Night Owl 6-1/Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006-1 - Night Owl Corp (1992).iso/045a/m28arc.exe/MENU28.DOC

Text File | 1991-12-10 | 120KB | 2,847 lines

LICENSE_____________________________________________________
Please read the file LICENSE which is contained within this
archive. By using the software AT ALL, you agree to be bound
by the license agreement contained in the file LICENSE.

CREDITS_____________________________________________________
Many fine software products were used to create the Mountain
Menus System.  The menu is written in C language using Borland's
C++ Compiler Version 2.0.  Turbo Debugger from Borland was used
to navigate the tricky parts and stomp bugs (it does it so
well).  The windowing features are a collection of routines for
C called The Window Boss, a product by Philip A. Mongelluzzo of
Star Guidance Consulting, Inc. I modified parts of his code but
most of the credit is his.  Yoshi's excellent file compression
program LHARC is used by the INSTALL program.  The rest of the
code is my own.

The documentation was typed into and typeset with Samna
Ami-Professional.  Screen captures are courtesy of Hijaak 2.0
from Inset Systems.  Screen capture touchups and all other
graphics were produced with Corel Draw.  I have never had as
much fun working with a program as with Corel.  Programs of this
quality are few and far in between.  The master copy of this
document was printed on Hewlett Packard's LaserJet III using
Postscript from Adobe Systems.

All of the products mentioned above, and elsewhere in this
document, hold the copyright of, and are the property of, their
respective owners.

Any Key Software would like to thank the owners and especially
the authors of these fine software products for making them
available for use by everyone.


INTRODUCTION________________________________________________

Welcome to the Mountain Menus System.  Version 2.8.1 of Mountain
Menus is the result of three years of growth.  Two years ago I
uploaded the first release of Mountain Menus to the Novell forum
on Compuserve.  Since then the program has gone through
continuous refinement.  I have implemented just about every
reasonable request made by my registered users.  Every
inconsistency they or I found has been fixed.  In addition, over
two dozen enhancements have been made, including passwords, item
disabling, and fully integrated menu maintenance.

When the program was first conceived, the two most basic goals
were compatibility with Novell's menu file format and that the
menu should use as little RAM as possible.  These two goals were
both achieved.  Mountain Menus occupies NO RAM while your
applications are running.  Not one byte!  The menu relies
completely on DOS's batch file capabilities.  The menu creates a
batch file out of the commands you tell it for each menu item,
then runs it, completely removing itself from memory.  There is
NO WAY for the menu to conflict with your applications because
when your applications run, the menu isn't there.  It does not
remain memory resident in any way.  The bottom line is, if it
will run from a batch file entered at the DOS prompt, it will
run from Mountain Menus.  You can even load memory resident
software from the menu without any memory conflicts.  Are you a
Windows fan?  So am I.  Windows runs just fine from Mountain
Menus, and Mountain Menus can even be run from a window (or
several windows) in Windows.

While Mountain Menus makes an ideal user interface for students
and beginners on a stand alone computer, it's real power is as a
network menuing system.  The menu is being used on some very
impressive multi-server wide area networks.

Version 2.8.1 marks the completion of the first of a two part
project for major design enhancements inspired by the
overwhelming success of version 2.7.  In this version, the
configurability has been greatly enhanced.  Full program
maintenance has been built in to Mountain Menus.  It is no
longer necessary to use a text editor or any other external
program to maintain the menu system.  All of the features from
the Menu Builder, and more,  have been incorporated into the
menu program itself.  Security features have been added by
popular request, including full password protection of any menu
item, the ability to disable, or conditionally enable any menu
item, even the 'System Menu ' items.  Finally, Mountain Menus is
now a truly international menuing system.  Support for
everyone's character set is now provided.  Three date formats
are supported.  Menu items and titles can contain any ASCII
character from the space bar up.  Even the items on the
program's fixed menus can be translated into any language.

All of the enhancements in this new version have been added
without sacrificing any  compatibility with Novell's standard
menu file format.  In fact, compatibility is better than ever
with the fixing of a couple of inconsistencies the previous
version had.  The @1, @2 variables now more closely follow
Novell's implementation, and the three spaces required to indent
a menu item command has been reduced to two spaces.  Menu files
with commands indented only two spaces worked fine with Novell's
menu, but caused previous versions of Mountain Menus to crash.
The problem with commas in menu titles has also been fixed.

If you liked the way version 2.7 of Mountain Menus looked and
ran, you'll be glad to know that version 2.8.1 can be setup to
look and feel exactly like 2.7.  In fact, when you run version
2.8.1 with your 2.7 menu files, the only difference you'll see
is possibly the main menu will be in a different location.
That's because the main menu is now movable and sizable like all
the others.  I'm certain, however, that once you see all of the
new configuration options, and how they can be effortlessly
modified using the new 'Menu Edit Mode', you'll give your menus
a whole new personality.

The second part of the two part project will come in the form of
Version 3.0 of Mountain Menus. All of the enhancements to the
software will be Netware specific.  Bindery services will be
made available if the menu detects proper security equivalence.
Print queue services, directory maps, login scripts, and
anything else I can think of will be part of the next version.
I'm even toying with the idea of Email, Any Key style.


PROGRAM FEATURES____________________________________________

Overall Program Features

Whether you use stand alone PC or administrate a multi server
wide area network, your system's user interface should meet
certain minimum requirements.  First of all, it should be
intuitive and easy to use.   Next, it should certainly not
conflict with any of the programs you need to run.  It should
use as little RAM as possible.  Finally, it should be
configurable to the point where it can be given a personality by
the individual setting it up.  We think you will find that
Mountain Menus meets and exceeds this criteria with little
difficulty.  This new version of the menu is the result of
taking seriously all of the requests my registered users have
suggested.  Some of these suggestions were made by people with
stand alone PC's, but most were made by network administrators.
What follows is a list of the overall features which can be
found in Mountain Menus Version 2.8.1.

When Mountain Menus runs your applications, it completely
removes itself from memory.  NOT ONE BYTE of RAM is taken away
from your programs.  Even the most memory intensive software
will not complain when run from the menu.

Mountain Menus CANNOT conflict with your programs because the
menu is never loaded when your programs run.  You can even load
and unload memory resident software with no side effects.

The user interface is extremely intuitive.  It features two
methods of keyboard operation and two methods of mouse
operation.  The screens are very easy on the eye and provide a
very professional looking 'front end' for your business systems.

How the menu looks (it's personality) is limited only by your
imagination and the ASCII table of characters.  All menus can
now be sized and placed anywhere on the screen.  There are
eleven settings which are specific to each menu so the number of
different menu styles is quite large.  In addition, the
background can be an ASCII text file of your own creation.

Menu titles and items, including the built in menu items and
help screens, may be in ANY language.  International date
formats and character support is now provided.  Mountain Menus
is truly an international menuing system.

This new version has added to the basic Novell menu file format.
 It is completely backward compatible with that format, and will
use Novell's menu files without modification.

The network version of Mountain Menus does not hold the menu
file open.  This means that the menu file can be modified by a
system  administrator while it is in use.  There is no need to
get everyone out of the menu program so changes can be made to
the menu file.

Complete menu maintenance is now built into the menu program.
There is no need to use any other program to maintain the menu
or it's files.  The New Menu Builder, which was distributed with
version 2.7 as a separate program, is now vastly improved, and
is an integral part of the menu program.

Password protection may be optionally enabled during the menu
installation.  This allows an administrator to assign passwords
to menu items. It also protects 'Menu Edit Mode' with a Master
Password which can only be changed by re-installing the menu
from the original disk. In addition, the items on the 'System
Menu' can be optionally disabled to prevent users from changing
the time, date, or system environment.

Other security minded options include a 'Station Lock' option on
the System Menu which allows a user to enter a code which blanks
the screen and locks the keyboard until the code is re-entered.
The option to EXIT the menu can also be optionally disabled to
prevent access to the DOS prompt.

A historical logging option permits the tracking of start time,
end time, and elapsed time for each item run from the menu.  The
log file's name can be specified under the 'Global Settings'
option in 'Menu Edit Mode'.  The name can contain environment
variables so each user on a network can have there own log file,
no matter which work station they use.  If the specified file
does not exist, it is created.  If it does exist, it is appended
to.  The file has fixed length records and is delimited so it
can easily be imported into a database or spreadsheet.  Here is
a sample:

A full screen of user defined help may be displayed for each
menu item. In addition, an 80 character 'message' can optionally
appear at the bottom of the screen for each item as it is
highlighted.

Support for Digital Research's Concurrent DOS and other terminal
type multi-user operating systems which remap the memory
location of the keyboard buffer.

Snow free screen support on CGA systems. EGA/VGA MONO mode
support is also included for publishing stations and the like.

Mountain Menus is distributed with 'no nonsense' License
Agreements for single users, file servers, and site licenses.
These agreements are very straight forward and do not require an
attorney to interpret them.  Being a system administrator
myself, I am well aware of the heartache involved with insuring
that software is being used legally on the network.   For this
reason, Any Key Software has adopted the use of the 'file
server' license.  This agreement basically says that one fee is
paid to install the menu on each file server, and any
workstation attached to that file server may legally use the
copy of the menu installed there.  This is the fairest network
licensing agreement I have found for both the user and the
author.  The site license goes one step further.   With the site
license, the menu can be installed and run from any number of
file servers and/or workstations as long as these computers
reside within the company's physical working environment, and
belong to the company.

******************** Changes From Version 2.7.5 ***************************

In addition to some ehancements you may have noticed in the
previous section, the following features have also been added to
this new version:

Color palettes are supported so that different submenus can have
different color schemes.

Unique batch file naming eliminates the chance of a batch file
conflict when more than one user runs the menu from the same
directory, or if the same user runs the same menu from the same
directory on two different work stations.

The main menu is now movable and sizable.

Full character set support for menu titles and items.

