it. Since the Timed Execution is a global table, how can we get just the server to run it? A: The easiest way is to use the {CK} function to verify a drive that only the server has access to, like this: {CK T}TBACKUP C:~ When the other computers on the network hit the {CK T}, the menu action will be canceled for them. A second way is to set an environment variable on the server: SET TAPEBACKUP=TBACKUP C:~ Then use this menu action: {%TAPEBACKUP%} which will be replaced on the server by TBACKUP C:~ and will become empty on all the others so that nothing will run. A third way is to run a menu action like this: {MENU 400}{KEY Z 7} and use the -4 startup switch so that the server will run menu entry Z7 from a different menu file than all the others. page 124 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX D: ERROR MESSAGES 000 ERROR LOCATING THE HDM STARTUP DIRECTORY: HDM could not find itself in the starting directory. Check that you are in the directory that contains HDM before you start it. Also check if the HDM4.EXE file has been renamed. 010 ERROR OPENING "File": HDM could not find the specified file in the expected directory or received an error from DOS while trying to open it. Check that the specified directories actually exist. 020 ERROR READING "File": HDM received an error from DOS while reading the specified file from the directory in which it was opened. This may be a result of trying to read a bad sector on your disk. 030 ERROR WRITING "File": HDM received an error from DOS while writing the specified file to a directory. The disk could be full or the file could be set to "read-only." 040 ERROR CLOSING "File": HDM received an error from DOS while attempting to close the specified file. 050 CAN'T FIND "Path": HDM could not find the path on the specified disk drive or a {DIR} or {FILE} function has an invalid path. Check that all the directories exist. 055 CAN'T ACCESS "Disk Drive": HDM could not access the drive specified in the {CK} function or the drive for a needed file, or a {DIR} or {FILE} menu function is referring to an invalid drive. 064 EXCEEDED MAXIMUM NUMBER OF INPUT FIELDS: HDM allows up to 64 active input fields at a time. This could be an internal program error. Contact MicroFox Company. 088 EXCEEDED MAXIMUM NUMBER OF NESTED READS: HDM can handle up to eight windows with active input fields at a time. This could be an internal program error. Contact MicroFox Company. 099 DOS ERROR (#) RUNNING AN INTERNAL PROGRAM: This can result from HDM not being able to find its Help, List or Dial program. It can also happen when running your own programs internally using the {RUN} function or the {RUN!} function. Either the program couldn't be found or there was not enough memory to keep HDM in memory while running the program. page 125 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 101 NO LOG FILE OPEN: Before you can print or display a report, you must first select a log file. Select "Open File" from the File menu (Alt-F1) and select a log file to open, such as HDM.LOG. 103 NO RECORDS MATCH THE CRITERIA: No records in the log file remained after your filter criteria were used. Your previous records are intact; press F2 and change your filter request. 117 FIELDS NOT DEFINED, CREATE A REPORT FORMAT FIRST: In the HDM report module, you must select the fields you want to display in the report. From the report menu, select Create Report (Ctrl-F1) and select the fields you want included. 310 WRONG PASSWORD!: You entered the wrong password for a user ID logon or an invalid security level password. 322 UNKNOWN USER!: You tried to log on with a User ID that was not found in the User ID Security Table. 333 ALREADY AT MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RECORDS!: The User ID Security Table or the Timed Execution Facility Table is full. HDM has a maximum of 254 Users and 99 Timed Executions. 590 NUMBER TO DIAL EXCEEDS 36 CHARACTERS!: The {DIAL} phone number function is limited to 36 characters. 595 - COMMAND # - "MODEM RESPONSE MESSAGE" (ERROR #): The {DIAL} function tried to send the modem a command and received a modem error; or HDM could not open a COM# port. 599 PICK UP PHONE, THEN PRESS A KEY!: This message is displayed after the dialing sequence is sent to your modem from the {DIAL} function. Pick up the telephone to talk to the person you called, then press any key. The modem is disconnected from the phone line and you can continue with your phone conversation. 661 CAN'T READ MENU FILE HDM.???: HDM could not find the HDM.000 through HDM.999 file in the current directory, the -T specified directory, or the -0 through -9 specified directory. 