Collection of Tools & Utilities/Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso/menus/mrmenu.zip/MRMENU.DOC

Text File | 1990-02-24 | 6KB | 143 lines

                              MR. MENU



Ok so I didn't use alot of time thinking up the name MR. MENU, but this is
a fast, easy way to create a menu that will do anything you can do from DOS.

                  FEATURES

MR MENU will generate the majority of your batch for you, only leaving the
actual commands to be inserted. You should be able to create a total full
featured menu in about an hour. After doing the first one you should be able
to cut that in half.

                SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

To gain the best use of this program please install ANSI.SYS in your
CONFIG.SYS file. This will allow you to access the fantastic abilitys of a
program called THEDRAW to create your menu screens. As far as memory and
go, if your computer is an IBM compatible and will boot up it should run
this program. The code generator is not memory resident nor are the utilities
included.

            SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Included in this package are the following files.

MASTER.EXE       The code generator
SAMPLE.COM       A sample menu screen
SAMPLE1.COM      Another sample menu screen
MRMENU.DOC       This file
ANSWER.COM       Creates errorlevel codes for your batch files
MRMENU.BAT       The sample batch file
MRMENU2.BAT      The other sample batch file
JOT.EXE          A public domain text editor

In addition you will need a program called THEDRAW, it is avalible on almost
every bulletin board in the country. Other wise you'll have to recode one
line of your batch file but that will be no big deal. However you don't get
the great colors and animation of THEDRAW that way. In any event it is
possible to use a text editor and create good menus but to create GREAT ones
use THEDRAW.

An Ascii text editor will also be needed but I think everyone with a computer
has one. I included a public domaian program call JOT. I did not write it nor
do I take any credit for it. However it's pretty good.

Again install ANSI.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS file. The format for doing so is
device=ansi.sys
That's all there is to it, if you're not sure about the CONFIG.SYS file
check your DOS manual!

                     LEGAL JUNK


THIS IS A SHAREWARE PROGRAM YOU MAY TRY IT, HOWEVER IF YOU CONTINUE TO USE
IT YOU MUST REGISTER MR MENU.

BECAUSE OF THE VAST NUMBER OF CONFIGURATIONS IN HARDWARE OUT THERE TODAY I
MAKE NO WARRANTY AS TO FITNESS OF THIS PROGRAM FOR ANY PURPOSE. THE USER
ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY IN DETERMINING WHAT PROGRAMS ARE FIT TO USE ON HIS
OR HER INDIVIDUAL MACHINE. I WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES
RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM. I DO HOWEVER GUARANTEE YOUR
SATISFATION, IF YOU REGISTER MR. MENU, IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT YOU ARE UNHAPPY
WITH YOUR PURCHASE YOU MAY RETURN IT FOR A PROMPT FULL REFUND! A REFUND WILL
BE CONSIDERED THE FULL EXTENT OF MY LIABILIY IN ALL CASES!

                   MAKING A MENU


To create a menu you need to first decide what you would like it to do. Get
out a piece of paper and write down what you would like to automate on your
computer. Put your list in the order you want to have listed on the actual
menu, assigning letters to each item startin with A.

After you have done that fire up your copy (register it) of THEDRAW and
draw your menu screen. I'm sure you can come up with a nice screen just be
sure to list each item with their corresponding letter.

EXAMPLE

                  A. LOTUS 123
          B. THEDRAW
          C. WORD PERFECT
                  ESC TO QUIT

As soon as you have it finished save using the cOm funtion in THEDRAW.
This will create an executable file. To check if you did it right type in
the name of the file you just created. If the file name was MENU.COM you
would type
MENU
at the dos prompt and your screen should come up immediately on the screen.

At this point you are ready to create your menu. This will be a batch file
and it will be generated by the program MASTER.EXE. Start the program by
typing.
MASTER
you will be taken through a series of questions just answer them according
to the needs of your menu. For the above menu example you would answer
3 when asked how many choices you wished on your menu and you would answer
MENU when asked for the name of your .com file. In the event you are not
to use THEDRAW to create your menu screen you would type in any thing that
was easily remembered like your name.

After you answer all the questions the program will write most of your batch
file for you! You then can test it by typing the name you gave your batch file
EXAMPLE
MYMENU

All that remains to be done now is to type in the dos commands you wish to
do. A hint : the end of a line equals pressing the return key. For example:
To do the menu above you would load your batch file into your favorite editor
and do the following.
ON THE LINE UNDER :CHOICEA you would type the following if Lotus was in a
directory call c:\lotus
cd\lotus
123

you could then erase the PAUSE statement and that entry would be done.

If you want to nest menus you may easily do that by adding the menu name on
your first menu. To get to that menu you need add the line COMMAND/C MENUNAME
with MENUNAME being the name of your second menu. This will take you right to
the second menu.

Take a few minutes and look at the included sample menus.

                REGISTRATION

You may register this program by sending $5.00 to

                RIVERSOFT
                509 VINE
                LEAVENWORTH, KS. 66048

THANKS,

Bob Fairburn