Menu titles and items may contain environment  variables.

Menu titles may be up to 74 characters wide.  Menu items may be
up to 76 characters wide.

Menu titles may be placed in any of six locations on the menu
window's border.

Menu widths can be determined automatically or overridden by a
width of your choice.  Menus may be as narrow as 3 characters
wide or as wide as 78 characters wide (80 if the menu has no
border).

Menu items can be padded with preceding spaces.

Each submenu defined may have one of four border types, may be
sorted or unsorted, justified or centered, and it's shadow
turned on or off.  In previous versions, these were either fixed
settings or globally changeable.  Now they can be set for each
sub menu.

Any character in a menu item can be the 'hot character' for that
item.  It no longer has to be the first character.  This
character is highlighted for easy identification.

Hot keys (CTRL-A to CTRL-Z) may be assigned to your favorite or
most used menu items so that they can be run at any time
regardless of whether the menu containing that item is showing
on the screen.

Items on the system menu may be unconditionally disabled or
disabled unless a certain environment condition exist.  (Like
USER=MIKE).  In fact ANY menu item can be disabled in this
manner.

Support for the full 127 character maximum length allowed by DOS
for batch commands.

Use of the '@1' , '@2' command variables now FULLY supports
Novell's implementation.

Each menu item can have an 80 character message which displays
at the bottom of the screen as the item is highlighted. This
'message' line can be enabled or disabled from the 'Global
Settings' option in 'Menu Edit Mode'.

Each item can optionally display a 'selection confirmation'
message when that item is selected.  A window with your prompt
is displayed, followed by (Proceed (Y/N)).

The 'Run Menu Builder' option on the 'System Menu' has been
replaced by 'Enter Menu Edit Mode' since the Builder is now an
integral part of the menu program.  If password security was
enabled during installation, this option will require the Master
Password which was entered during the menu's installation.

The menu will now remember where the mouse was located, and
return it there when the menu returns from running your programs.

CTRL-C and CTRL-BREAK checking is fully implimented.  A CTRL-C
key press is now translated into an ESCape key press.

There is an optional 'One Click Mode' of mouse operation for
faster mouse selections.


INSTALLATION________________________________________________

Mountain Menus comes with it's own installation program.  The
install program must be run in order to register the copy of
Mountain Menus which you are using.  The install program
actually serves three purposes.  First purpose of the install
program is to copy archive file from a floppy disk or hard disk
directory to the hard disk directory it will be run from.  The
second and third functions of the install program are for
registered users only.  The second part asks for this program's
serial number which you received from Any Key Software when you
register.  The third item, which can only be gotten to after the
second item is complete, allows the system administrator to
enable the password security feature and burn a master password
into the executable file.

If you've downloaded the menu from a bulletin board service, the
archive file should contain three files:

INSTALL.EXE    <= the installation program
M28ARC.EXE    <= the self-extracting archive
README.TXT    <= last minute changes

You may use either part one of the install program to copy the
self-extracting archive to it's destination directory or you can
simply copy it there yourself and run it.  If you use the
install program, you must exit the install program after
completing part one.  If you decide to register, once you
receive a serial key, you can rerun the install program, skip
part one and enter the serial key to unlock the features of the
registered version and optionally enable the password protection
feature.

If you have received a registered copy from Any Key Software,
you must run the install program from the floppy disk.  Insert
the diskette into your floppy disk drive and make that drive the
default as follows.

Type:
A:<ENTER>    (Substitute B drive if necessary)
INSTALL<ENTER>

At this point the install program will present it's greeting
message  and give you three options.  Press <C> to copy the
Mountain Menus files to the hard drive.

The install program will then determine which drive letters are
available and present them to you.  Press the letter of the
drive where you wish to install the menu program.

The install program will then provide a window suggesting the
directory MENU on the drive you selected.  To accept this
suggestion press <C> to continue.  If you wish to choose or
create a different directory to install the menu in, press <S>
to select.

If you press <S> to select a directory, the install program will
present you with a graphical directory tree of the hard drive
letter you selected.  You may use the arrow keys, PGUP, PGDN,
HOME, and END keys to highlight the directory where you wish to
install the menu.  You may also press <M> to make a new
directory off of the highlighted directory where the menu can be
installed.  Once the directory you want is highlighted,
press<ENTER> to select it.  At this point you will be returned
to the same window described in the above paragraph, except the
directory shown in the window will reflect the directory you
just picked.  Press <C> to continue with the installation.

The install program will then copy files from the floppy disk to
the hard drive.  Next, the install program will extract the
Mountain Menus files from the self-extracting archive file.  If
you are installing Mountain Menus on top of an old installation
of Mountain Menus, you will be prompted whether to overwrite the
files which already exist in the destination directory.  As the
installation program suggests, you should overwrite  at least
the following two files:

MMMENU.EXE    <== the main executable file
MMMENU.CFG    <== Version 2.8 config. file

Use your own discretion if you are prompted to overwrite any
other files.

Once the files are extracted from the archives, press the <ANY>
key to return to the install program.  This completes part one
of the installation.

If  you have registered Mountain Menus, you must run part two of
the installation to burn the serial key into the executable file
so that the full features will be enabled.  Press <C> to
continue with part two of the installation.  You will be
prompted to enter the serial key which you received from Any Key
Software.

Be sure to enter the key correctly, single user keys are
different from file server keys, and a bad key will cause the
install program to abort.  Once a proper key is entered, the
install program will permanently burn this number into the
MMMENU.EXE file.  This will complete part two of the
installation.

Complete details concerning password protection are covered in
Appendix C of this manual.  There are special considerations
that need to be addressed now, BEFORE you proceed with part
three of the installation and you are installing the menu on a
file server where a previous version of Mountain Menus is
running.

CAUTION:  READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH BEFORE YOU CONTINUE WITH PART
III OF THE INSTALLATION IF YOU ARE INSTALLING THE MENU ON A
NETWORK.

Menu item passwords are stored in a separate file.  This file
must have the same name as the menu file and must be in the same
directory as the menu file.  Mountain Menus has a defense
mechanism where if it cannot find a matching security file for
the current menu file, it will automatically disable all the
items on the menu.  This means that simply deleting the password
file will not serve as a means of getting around the password
protection.  When the menu cannot find a security file, it will
create one if it can.  This new security file, however, is not
initialized and menu items will not be enabled until it is.

To initialize a security file simply select 'Menu Edit Mode'
from the System Menu, then select 'Return to Run Mode'.
Remember, only someone who knows the master password can do
this.  The idea here is that the menu wants permission from the
holder of the master password before it allows a new security
file to take effect.  This means that after you complete the
installation, you will need to call up any existing menus that
you use, enter 'Menu Edit Mode', and 'Return to Run Mode' before
anyone else on the network can use this menu.

Part three of the installation deals with enabling the password
security feature of the menu program.  This is completely
optional.  If you are not interested in password protection,
simply press <ESC>ape to end the installation at this time.  If
you do wish to enable password protection, press <C> to continue
with part three of the installation.  You will be prompted to
enter a master password.

This master password will be burned into the executable file.
In the future, you will use the master password to gain access
to 'Menu Edit Mode'.  Since anyone who has access to 'Menu Edit
Mode' may assign passwords to menu items, anyone who knows the
master password has the ability to change any menu item's
password.  The master password IS Case Sensitive !! Once you
have entered a password, you will be asked to re-enter it to be
sure.  After it is re-entered, the install program will burn it
into the executable file.  At this point, the installation
process is complete.

Things to remember about the installation program:

It is not necessary to run the install program at all if you are
just evaluating the shareware version of the menu.  You MAY use
part one of the install to copy the menu files to a destination
directory if you wish.

The directory tree used to select a destination directory has
some limitations. It will display up to 2000 directories if
enough RAM is available. If the install program reaches 2000
directories or total available memory drops below 50K, it will
simply display all of the directories it has read in at that
point.  If your destination volume contains more than 2000
directories and the destination directory does not appear on the
tree, you will need to manually copy the self-extracting archive
to the destination directory and run it to extract the files.
Remember to also copy the INSTALL.EXE file as you will need it
to enter a serial key if you register.

Once the install program has burned a master password into the
executable file, the ONLY way to disable the password feature or
to change the master password is to re-install the program from
the original floppy.  There is no way to toggle password
protection on and off.


GETTING STARTED_____________________________________________

Required Files

After the installation process, the following files should be
found in the menu directory.  We will identify these files by
group.

Files which are absolutely necessary:

MMMENU.EXE     <= The main executable file.
MMMENU.CFG     <= The Version 2.8 configuration file (this will
                   only be used by the registered version).
MMENU.BAT     <= This batch file is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY and should
                   be located with the executable file
INSTALL.EXE     <= The installation program is needed if you wish
                   to enable password protection or change the master
                   password.
VENV.EXE     <= This is the view environment program found on the
                   system menu.

Menu files:

SAMPLE.MNU     <= This is the sample menu file provided so you can
                   test the new options of the menu program
SAMPLE.HLP     <= This is the help file for the above menu file
SAMPLE.SEC     <= If password security is enable, this file will be
                   created and maintained by the menu program

Note:

Menu files may have any name but must use the extensions shown
above.  If you do not specify a menu file when starting the
menu, MAIN.MNU is assumed.  The sample menu provided is actually
a fully functional menu file, except that the commands all have
an ECHO statement preceding them so that the commands will be
displayed instead of executed.

Translation files:

MMMTRANS.DAT     <= Translation file for the menu's fixed menu
                   items. With this file you can substitute the items
                   on the 'System Menu' and the 'Menu Edit Mode' menus
                   with your own text.
MMMHELP.DAT     <= Translation file for the 'Menu Edit Mode' help
                   screen (the only fixed help screen).

Note:

The MMMHELP.DAT translation file is necessary if you want the
help screen displayed in 'Menu Edit Mode'.