675 FILE NEEDED IS NOT IN HDM DIRECTORY: HDM uses external files for the phone dialer, help and reports. HDM looks for these in the HDM program directory, but couldn't find the one it needed. page 126 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 688 OLD FORMAT MENU FILE!: This happens only when trying to import a page from a previous version's menu file. To fix this, read in the old menu file using the {MENU} action function, make any change to it, then press Esc to return to the menu file you were using. 696 NO CHANGES MADE OR THEY WERE ALREADY SAVED: Ctrl-U was pressed from the menu to undo the last changes, but either no changes were made or they were already written to disk. If an asterisk (*) is displayed at the bottom right of the screen, you have changes that can be undone. 700 WINDOW MEMORY UNDERFLOW!: HDM tried to close more windows than were opened on the screen. This is an internal program error. Contact MicroFox Company. 716 WINDOW MEMORY OVERFLOW!: HDM allows up to 16 active windows at one time. This is an internal program error. Contact MicroFox Company. 732 EXCEEDED MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MOUSE HOT SPOTS!: HDM allows up to 32 active mouse hot spots at one time. This is an internal program error. Contact MicroFox Company. 755 INVALID DATE: You tried to change the date through "Date and Time" in the Global menu but it was incorrect. 757 INVALID TIME: You tried to change the time through "Date and Time" in the Global menu, but the time was incorrect. 777 CANNOT CHANGE COLORS ON A MONOCHROME MONITOR!: You have a monochrome monitor or you started HDM with the -VM switch to force monochrome mode because of an unreadable screen. 799 OUT OF MEMORY: HDM requires at least 300K of memory. If you have more than this, then there is another kind of error. Contact MicroFox Company. 834 PAGE LETTER NOT A - Z!: The imported page letter must be in the A through Z range. 848 AN AUTO-EXECUTION TRIED TO RUN AN EMPTY ENTRY: An automatic running was attempted through the -A startup switch, automatic log off, inactive execution, timed execution or the auto execute field in the User ID Security Table. However, the entry was empty. 888 NO SECURITY HIGH ENOUGH TO GET TO THE MASTER PASSWORD TABLE: You tried to delete a security level, but it would not leave a level high enough to return to the Master Password Table. page 127 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 909 MENU ACTION EXCEEDS 255 CHARACTERS!: The menu action length limit was exceeded because the expansion of function, a macro or a parameter caused it to be greater than 255. Use the || function to continue to another menu entry. 951 CANCELED, UNBALANCED {BRACES} IN ACTION TEXT!: The execution of the menu action was stopped when the number of left and right braces didn't match. 953 CANCELED, &MACRO CALLS ITSELF!: The execution of the menu action was stopped because the macro called itself and would have resulted in a loop. 954 CANCELED, %PARAMETER CALLS ITSELF!: The execution of the menu action was stopped because the macro parameter called itself and would have resulted in a loop. page 128 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX E: TECHNICAL SUPPORT If you have purchased a license to use the Hard Disk Menu System, you are eligible to receive technical support by telephone. Before contacting MicroFox Company, please first look at the Table of Contents and the "Common Questions and Answers" appendix in this manual. Your question may already be answered there. If not, please call 1-216-659-9489 Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm eastern (USA) time zone. All users can get support for HDM through CompuServe. Just send electronic mail with your questions to Jim Hass at 73057,3113. You can also write to MicroFox Company at: P.O. Box 447, Richfield, Ohio, 44286-0447, U.S.A. PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION HDM is user supported. This means that you may copy it freely and give the copies away to anyone you wish. They are in turn requested to send in the registration if they decide to use it. You can help us distribute HDM to others who might find it useful by uploading it local BBSs and by giving copies of it to friends, user groups, and business assoiciates. Thank you for supporting the Hard Disk Menu and Shareware. HDM UPDATES Check the date on the title page of this manual. If it is more than one year old, contact MicroFox for an updated version of the Hard Disk Menu. We are constantly improving the program and put out a major upgrade at least once a year. page 129 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX F: NEW FEATURES This version of HDM has some new features not available in previous versions. Below is a list of the enhancements. NEW AND IMPROVED FUNCTIONS * The {DELAY #} pauses for a number of seconds before continuing with the rest of the menu action. * The {LOGOFF} function logs a user off HDM if logged on through the User ID Security Table. This function will not run the menu entry specified in "Log Off Automatically" in