Utility files:

MSET.EXE     <= this is a command line version of the VENV.EXE
program.  It can be used in place of the DOS SET command.  One
differences between MSET and SET is that MSET shows the amount
of environment space available.  It also deals with the master
environment table and will make permanent changes to the
environment no matter how many levels of COMMAND.COM deep you
are.

MPAUSE.EXE     <= this may be used in place of the batch PAUSE
command.  If you have a mouse, clicking a mouse button or
pressing a key will cause the batch file to continue.

NETCHECK.EXE     <= this utility can be used by a batch file to
determine whether a station is actually logged in or not.  If a
/v command line parameter is used, the program will provide a
verbose answer to the screen where you can see it.  An example
of it's use is provided in Appendix D.

NOTE

All of the information files are in ASCII text format.  They can
be printed with any ASCII editor or word processor, or simply
copy them to the printer.  If you have a LaserJet, I suggest
using PC Magazine's PCBOOK utility.

Information files:

README.TXT     <= This file will contain any changes which didn't
make it into the manual.  It will also contain a revision
history for this version which was extracted directly from the
source code module.

LICENSE     <= This file will be contained in the shareware package
and contains the formal license agreement for this version of
Mountain Menus.  It also contains the pricing and ordering
information.

MENU28.DOC     <= This is the shareware version of the user manual.

After the Installation

TRYING OUT THE SAMPLE MENU

To check out the new Mountain Menus without disturbing your
existing menu files, load up SAMPLE.MNU so that you can mess
with the options without hurting anything.  At the DOS prompt
type:
MMENU SAMPLE <Enter>

You can test drive this menu to your heart's content.  Don't
worry, none of the items will actually run anything.   Instead,
the commands which would have executed from the batch file are
simply ECHOed to the screen.  As we describe the items on the
built-in menus, you can use the sample menu to try these options
out as we go.  The illustrations in the manual will be done
using the sample menu.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE MENU FILES FROM NOVELL OR MOUNTAIN MENUS

This new version of the menu has fixed all of the known problems
that the old version had dealing with Novell's menu files.
There should be no problem with using any menu files you already
have.  If you do find a menu file which runs properly using
Novell's menu but will not work with this version of Mountain
Menus, I need to know about it.  Better yet, upload a copy of it
to my Compuserve mailbox so that I can find out why.

CREATING YOUR OWN MENU

If you are anxious to get started, skip to Chapter 6 and read
the section on 'Menu Edit Mode'.  Then skip to Chapter 7 and
read the section on building a new menu.  Chapter 7 contains
details on all of the 'Menu Edit Mode' commands.  Since building
a new menu will require many of the commands in 'Menu Edit
Mode', you can skip around that chapter as necessary.

COMMAND LINE SWITCHES

The MMENU.BAT File

The MMENU.BAT file is a small but required batch file used by
the menu program.  When you first run the menu from the DOS
prompt, you should always use this batch file.  The contents of
this batch file should not be changed except as noted below.
When you run Mountain Menus from DOS, what you actually type at
the DOS prompt is:

MMENU <Enter>
or
MMENU MENUFILE <Enter>

Where MENUFILE is MENUFILE.MNU, or the menu of your choice.

If you do not specify a menu file as in the first example,
MAIN.MNU is assumed.  To call one menu from another menu, simply
add a menu item to your menu with the following command:

MMENU MENUFILE

It is important in either case that you use the MMENU.BAT file
and never MMMENU.EXE when running the menu program.

The contents of the MMENU.BAT file are as follows:

MMMENU %1

There are four command line switches which are allowed after the
%1.  None of these switches are normally necessary but they may
be added to cover the situations described below.  The switches
are:  /c, /m, /e, /l.  If you decide to implement any of them in
the MMENU.BAT file, they should be added in this manner:

MMMENU %1 /c    (or /m or /e or /l)

The /c option:

The /c option tells the menu NOT to do a hard reset of the video
system.  Normally, Mountain Menus forces your video card into
COLOR80 mode.  This is done because some programs fail to
restore the video mode when they are finished.  If for any
reason you do not want the menu to make this call, include the
/c option.  One example of it's use is running the menu while
shelled out of AUTOCAD.  Autocad gets very upset if the video
mode is changed while it is running.

The /m option:

The /m option tells Mountain Menus to force your video card into
BW80 mode.  Use this option if you are running a EGA/VGA video
card in black and white mode.  This is the case on many desktop
publishing computers.  Note that this option is not necessary if
you have a monochrome video card.  This option is also useful on
laptops.

The /e option:

Normally, when the menu program starts up, it determines the
version of DOS which is running.  If version 3.3 or later is
detected, the menu program will use the @ECHO OFF syntax in the
batch file so that the ECHO OFF command is not echoed to the
screen.  In versions prior to 3.3, this was not supported so
ECHO OFF is used.  It has been brought to my attention that some
OEM versions of DOS which pass themselves off as version 3.3 or
later, do not support @ECHO OFF.  If you have one of these
versions of DOS and have problems with the commands echoing to
the screen, you can use this option to tell the menu to always
use ECHO OFF instead of @ECHO OFF.

The /l option:

The /l option should only be used with the MMMLOOP.BAT file.  It
was included strictly for users of Digital Research's Concurrent
DOS or any other type of multi-user software which remaps the
location of the keyboard buffer.  Using MMMLOOP provides an
altogether different and somewhat confining method of running
Mountain Menus.  Normally, this switch should never be used.
The MMMLOOP.BAT file actually takes the place of the MMENU.BAT
file.  It looks like this:

:TOP
BREAK OFF
@ECHO OFF
MMMENU %MFILE% /R
IF ERRORLEVEL == 2 GOTO EXIT
IF ERRORLEVEL == 1 GOTO EXIT
CALL %MF%
GOTO TOP
:EXIT

This batch file makes two assumptions about how the menu program
and your station is setup.

1) You have UNIQUE batch naming specified under the 'Global
Settings' option in 'Menu Edit Mode'.  When UNIQUE batch naming
is used, the menu program stores the name of the batch file it
creates in the environment using the variable MF.  If the
'Global Settings' option for 'Batch File Name' is not set to
UNIQUE, then line 7 of the above batch must be modified.  If the
batch name is AK (the default), line 7 would read

CALL AK

If you are using an environment variable for the batch name,
like: %%USER%%, line 7 would read

CALL %USER%

2) You have an environment variable called MFILE which is set
equal to the menu file you will be using

SET MFILE=MAIN

This allows you to easily change the active menu file with a
menu option who's command is simply

SET MFILE=COMMON

Notice the ERRORLEVEL tests.  The menu program returns three
different ERRORLEVELs to DOS when it exits.  2=user exit,
1=error exit, 0=run the batch.


OPERATION OF THE RUN MODE___________________________________

A better name for this chapter might be 'How to use Mountain
Menus'. We will discuss how to use the different methods of
selecting a menu item using the keyboard or the mouse.

USING THE KEYBOARD

Mountain Menus uses two (actually three) methods of keyboard
operation.

The first and most obvious is the standard 'Point and Shoot'
method. Using the 'Point and Shoot' method, use the UP and DOWN
arrow keys to highlight an item, then press <ENTER> to select
it.  The SPACE BAR also acts like the DOWN ARROW, and the
BACKSPACE also acts as the UP ARROW key.

The second method of keyboard operation involves using the
'hot-letter' assigned to an item when the menu is set up.  A
menu item's hot-letter will always appear as a bright yellow
letter in the menu item, UNLESS the item is already bright
yellow, in this case the hot letter will be bright white.  To
select an item which has a hot-letter, simply press the
hot-letter once.  Assigning a hot-letter to a menu item is
discussed in Chapter 7 under the 'Item Settings' menu - 'Edit
Item's Text' section.

The third method of keyboard operation is the use of 'Hot-Keys'
which are assigned to a menu item. Hot-Keys may be assigned to
your most used menu items.  There are 26 Hot-Keys which can be
assigned: CTRL-A to CTRL-Z. The advantage to Hot-Keys is that
the item which the Hot-Key is assigned to DOES NOT need to be
showing on the screen when you press the Hot-Key.  That item
will run regardless of whether the menu that item is on is
showing or not.  To assign a Hot-Key, see the 'Item Settings'
menu in 'Menu Edit Mode'.

Note: Hot-Keys may NOT be assigned to items which call up
submenus, only to items which run DOS commands.

The 'System Menu' may be called up at any time by pressing
<ALT-S>.  If you are in 'Menu Edit Mode', use <ALT-S> to open
the 'System Settings' menu,  <ALT-M> to open the 'Menu Settings'
menu,  or <ALT-I> to open the 'Item Settings' menu.

In all cases, the <ESC>ape key will make the active menu go
away.  You can always use <ESC>ape to 'back-up'.  If only the
main menu is showing, and 'Exit to DOS' is enabled in the
configuration file, pressing <ESC>ape will give you the option
to exit the menu program and return to DOS.  If only the main
menu is showing, and 'Exit to DOS' is disabled, pressing
<ESC>ape will have no effect.

Pressing <F1> in run mode will call up the user defined HELP
screen for the highlighted item IF A HELP SCREEN EXISTS. If a
.HLP file is not detected by the menu program, or a screen for
the highlighted item does not exist, then pressing <F1> will
have no effect.  Pressing <F1> while in 'Menu Edit Mode' will
call up the one and only built-in help screen that the menu
program has.

USING THE MOUSE

There are two methods of mouse operation.

The first method we will call standard mode.  If you have been
using Version 2.7 of Mountain Menus, then you already know how
the standard mode works.  Using standard mouse mode, to
highlight a menu item simply click on it.  Clicking on an
already highlighted item will cause this item to run.  This
means that running a menu item takes two clicks, once to
highlight it, again to run it.

The second method of mouse operation is called 'one click mode'.
 To enable 'one click mode' use the 'Global Settings' option on
the 'Sys Settings' menu in 'Menu Edit Mode'.  If 'one click
mode' is enabled, the highlight bar will jump to the mouse
cursor as soon as the mouse cursor is placed within the menu
window.  You need only move the mouse up and down to highlight
the different items on the menu.  You do not need to click until
you wish to run the item which is highlighted.  Veteran mouse
users will really appreciate how this speeds up item selection.
Beginners may find that their aim is not good enough to use this
method.

There are two things common to both methods.  Clicking the right
mouse button is the same as pressing <ESC>ape.  It can be used
to back up.  Also, in both methods, you may click on the text
"ALT-S=SYSTEM MENU" to call up the system menu and you may click
on the text "F1=HELP" to call up the help window.  The same
thing applies to the three menus in 'Menu Edit Mode'.


THE SYSTEM MENU_____________________________________________

Overview

The System Menu is located in the upper left corner of the
screen.  It contains 7 items which deal with work station
configuration.  In a network environment, you may not want all
of these options available to everyone.  For this reason, all
but the first and last item may be disabled, either
conditionally or unconditionally.  This is done from the 'Global
Settings' option on the 'System Settings' menu in 'Menu Edit
Mode'.

System Menu Options

The Quick Calendar

When you select this item, three windows will pop up on the
screen.  First is the calendar window with the current month in
it and the current day highlighted.  The second is a list of
months with the current month highlighted.  The third simply
says 'Previous Year / Next Year'.  To change months, with the
keyboard, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys.  With the mouse,
simply click on the month of your choice.  To change years with
the keyboard, use the LEFT arrow key for previous year and the
RIGHT arrow key for next year.  With the mouse, simply click on
the text 'Previous Year / Next Year'.  Finally, to make the
calendar go away, press <ESC>ape or click the right mouse
button.  The Quick Calendar serves as a reference calendar only.

Setting the Time

This option provides a way to set the computer system's time.
The time must be entered in 24-hour military format.  You will
be checked to see that the time you enter is valid.  If it is
not, the menu will not attempt to change the time.  If you call
up the time entry window by mistake, simply press <ESC>ape to
return to the system menu.  This item may be disabled.

Setting the Date

This option provides a way to set the computer system's date.
The date must be entered using the current date format.  This
means that if you are using MM/DD/YY or alpha numeric date, the
date you enter must be in this format.  If you are using
DD/MM/YY or YY/MM/DD, the date you enter must be in this format.
 The date you enter will be checked for validity.  If not valid,
the menu will not attempt to change the date.  If you call up
this entry window by mistake, simply press <ESC>ape to return to
the system menu.  This item may be disabled.

WARNING:
The program takes the date you enter and sends it to DOS without
changing the format.  If DOS does not accept the date in this
format, the system will appear to hang.  If this happens, simply
press <ENTER> (no other key will do).

System Environment

This option runs the VENV.EXE program.  VENV provides a way to
view and modify DOS's environment.  If the menu cannot find the
VENV.EXE file, selecting this option will have no effect.  This
item may be disabled.  The View Environment program displays the
contents of the work station's environment.  It also displays
how much environment memory is used and how much is available.

To modify the environment, press <F1>, or RIGHT click the mouse.
 To return to the menu without changing anything, press any
other key or LEFT click the mouse.

If you choose to modify the environment, the program opens an
input window.  To modify an existing variable, enter it's name
followed by a equal sign (=), followed by whatever you want to
set it equal to, ie. USER=JUDY.  Adding a new environment
condition is done the same way.  To delete an existing
condition, enter the variable name followed by an equal sign (=)
with nothing after it, ie. USER=.  This will remove the
condition completely.

Menu Edit Mode

Use this option to enter 'Menu Edit Mode'.  'Menu Edit Mode' is
the subject of discussion for the entire next chapter, so we
will not go into a full explanation here.  If password
protection was enabled during installation, you will be required
to enter the master password at this point.  If the password is
not correct, you will be returned to the 'System Menu' and you
will not be in 'Menu Edit Mode'.  This item may be disabled.

WARNING:
This password is case sensitive so be careful of the position of
your CAP lock key as you enter it.

Station Security Lock

This options provides a way to enter a four character code.
When the fourth character is entered,  The screen will go blank,
and the keyboard will be locked.  The only way back in is to
re-enter the same code which was used to lock it. This code IS
case sensitive also.  While this option does not attempt to stop
a reboot, and it certainly cannot stop a reset button push or a
powerdown, it IS useful in a network environment because
rebooting is the only way around it.  Rebooting on a network is
usually grounds for automatic LOGOUT which means having to get
past network security.  With this option, you can leave yourself
logged in, lock the station, and walk away.  When you return,
re-enter the code, and you are back where you were.  This item
may be disabled.

About Mountain Menus

Sorry about this one folks.  A fit of 'Windows' came over me and
I felt compelled to include an ABOUT dialog box.


MENU EDIT MODE

Overview

The single largest enhancement to this version of Mountain Menus
is the integration of the menu builder into the menu program
itself.  Because of this there are now two modes of operation.
Instead of 'running' the menu builder, as was the case in 2.7,
you now enter 'Menu Edit Mode'.  On the screen, two things will
happen when you enter 'Menu Edit Mode'.  Any items which were
disabled due to an environment condition will become enabled to
allow editing.  A new menu bar will appear at the top of the
screen.  This menu bar contains three drop-down menus.  In this
chapter we will cover each item on each of the drop-down menus
individually.

How to Get Around

Moving from menu to menu in 'Menu Edit Mode' is the same as it
is in 'run' mode.  The 'Menu Settings' menu always deals with
the active user defined menu.  To change the border type on a
submenu, you will call this submenu up as if you were going to
run something from it.  Then you would press Alt-M to activate
the 'Menu Settings' menu and select 'Change Menu Border Type'.
In other words, while you are in 'Menu Edit Mode', selecting an
item which calls up a submenu will call up the submenu just as
it does in 'run' mode.

If you are using the mouse with 'One Click Mode' turned ON, once
you move the mouse to highlight the item you want to modify,
slide the mouse left or right until it is outside the menu
window Since moving the mouse up or down will cause the
selection to change.

Selecting an item which normally runs DOS commands will invoke
an 'edit' window containing those commands.  In other words,
editing the commands associated with a menu item is as easy as
selecting that item as if you were going to run it.

Another not so obvious result of being in 'Menu Edit Mode' is
that the 'Exit to DOS' is disabled.  You must return to 'run'
mode to exit the menu program if it is allowed.  To return to
'run' mode, press Alt-S to call up the 'System Settings' menu
and choose the 'Return to Run Mode' option.  The menu program
automatically decides which files need to be updated and does so
if it can. (You must have sufficient rights on a network in the
menu directory.)

The Command Edit Window

There are several excellent books about writing batch files. Any
of these books would make an excellent supplement to this user
manual.

Batch Files 101

The simplicity and all of the power of Mountain Menus lies in
it's use of the DOS batch command processor.  Batch files are a
very fundamental concept in the DOS/PC world.  If you use a PC
but are unfamiliar with batch files, think of them as macros for
the DOS prompt.  The idea is, instead of typing several commands
each time you wish to complete a task, these commands are
entered into a batch file, the batch file is given a name, and
saved to the disk.  Next time you wish to run that series of
commands, simply type in the name of the batch file.  There is,
of course, much more to the batch language.  With it, you can
test for existence of a file, ERRORLEVEL, and environment
conditions.  The batch file can branch and execute different
commands based on the results of such tests.  The greater your
skill with the batch language, the more you will realize the
power of the menu system.  Mountain Menus takes the commands
which are entered in the 'Command Edit Window' and makes a batch
file from them.  It then types the name of the batch file at the
DOS prompt for you.  If you are a Batch file wizard, you'll be
right at home with the 'Command Edit Window'.  If not, At the
VERY LEAST, you must know what you have to type at the DOS
prompt in order to run the various programs on your PC.  This
usually consists of three commands like this:

D:              <= Change to the drive containing the program.
CD\WINDOWS     <= Change to the directory where the program is.
WIN             <= Run the executable file.

That's it folks!  That's all it takes to make a working menu
item in Mountain Menus.  Some advanced batch programming
techniques for the menu are covered in greater detail in
Appendix D.

Getting Around the 'Command Edit Window'

The 'Command Edit Window' is ten lines tall by 78 character
wide.  The window scrolls both horizontally and vertically to
accommodate 40 batch commands. Each can be up to 127 characters
wide.  The item you are entering commands for is displayed in
the window title.  A down arrow in the lower left corner of the
window indicates that there are lines below the bottom of the
window.  An up arrow in the upper left corner of the window
indicates that there are lines above the top of the window.
Absolutely anything that works in a batch file can be put in the
'Command Edit Window'.  Simply enter the commands necessary for
the menu item your working on.  Start on the top line, after
typing in a command, press <ENTER> and type the next one.  When
you are finished,  press <ESC>ape, then select YES to save the
changes or NO to ignore any changes made.  The following keys
are active in the 'Command Edit Window' to assist you with your
editing:

All four ARROW keys can be used to move the cursor around the
'Command Edit Window'.

The HOME and END keys can be used to go to the beginning or end
of the line.

The PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys can be used to scroll the window
vertically ten lines at a time.

When the 'Command Edit Window' first pops up, it is always in
overwrite mode.  You may toggle between overwrite and insert
modes by pressing the INSERT key.  A small underline type cursor
indicates overwrite mode.  A larger block type cursor indicates
insert mode.

The DELETE key works as in any word processor.  It will delete
the character above the cursor.  The BACKSPACE key will delete
the character to the left of the cursor.

CTRL-I can be used to insert a new blank line at the cursor row.
 The text on the cursor line, and everything below it, will be
moved down one line.  The cursor will remain where it is, on the
new blank line.

CTRL-D can be used to delete the line where the cursor is.  The
text on the row below the cursor line, and everything below it,
will be moved up one line.  The cursor will remain where it is.