the Security Menu. * The {NOCLEAR} function doesn't clear the screen before running the menu entry in which it is used. * The {SETPROJECT Project-Data} allows you to set or change the project name before running the menu entry. This data is also written to the HDM.LOG log file. * The {SELECT} and {VSELECT} functions allow you to display text other than the actual result. For example, you could have a menu say "High Density 3.5"" and "Low Density 3.5"" but the actual choices behind these friendly choices are " " and "/F:720": {VSELECT display=choice}. Also the mouse will now select the correct entry when more than one have the same highlighted letter. * The {FILE} function can now accept an optional 21 character window title: {FILE title~path/mask} * The {DIR} function can now accept an optional 12 character window title: {DIR title~path/mask} NEW STARTUP SWITCHES These switches replace the old -F and -V startup swtiches, although they will continue to work. * -VF allows you to have fast writing to for your video card, including newer CGA cards. This is the default for non-CGA video cards. * -VM uses monochrome screens instead of color or shades of gray. * -VS stops screen static (snow) by waiting to redraw your screen. This is the default for CGA video cards. page 130 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 IMPROVED PULL-DOWN MENUS * All-pull down menu commands now have shortcut keys. These keys are displayed to the right of each command. * "Save Menu File" was renamed to "Write File." * "Project" was moved from the Exit menu to "Change Project" in the Global menu. * "Switch menus" in the Local menu has been renamed to "Switch Screens." * The Security menu has been rearranged in a more logical form. * "Add Entry" and "Change Entry" in the first pull-down menu and "DOS Windows" in the Exit pull-down menu now allow you to press F4 to search and use exectuable files. * "Date/Time Format" in the Global menu is now "Date and Time." Besides changing the format of the date and time, you can change your computer's date and time. NEW PULL-DOWN MENU COMMANDS * "Wallpaper" was added to the Local menu to change the background character for most of your menu screens. * "Reports" was added to the Exit menu to allow you to display and analyze usage of HDM. OTHER ENHANCEMENTS * The <Esc> key now honors "Menu Exit" and "Log Off" security. * When HDM asks for a password, it now displays additional information about the type of password needed. * If you use HDM's usage logging and dial phone numbers using HDM's {DIAL} function, the numbers and date/time dialed are recorded in the HDM.LOG file. page 131 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 APPENDIX G: ORDER FORM Send to: MicroFox Company Orders: (216) 659-9489 P.O. Box 447 Richfield OH 44286-0447 All amounts in U.S.$ U.S.A. QUANTITY $ AMOUNT Single Computer License Includes: 1. Registration of HDM ......... $50 per PC ________ ________ 2. Published HDM User Manual 3. Choose HDM Disk Size: 5.25_____ 3.5_____ 4. Tech Support (Mail, Phone, CompuServe) 5. Notice of Major Upgrades 6. Additional Programs from MicroFox The following licenses include both 5.25/3.5" diskettes plus the (number) of manuals shown: 5-User Network License (1) $95 per Server 10-User Network License (1) 125 per Server 20-User Network License (2) 200 per Server Unlimited Network License (3) 275 per Server ________ ________ 15-User Site License (1) ..... 195 per Site 40-User Site License (2) ..... 395 per Site 90-User Site License (3) ..... 695 per Site Unlimited Site License (4) ..... 995 per Site ________ ________ 25-User Corporate License (2) $295 all Sites 100-User Corporate License (3) $795 all Sites 300-User Corporate License (4) 1395 all Sites Unlimited Corporate License(5) 1995 all Sites ________ ________ For LAN, Site or Corporate Licenses only: Additional HDM User Manuals ........ $10 each ________ ________ for LAN, Site or Corporate Licenses only: Additional HDM program disks ........ $2 each ________ ________ U.S.A. .......... $4 each Canada .......... $5 each SHIPPING CHARGES ________ ________ All others ...... $9 each REMEMBER TO ADD SHIPPING CHARGES ........ SUBTOTAL _____________ ================================ OHIO residents: 5.75% SALES TAX ________ TOTAL _____________ page 132 HARD DISK MENU SYSTEM Version 4.5 Contact ________________________________________________________ Company ________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Phone _________________________ FAX _________________________ CREDIT CARDS: 1-216-659-9489 VISA or MASTER CARD number ______________________________________ Expiration Date _________ Signature ____________________________ How did you get your copy of HDM? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Suggestions or Comments: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ page 133