There must NEVER be blank lines between commands.  The menu
program assumes that a blank line marks the end of the command
list.  Therefore, any commands which follow a blank line will be
ignored.

NEVER put MMMENU(.EXE) as a batch command in the 'Command Edit
Window' !!!  Always use MMENU(.BAT) instead. Results are
UNPREDICTABLE!!

There is no need to provide commands to return to the menu.
These are provided automatically by the menu program.  If any of
the commands you enter into the 'Command Edit Window' is the
name of a batch file, it is very important that you place the
CALL statement in front of the batch file name.  If you are
using a version of DOS prior to version 3.2, the CALL statement
is not supported. You must use the COMMAND /C option instead.
If you do not use one of these two options, you will probably
not return to the menu program after you exit your application.

More information on batch files and how they relate to the menu
program may be found in Appendix-A and Appendix-D.

If you have a program which runs fine from the menu, but fails
to return to the menu, it is probably because one of the
commands in the 'Command Edit Window' is actually the name of a
batch file and you are not using one of the two above options.

The 'Menu Edit Mode' Drop-Down Menus

As with the system menu in 'run' mode, all three drop-down menus
in 'Menu Edit Mode' may be selected with the mouse by simply
clicking on their names.  The right mouse button, as always,
acts like the <ESC>ape key.

Alt-S  The 'System Settings' Menu

The items on this menu deal with overall program settings like
color choices, heading information, date format, etc.  It
provides an option to build a brand new menu file from scratch
and an option to return to 'run' mode.

Atl-M  The 'Menu Settings' Menu

With these items you can change those settings which pertain to
a submenu as a whole such as moving it, sorting the items on it,
changing it's title or border type, etc.  The options on the
menu always pertain to the active 'user defined' menu.

Alt-I  The 'Item Settings' Menu

Use this menu to change settings which deal with the currently
highlighted menu item.  You can assign a password or hot-key to
an item, change it's text, change message and help screen, etc.


The System Settings Menu

Return to 'Run' Mode    (Alt-S)-R

Item might be disabled:    NO

Select this item when you are finished making changes in 'Menu
Edit Mode'.  The menu program will save all of your changes to
the proper files on disk.  It will then return you to 'run' mode
where you can resume normal operation of the menu.  In a network
situation, you must have the proper rights to the directory
where these files are stored.  If the menu is unable to update
the files due to insufficient rights, it will not complain about
it.  It will simply not save the changes.  Even if the changes
are not saved to disk, they will be in effect for the current
session.  (Until you run something.)

Edit Color Palettes    (Alt-S)-E

Item might be disabled:    YES

On monochrome systems or color systems running in black and
white mode, this menu option will be disabled.

Selecting this option calls up the 'Color Palette Editor'.
Using the 'Color Palette Editor', you can set the Background and
Foreground color combinations for the heading area, the backdrop
area, the Help Window, and the Help Window border.

You can also define the color combinations for the 10 definable
menu palettes. Each menu palette consists of four color
combinations. One for the menu window, one for the menu border,
one for the highlighted item, and one for the item once it is
picked.

Only the UP and DOWN arrow keys, the <ENTER> key, and the
<ESC>ape key are needed in the 'Color Palette Editor'.  Use the
arrow keys to highlight the palette you wish to edit.  Notice
that as you highlight each one, the colors for that palette are
displayed on the sample menu on the right side of the 'Color
Palette Editor' window.  When you get to one you wish to change,
press <ENTER>.  From the next menu select one of the four parts
of the palette you wish to change.  From the next menu select
either Foreground or Background, from the next menu select the
color of your choice.  Your selection will be reflected in the
sample menu.  When your finished,  press <ESC>ape to back up one
menu.  Press <ESC>ape again to backup another menu, etc.  Using
<ESC>ape, the ARROW keys, and <ENTER>, you can quickly define
the colors you want for each section of each palette.  When your
finished with everything, Press <ESC>ape to exit the 'Color
Palette Editor'.  The Mouse, of course, works equally well
throughout the 'Color Palette Editor', making selections even
faster and easier.

Choose a Background    (Alt-S)-C

Item might be disabled:    NO

The backdrop area of the menu can be made up of any character in
the ASCII table from the space bar up.  The default is 176 which
is the patterned character.  Another more creative alternative
is to specify an ASCII text file which will be used as the
menu's backdrop.  This allows you to construct any backdrop you
like.  The only limits are the ASCII table of characters and
your own imagination.

This option provides a dialog box where you can either enter a
number between 32 and 255, or enter the name of an ASCII text
file.  You may select a character to use from a menu by pressing
the UP or DOWN arrow key.  This will pop up a menu of available
characters you can use for a backdrop.  Use the mouse or the
arrow keys, PGUP, PGDN, HOME and END to locate the character you
want then click or press ENTER.  This will enter the numeric
equivalent into the text box.  Press ENTER again to accept the
number.  The background will change immediately.

If you enter a file name, and the file cannot be located, the
menu will not let you out of this dialog box.  The menu must be
able to locate the file you specify.  Numbers smaller than 32 or
larger than 255 will also not be allowed.

Global Settings        (Alt-S)-G

Item might be disabled:    NO

The bulk of the global settings for the menu program are
modified by using this menu option.  There are 17 items on the
'Global Settings' edit screen.  We will discuss each of these in
order.

Heading Line #1 & #2

The two heading lines appear at the top center of the menu
screen in the heading area.  These two lines may contain any
text you want.  They are limited to 40 characters wide.  Each
line may contain one or more environment variables.  Environment
variables should be in upper case and they should have 2 per
cent signs(%%) in front and behind.  As an example:

Menu for %%USER%%

The menu program will search for USER in the environment.  If it
is found, whatever value that user is set equal to will be
substituted in the heading line.  Using the above example if
USER=Mark is in the environment, the heading will read:

Menu for Mark

System Time, System Date, View Environment, Menu Edit Mode, and
Station Security

Five of the items on the 'Run Mode' System menu can be disabled
from here.  They are the 'Set System Time', 'Set System Date',
'View System Environment', 'Enter Menu Edit Mode', and 'Station
Security Lock'.  To allow any of these items to be selected,
enter the word TRUE.  To permanently disable any of the items,
enter the word FALSE for that item.  To conditionally disable
any of the items, enter the environment condition which must
exist before the item is enabled.  Example:

USER=Mark

Entering this for any of the items would mean that the item will
be disabled UNLESS USER=Mark is in the environment.  If
USER=Fred is in the environment or if USER is not in the
environment at all, this item will be disabled.  You may also
specify simply USER=  with nothing after it.  In this case, the
item will become enabled if USER is equal to anything.  It will
disabled if USER does not exist in the environment.

The 'Enter Menu Edit Mode' option CANNOT be set to FALSE. You
CAN provide an environment condition which can be used to enable
and disable this option. If you enter a FALSE, the menu program
will convert it to TRUE.

Mouse X and Mouse Y

The distance which the mouse moves on the screen compared with
the distance the mouse actually moves can be set with these two
options.  This is comparable with setting the mouse speed.  The
allowed values in these two boxes are 1-99.  The default value
is 15.  Contrary to what you might think, the larger the number,
the slower the mouse moves on the screen.  These can be set to
your liking.

Screen Blanker Time-Out Period

This setting specifies the number of minutes of inactivity which
will pass before the screen will become blank.  The allowed
values are 0-60.  Zero means the screen blanking is disabled.
The default value is 15 minutes.  Once the screen is blank,
simply press the <Any> Key or click a mouse button to restore
it.  Moving the mouse is also sufficient to restore the screen.
The key which is pressed, or the button which is clicked will be
absorbed so there is no need to worry about running an item
which you can't see.

Enable Exit

This option can be either TRUE or FALSE.  The default value is
TRUE.  This means you are allowed to exit the menu and return to
the DOS prompt.  System Administrators on a network may wish to
set this to FALSE to keep users from accessing the DOS prompt.

Messages

This option can be either TRUE or FALSE.  The default is FALSE.
This option serves as a way to globally disable the 'Message
Line' which is displayed on the last line of the screen.  The
message line is used to display information about the
highlighted menu item.  Assigning a message to an item is
described later in this chapter.  This option actually turns the
message line ON and OFF. If set to TRUE, the message line will
be displayed on the screen even if the menu items do not have
messages assigned to them (the program's fixed menus all have
messages which will use this line if it is enabled).

One-Click Mode

This option can be either TRUE or FALSE.  The default is FALSE.
This option strictly pertains to the use of the mouse.  With
this option set to FALSE, the mouse action is the same as it is
in 2.7.  That is, you must click on a menu item once to
highlight it, then again to run it.  If this option is TRUE, the
highlight bar will jump to the mouse cursor as soon as the mouse
cursor enters the menu window.  The highlight bar will follow
the mouse cursor when it is moved within the menu window.
Simply position the mouse to highlight the option of your
choice, then click once to run it.  One-click mode allows much
smoother operation of the menu with the mouse.  It does,
however, require good aim and a steady hand.  Mouse beginners
may prefer to have this set to FALSE.

Date Format

One of four date formats may be entered here.  They are:

MDY    example:  12/25/90
DMY    example:  25/12/90
YMD    example:  90/12/25
ALPHA    example:
    Tuesday, Dec 25, 1990

It is important that you know which format you are using when
you change the date from the 'System Menu'.  The new date you
enter, must be in the order of the format you have chosen here
(ALPHA is entered as MDY).  For more information on this see
'setting the date' in chapter 6.

Batch Name

This option can be used to name the batch file which is created
by Mountain Menus when you run a menu item.  The default is AK.
You may specify any eight letter file name you wish.  You may
also specify an environment variable.  For example if:

%%USER%%

is entered here, and USER=Mark is in the environment, then the
batch file created by the menu will be named MARK.BAT.

You may also specify the word UNIQUE here.  The UNIQUE key word
has powerful implications.  Using this option, the menu will
provide a unique name for the batch file by first searching the
directory for existing batch files.  This means that there is NO
chance for a batch file collision,  even if a user logs onto the
network from two stations and runs the menu from the same
directory.  This also allows the same menu to be run from
multiple windows on a multi-tasking PC.  There is a side affect
if you use this method.  Because a new batch file is created
each time you run something from the menu,  it is up to the menu
program to delete the batch file when it is finished with it.
If it did not,  the directory would soon become trashed up with
old batch files.  Since the menu does not remain resident when
it runs these batch files,  it uses the environment to store the
file name.  When the menu returns, it retrieves the batch file
name from the environment, so it can delete it.  This means that
there MUST be enough environment space available to store the
full path to the batch file.  This could take up to 80
characters.  If there is not enough space, the file name will be
chopped off, and the menu will not be able to find the batch
file so it can delete it.  While this will not keep the program
from running correctly, it will allow old batch files to
accumulate.

Century

This option simply contains the century.  The default is 1900
(for a few more years).  At the turn of the century, you can
enjoy the thrill of changing this to 2000.  These are the only
two values which are allowed.

Log File Name

If you enter a file name for logging, the menu will first create
and then append to this file each time an item is run from the
menu.  Log file contains date, start time, end time, elapsed
time, a menu item name, a submenu title, and the name of the
menu file.  You may specify a full path name or just a file name
for the log file.  This name can contain environment variables.
So, for example, on a network you might set it up like this:

F:\LOGFILES\%%USER%%.LOG

This would store a log file for each user on a network in the
directory F:\LOGFILES.

Once you are finished making entries in the 'Global Settings'
window, you will be prompted to press <ENTER> to accept the
changes.  All changes will take effect immediately.

Build a New Menu    (Alt-S)-B

Item might be disabled:    NO

This menu option provides a way to start a brand new menu file
and build it from scratch.  When this item is selected, you will
be asked to enter the name of a brand new menu file.  If a full
path is not provided, the menu will be created in the current
directory.  The file name MUST include the extension '.MNU'.  If
the menu file you specify already exists, you will NOT be
allowed to continue.  In other words,  this option should be
used ONLY to create a new menu file.  It is NOT a way to call up
an existing menu file for editing.  Once the file name is
accepted, the current menu file is unloaded.

The menu program will provide a starting place upon which you
can build your new menu file.  This starting place consists of a
Main Menu with one item on it.  The title of the main menu is
'Main Menu'.  This, of course, can be changed to be anything you
want.  The one and only item on this menu is named 'First Item
on Main Menu'.  This also can be changed to whatever you want.
This item is configured by default to run DOS commands.  Since
every item must have at least one command, the menu program
provides one for this item.  It is simply 'Echo First Command'.
You are encouraged to edit this command into something more
useful.  Once you modify the menu title, menu item, and command
to your liking, you are ready to start building the remainder of
your menu file.  The process of building and editing a menu file
consists almost entirely of using the options of the 'Menu
Settings' and 'Item Settings' menus.  These menus will be
completely covered in the next two sections.  Once your menu is
completed, simply return to 'run' mode.  All the necessary files
will be saved to disk and the new menu will become active.


The 'Menu Settings' Menu

Change Menu Location    (Alt-M)-L

Item might be disabled:    NO

Use this menu item to move the active menu to a new location on
the screen.  With the mouse, simply move the mouse until the
menu is where you want it and click the left button.  With the
keyboard, use the left, right, up, and down arrow keys to
position the menu where you want it, then press ENTER.  Menus
may not be moved into the heading area.  If the message line is
active, you may not locate a menu on top of it.  You may not
locate a menu or it's shadow partially off the screen.

Set Custom Width    (Alt-M)-W

Item might be disabled:    NO

The menu program is designed to automatically determine the
width of each submenu.  It uses the width of the widest item or
the menu title, whichever is wider.  You may, however, override
this width using this menu option.  When selected, this item
provides you with a scrollable menu of allowed menu widths.
Since the minimum width for a menu window is three characters,
selecting 0, 1, or 2 for the width tells the menu program to
determine the width automatically.  The maximum width for a menu
is 78 characters if the menu window has a border, and 80
characters if it does not.  Use the up and down arrow keys,
PGUP, PGDN, HOME, and END to highlight the width of your choice.
 Then press ENTER.  To abort the selection, press ESCape.  With
the mouse, Simply highlight the number you want and click.  Use
the right mouse button to abort.  To scroll the menu with the
mouse, simply position the mouse cursor on the up and down
arrows which appear on the top and bottom borders of the menu
window.  You will notice that the current menu width is
preselected.

Set Color Palette    (Alt-M)-P

Item might be disabled:    YES

If your system is equipped with monochrome video, or you are
using black and white mode, this option will be disabled.

Use this option to assign one of the ten color palettes to the
active menu.  This should not be confused with defining the
color palettes which is found under 'System Settings'.  This
option simply assigns a palette to a menu.

As above, you will be provided with a menu from which to make
your selection.  You will notice when this menu first appears,
the current palette number assigned to the active menu is
already highlighted.

Set Border Type    (Alt-M)-B

Item might be disabled:    NO

This option provides a menu of the four border types which are
available.  They are DOUBLE, SINGLE, SOLID, and NONE.  An
example of each of these is shown to the left of the menu.  If
you select NONE, then the menu title for the active menu will
not be visible.  If you select SOLID, the border's foreground
color is used.

Edit Menu Title        (Alt-M)-T

Item might be disabled:    NO

Use this option to edit the active menu's title.  The title may
be a maximum of 74 characters wide.  The title may contain any
ASCII characters.  It may also contain environment variables.
An example:

%%USER%%'s Accounts

If USER=Mike exists in the environment, the title for the active
menu would be:

Mike's Accounts

Move Menu Title    (Alt-M)-M

Item might be disabled:    NO

There are six positions on the menu border where the menu title
can be located.  The default is TOP CENTER.  The rest are TOP
LEFT, TOP RIGHT, BOTTOM LEFT, BOTTOM CENTER, and BOTTOM RIGHT.

These are presented in the form of a menu from which you can
select.

Justify Menu Items    (Alt-M)-J

Item might be disabled:    NO

The items on a submenu may be either CENTERED in the menu
window, or left JUSTIFIED in the menu window.  Use this option
to toggle between the two.  In previous versions of Mountain
Menus this was a global setting.  All the menus were either
centered or justified.  In this version, you can set this option
for EACH menu.

Sort Menu Items    (Alt-M)-S

Item might be disabled:    NO

Here, the options are to SORT or NOT SORT the items on the
active menu.  Use this option to toggle between the two.  If you
choose NOT to SORT, you can arrange the items any way you like
using the 'Change Item's Location' option on the 'Item Settings'
menu.  In previous versions of Mountain Menus this was a global
setting.  All the menus were either sorted or unsorted.  In this
version, you can set this option for EACH menu.

Toggle Menu Shadow    (Alt-M)-H

Item might be disabled:    NO

This option provides you with the benefit of being able to turn
the shadow on or off.  Use this option for screen effects.  It's
strictly your choice, there are no benefits or disadvantages one
way or another.

Toggle Menu Explode    (Alt-M)-X

Item might be disabled:    NO

By default, Mountain Menus opens it's menu windows with an
exploding effect.  On a fast PC, this effect is almost
imperceptible.  On slower PC's, it is much more dramatic.  We
have found that while using remote access software with our 2400
baud modem, this effect can be detrimental.  For this reason you
can turn off the exploding effect with any menu, using this
option.

Toggle Return to Sub    (Alt-M)-R

Item might be disabled:    YES

If the main menu is the active menu, this item is disabled.

With this option you determine the behavior of the menu program
when the item is run from the active menu.  If 'Return to Sub'
is enabled for a given submenu, when the menu program returns
after running an item from that submenu, that submenu is opened
back up and the item which was run is highlighted.  If 'Return
to Sub' is disabled, when the menu program returns after running
an item, it will return to the main menu.  This was a global
setting in previous versions of Mountain Menus.  It can now be
set for each submenu.

The 'Items Settings' Menu

Change Item's Location    (Alt-I)-C

Item might be disabled:    YES

This item will be disabled if sorting is enabled for the active
menu.

This option allows you rearrange the order of the items on the
active menu.  Before you select this option, highlight the item
that you wish to move.  After selecting this option, use the UP
or DOWN arrow keys to place the item where you want it in the
list.  When you are finished moving the item, press ENTER.  With
the mouse, simply move the mouse forward or backwards until the
item is where you want it, then click the left button.

Edit Item's Text        (Alt-I)-E

Item might be disabled:    NO

This option allows you to edit the text in a menu item.  Menu
items may be up to 76 characters wide.  Like the menu title,
they may contain any ASCII character and environment variables.
The menu item text must begin the left most column.  If you wish
to pad the menu item with preceding spaces, you must use the
underscore character (_) instead.  When the menu displays this
item, it will translate all preceding underscores into spaces.
An example:

__Logon to Network

Will be displayed as:

  Logon to Network

If you wish to make one of the characters a 'hot letter', place
an ampersand(&) character before it.  The letter following the
ampersand may then be used to select that menu item.  This 'hot
letter' will be displayed in bright yellow, unless the rest of
the text is in bright yellow, in which case it will be bright
white.  An example:

__&Logon to Network

Will make the capital L the 'hot letter' for this menu item.
You may choose any character in the item's text.

Add a New Item        (Alt-I)-A

Item might be disabled:    YES

This item will be disabled if there are already 20 items on the
active menu.

Choose this option to add an item to the active menu.  The new
item will become the last item unless sorting is enabled.  When
you first select this option, you will be prompted to enter the
menu item's text.  After this, you must decide whether this new
item will run DOS commands or call up a new submenu.

If you choose DOS commands, you will be presented with the
'Command Edit Window' described above.  If you choose submenu, a
generic submenu will be created for this item.  The generic
submenu's title is simply 'Submenu 001'.  There will already be
an item on this generic submenu.  It's text is simply 'Submenu
Item 001'.  This item is configured to run DOS commands.  You
should edit these commands to make the item useful.  This
generic submenu will not be displayed immediately.  Instead, you
must select the item which you just created just as you would to
get at any other submenu.

Delete a Selected Item (Alt-I)-D

Item might be disabled:    YES

If the active menu has only one item, this option will be
disabled.

Selecting this option will delete the highlighted item on the
active menu.  You must be VERY CAUTIOUS if you delete an item
which calls up a submenu.  In doing so, you are not only
deleting the item.  You are also deleting all of the items on
the associated submenu.  If any of these items calls up a
submenu, then you will also be deleting all the items on that
submenu, etc.!!!  It is important to note that this item (and
it's associated submenus) is not permanently deleted unless you
return to 'run' mode without restoring it.  Instead, items which
are deleted are stored in a buffer and may be restored in any
submenu using the 'Restore Deleted Item' option.  Remember,
items which are not restored when you return to 'run' mode will
be permanently lost!

Restore Deleted Item    (Alt-I)-R

Item might be disabled:    YES

If no items have been deleted, then this option will be disabled.

This option is used in conjunction with the delete option to
create a kind of cut and paste buffer for menu items.  Any items
which have been deleted, may be restored to any submenu using
this option.  When an item is restored, it becomes the last item
on the active menu unless sorting for that menu is enabled.  You
may use the 'Change Item's Location' option to relocate it if
sorting is disabled.  This option provides you with a powerful
tool for moving items from submenu to submenu.

Edit Item's Message    (Alt-I)-M

Item might be disabled:    NO

If messages are enabled under 'Global Settings', the bottom row
of the screen is used to display an 80 character message for the
highlighted item.  Use this option to create and edit the
message line for all the items on the active menu.

Edit Confirm Prompt    (Alt-I)-O

Item might be disabled:    NO

Each item can optionally have a 'Selection Confirmation' prompt.
 The prompt can be 60 characters long and may say anything you
like.  Below the prompt, the menu program will ask whether to
proceed with the execution of this item or not.  With the
prompt, you can warn users of any consequences of running a menu
item.  For example:

You must be logged in to run this option
Or:
This program takes 20 minutes to load

Assign a Password    (Alt-I)-P

Item might be disabled:    YES

If password protection was not enabled during installation, this
option will be disabled.

Use this option to assign passwords to your menu items.
Passwords may be up to 24 characters long.  They are case
sensitive so be aware of the state of your cap lock key.  Since
the characters you type will not be echoed to the screen, you
will be asked to reenter the password to confirm that you typed
what you thought you typed.  As with Novell, you may change an
item's password but you can never see what it is.  To remove an
existing password, simply enter 24 spaces.  Passwords are
encrypted and stored in a separate file on the disk.

Assign a Hotkey    (Alt-I)-K

Item might be disabled:    NO

Unlike the 'hot letter' which can be used to select the menu
item when the menu is active, the hot-key will run an item even
if the menu containing that item is not active.  There are 26
hot-keys.  There are CTRL-A to CTRL-Z.  You may assign these to
your most frequently used menu items.  Each hot-key can be
assigned to only one item.  Reassignment of a hot-key will
override any previous assignment of that hot-key.  The available
hot-keys are presented in the form of a menu from which to
select.

Assign Allow Condition (Alt-I)-L

Item might be disabled:    NO

Any menu item may be disabled UNLESS a certain condition exists
in the environment.  You may use this option to specify the
environment condition which will enable the active item.  The
edit window provided consists of two lines.  On the top line
specify the environment variable.  For example:  USER.  On the
bottom line specify what the environment variable must be equal
to.  For example:  Mike.  In this case, the condition:
USER=Mike must exist in the environment for this item to be
enabled.  The bottom line is optional.  If you simply specify
USER on the top line and nothing on the bottom line, the item
will be enabled if USER is equal to anything in the environment.

Edit Help Window    (Alt-I)-H

Item might be disabled:    NO

In addition to the 80 character message which can be displayed
when an item is highlighted, each item may optionally have a
full screen of user defined help.  Use this option to build the
help screen for the active item.  The window provided is 23
lines tall by 78 characters wide.  It may contain anything you
want.  Extended ASCII characters are supported.  When you are
finished building your help screen, press ESCape.  Then select
YES to save the changes or NO to forget the whole thing.


APPENDIX A__________________________________________________

Batch Files

When an item is run from Mountain Menus, the commands which were
entered into the 'Command Edit' window for that item, are used
to create a batch file.  The menu program adds a few commands of
it's own to this batch file.  These added commands are
responsible for returning you to the menu after your program
runs.  Since Mountain Menus completely removes itself from
memory once the batch file has started, it is absolutely
necessary that this batch file be allowed to run to completion
or you will not end up back at the menu.  When DOS executes a
batch file, it does so by reading in each command one at a time,
 executes the command, then goes back to the batch file for the
next command.  It does not read all of the commands in before it
starts as you might think.  Mother DOS NEVER forgets when a
batch file is in progress.  No matter what the batch file does,
DOS will not rest until the last command is executed.  DOS
becomes very upset when it cannot access a batch file which has
already begun executing.  This concept becomes very important in
a network situation.  There are five ways that I can think of to
get DOS to stop executing a batch file before the last command
is executed.  Four of the five ways will cause your PC to stop
what it is doing and drop you off at the DOS prompt.  The fifth
way is different.  It will not stop processing immediately, it
will not generate an error.  It can be a very useful tool which
you can employ.  It can also cause you a lot of problems if you
are not aware of it.  Here are the five ways to end the
execution of a batch file in midstream:

1) Reboot the computer.

The most obvious way to stop a batch file is to reboot.  In a
panic situation this is the method people reach for first.  It
does, however, yield the most drastic results.

2) Pressing CTRL-C or CRTL-BREAK

This method is not as sure as a reboot.  While the computer's
bios will almost always accept a CTRL-C press and places it in
the keyboard buffer, DOS is not always interested in what is
waiting in the keyboard buffer, and only checks it's contents at
certain times.  If a batch file begins by executing a BREAK OFF
command, then the number of times DOS checks for a CTRL-C press
is decreased even more.  If you are lucky enough to get DOS to
recognize your CTRL-C, it will stop execution of the batch and
ask you whether you wish to continue with the batch or return to
the DOS prompt.

3) Deleting the batch file

Deleting a batch file which is being executed will make DOS very
upset.  Since the commands are read from the batch one at a
time, any action which deletes the batch file, will cause DOS to
generate a 'Batch File Missing' error.  Since DOS is unable to
read the next command, it simply stops and returns to the DOS
prompt.

4) Removing access to the batch file

In a network situation, this can happen a lot.  Since a
workstation can attach to and detach from a file server, the
available drives can change abruptly.  If a batch file detaches
or log outs from a file server, and the batch file was run from
a disk drive on that file server, DOS will very abruptly loose
access to the batch file.  When it tries to read the next
command, it will not be able to.  This will generate a 'Batch
File Missing' error.  Because of this, logging off a network
from the menu program, becomes a little bit tricky.  We will
discuss exactly how to log off the network from the menu in
Appendix D.

5) Running a batch file from a batch file

This is the fifth and most useful method of getting DOS to end a
batch file prematurely.  If one of the commands in a batch file
is actually the name of another batch file, any commands which
follow will be ignored.  You will not return to the first batch
file once the second batch file has completed.  This is best
illustrated by an example.  In the following example, we will
use two batch files.  The first will be named BATCH1.BAT and the
second will be called BATCH2.BAT.  The contents of BATCH1.BAT
are as follows:

ECHO OFF
ECHO FIRST COMMAND FROM BATCH1
ECHO SECOND COMMAND FROM BATCH1
BATCH2
ECHO FOURTH COMMAND FROM BATCH1
ECHO FIFTH COMMAND FROM BATCH1

The contents of BATCH2.BAT are as follows:

ECHO OFF
ECHO FIRST COMMAND FROM BATCH 2
ECHO SECOND COMMAND FROM BATCH2

Notice that BATCH2.BAT is run from BATCH1.BAT.  If we run BATCH1
from the DOS prompt, the result will be as follows:

FIRST COMMAND FROM BATCH1
SECOND COMMAND FROM BATCH1
FIRST COMMAND FROM BATCH 2
SECOND COMMAND FROM BATCH2

Notice that the fourth and fifth commands in BATCH1.BAT did not
execute.  In fact, DOS completely forgot about BATCH1.BAT as
soon as it started executing BATCH2.BAT.  In other words, DOS
does not RETURN to BATCH1.BAT after BATCH2.BAT is completed.  In
versions of DOS prior to 3.3, the only way to get DOS to return
was to use the '/C' parameter with COMMAND.COM.  If we use this
method with our example above, the third command in BATCH1.BAT
would look like this:

COMMAND /CBATCH2

Using this method, control will return to BATCH1.BAT, and all of
the commands will be executed.  If you have DOS 3.3 or later,
you can use the CALL command and save yourself about 3K of RAM.
The third command of BATCH1.BAT would look like this:

CALL BATCH2

Using this method yields the same result as the COMMAND /C
method but it does not have to load COMMAND.COM into memory.

Now let's relate this to Mountain Menus.  If any of the commands
which you enter into the 'Command Edit' window is actually the
name of a batch file, you must remember to use the COMMAND /C or
the CALL option.  Since the final commands of the batch file
created by Mountain Menu need to run in order to return to the
menu, you can see why it is necessary to use one of the above
options.

In Appendix D, I will illustrate how to use this method of
prematurely releasing a batch file as a means of successfully
logging off the network from the menu program without generating
a 'Batch File Missing' error.  In fact, Mountain Menus uses this
method each time you run something from it.  To illustrate this,
let's look at the commands which the menu program adds to the
batch file it creates.  Suppose you have a menu item which runs
Windows.  The commands in the 'Command Edit' window might look
something like this:

D:
CD\WINDOWS
WIN

When you select this item from the menu, the batch file which is
created, will look like this:

ECHO OFF
BREAK OFF    <= these two commands are provided by the menu program
D:
CD\WINDOWS
WIN        <=  next come the commands you enter
C:
CD\MENU
MMENU        <=  these last three commands are provided by the menu
                    program

Notice that the last command provided by the menu program is
actually the name of a batch file (MMENU.BAT).  The contents of
MMENU.BAT is simply:

MMMENU %1

If we did not return to the menu in this manner, if the last
command provided by the menu program were MMMENU (the
executable) and not MMENU (the batch file),  our batch file
above would not be released by DOS before the menu is rerun.
Since the menu program will modify this batch file the next time
you run something, DOS would get very upset and generate a
'Batch File Missing' error.  Even though the batch file is
technically there, DOS knows that it's been tampered with.  The
network operating system adds to this problem by locking active
batch files.  On the network, instead of 'Batch File Missing',
you would receive an 'Access Denied' error.


APPENDIX B

Support File Formats

With the ease and convenience of the integrated 'Menu Edit
Mode', I hope even the hard core editor lovers will admit that
it's easier and safer to maintain the menu's files from within
the menu program.  If you have installed the menu program with
password protection enabled, 'Menu Edit Mode' is the only way to
assign passwords to menu items.  Still, I know some of you don't
feel 'in control' unless you can maintain things with your
trusty editor.  For that reason, all of the menu's support
files, with the exception of the password files, are in ASCII
format, and can be modified with your editor.  This appendix is
dedicated to providing you with the purpose and the format of
each of Mountain Menu's support files.

The Menu File Format

Many new things can be added to the menu file to change the
appearance of the menu. NONE of them are necessary. Mountain
Menus will still use Novell's menu files AS THEY ARE. The
absolute minimum requirements for a menu definition are as
follows;

%MENU TITLE
FIRST ITEM
    command one
    command two
SECOND ITEM
    command one
    command two
etc. etc.

If Mountain Menus 2.8 encounters this simple format, it uses
several default values. These defaults, in order, are;

since there was no X coordinate, the menu will be centered
vertically.

since there was no Y coordinate, the menu will be centered
horizontally.

since there was no COLOR PALETTE number, default colors are used.

since there was no WIDTH OVERRIDE, width is determined by the
widest item.

since there was no FLAGS at all, the following is assumed;

the window will explode open

the border will be double-line.

there will be a shadow.

items will be centered.

items will NOT be sorted.

the menu title will be at top-center.

this menu will NOT pop back up when the menu returns (RET2SUB)


If you are using either Novell's menu or Mountain Menus 2.7 you
are familiar with the first three. After that, everything is new.

The New extended menu definition line goes like this;

%MENU TITLE, Xcoord, Ycoord, color palette#, width override#,
FLAG, FLAG,  etc.

Flags MUST be in UPPER CASE. The order of flags does not matter
but they must follow the four numeric parameters (x/y coord,
color, width). The following are accepted FLAGs, the TOP row
(bold) are DEFAULT values;

(the border types)
DOUBLE
SINGLE
SOLID
NONE

(the title location)
TOPCENTER
TOPLEFT
TOPRIGHT
BOTTOMLEFT
BOTTOMCENTER
BOTTOMRIGHT

(return to this sub when menu returns)
NORETURN
RETURN

(the rest speak for themselves)
CENTER
JUSTIFY

NOSORT
SORT

EXPLODE
NOEXPLODE

SHADOW
NOSHADOW

Since the defaults are default, they do not need to be used, but
they are accepted by the program. Flags MUST be separated by
commas.

If you wish to center the menu on the screen, but use color
palette 4, you must include the proper number of commas. for
example;

%MENU TITLE,4,NONE     <= tells the menu four rows down from the
                           top.

%MENU TITLE,,4,NONE     <= tells the menu four columns in from the
                           left.

%MENU TITLE,,,4,NONE     <= tells the menu to use PALETTE4 from the
                           config file.

%MENU TITLE,,,,4,NONE     <= tells the menu to override the menu
                           width to four wide.

Extended ASCII characters are now supported in menu titles and
menu items. Any number of environment variables is also
supported. Here are a few examples of valid menu definition
lines;

%Word Processors for %%USER%%,4,50,2,28,SINGLE,TOPLEFT,SORT,RETURN

%%%USER%%'s Spreadsheet menu,,,2,NOEXPLODE,NOSHADOW,NONE,JUSTIFY

%Files for %%USER%% from group %%GROUP%%,5,35,SORT,JUSTIFY

Menu titles can be up to 74 characters wide and may contain
commas (previous versions did not allow commas in the title
itself).

Menu ITEMS also have two parameters which can follow them. These
two items must be in a certain order and are separated by commas.

The first parameter for menu items is a hot-key definition for
that item.

The hot-keys are CTRLA to CTRLZ. Assigning a hot key to an item
which calls up a sub menu will have NO EFFECT, only items which
run DOS commands may have a hot-key assigned to them.

The second parameter is a condition for enabling that item.
These conditions are environment variable conditions. You can
think of this second parameter as a 'DISABLE UNLESS' condition.
Example;

ITEM NUMBER ONE,CTRLD,USER=MARK

The menu would assign CTRL D as a hot-key to run this item from
anywhere in the menu. The USER=MARK would DISABLE THIS ITEM
UNLESS USER=MARK is TRUE in the environment. If you just say
'USER=' then the item would be enabled as long as the variable
USER was defined. This is very handy for disabling items which
are not valid when the user is not logged in, or unless a
certain person is logged in, or if the user is the member of a
group.

Menu items may be up to 76 characters wide. They may also contain

extended ASCII characters and multiple environment variables.

CAUTION:
If you indent with spaces instead of underscores, the item will
be mistaken for a command.

Menu items may be INDENTED by preceding them with the underscore
'_'.  Underscores which precede a menu item will be converted to
spaces when the item is displayed. example;

__ITEM NUMBER ONE,CTRLD,USER=MARK

An ampersand (&) can precede any letter in the item text. The
ampersand will be removed at run time, and the letter it
precedes will be highlighted in reverse video. This letter will
act as a 'hot letter' for that item.  This replaces the old
'first letter' execution of an item. Now the hot letter doesn't
have to be the FIRST letter. examples;

&Word processors
S&preadsheets

DIRECTLY BELOW a menu item, a MESSAGE line and/or a PROMPT line
can be defined. If MESSAGES=TRUE in the MMMENU.CFG file, this
message will be displayed on the bottom line of the screen when
the item is highlighted.  This message may be up to 80
characters wide.

The PROMPT can be up to 60 characters wide. When the item is
selected, before it is run, a window appears with your prompt
and a PROCEED Y/N option. This can be used for warning users of
something before the item actually runs. examples;

MENU ITEM ONE,CTRLF
MESSAGE This will run item one on this menu!!
PROMPT You must be logged in  first !!
    command number one
    command number two
MENU ITEM TWO,,GROUP=DESIGN
MESSAGEThis will run item two on this menu!!
PROMPT Designers,Don't mess with this job
    command number one
    command number two

The menu item COMMANDS have two changes to note.

Only TWO spaces are required for indent of the commands. In
Mountain Menus 2.7, THREE spaces or a hard TAB were required.
This caused many perfectly good Novell menu files to crash under
Mountain Menus 2.7 (the second biggest culpret was the use of
commas in the menu title text).

Commands can be up to 127 characters wide (the legal DOS limit).
 Eighty characters was the limit in version 2.7.

The Configuration File Format

The configuration file for version 2.8.1 is considerably
different from version 2.7.  In fact you should not be tempted
to try using your old configuration file with version 2.8.1.
What follows is an actual fully commented configuration file for
version 2.8.  The semi-colons tell the menu program to ignore
that line of text.  This is useful for adding helpful comments
as I have done in this example.  Items which do not have
semi-colons are legitimate configuration file entries.

;Mountain Menus Configuration File.
;this is a ver. 2.8 config file. I will note any changes as we go.
;
;The COLORxx items are the same in both versions. In 2.8 this
;color 'set'
;becomes PALETTE0 if no color palette (or palette 0) is
;specified in below.
;
;0=black 1=blue 2=green 3=cyan 4=red 5=magenta 6=yellow 7=white
;B=BOLD
;BG=BackGround  HD=heading area  HW=Help Window  HB=Help Border
COLORBG=1,3,0
COLORHD=4,7,B
COLORHW=2,7,B
COLORHB=4,7,B
;PALETTE0 consists of the following four colors
;MW=Menu Window  MB=Menu Border  HI=highlighted item  PK=picked
;item.
COLORMW=7,0,0
COLORMB=4,7,B
COLORHI=1,7,B
COLORPK=7,6,B
;
;PALETTEx is NEW!!  a palette consists of the for color combos
;described
;above, separated by PLUS signs. The palette number can then be
;used in
;the menu file as the third number on the menu definition line
;(like Novell)
;after the X,Y coordinates. This way any menu can be a different
;color.
PALETTE1=2,0,0+4,7,B+1,6,B+2,7,0
PALETTE2=1,7,B+7,5,0+4,6,B+1,3,0
;.
;.
;.
PALETTE9=0,2,B+1,7,B+2,7,B+0,6,0
;
;HEADING1 and HEADING2 are the same in both versions except; in
;version 2.8
;they can contain multiple environment variables.
;environment variables are in CAPS with a PAIR of percent signs
;on EACH ;END.
;this format is used both here and in the menu file.
;Example:  HEADING1=Menu for %%USER%% from group %%GROUP%%
HEADING1=The <ANY> Key Software Company
HEADING2=Corpus Christi, Texas
;
;The BATVAR item HAS CHANGED to BATNAME, and has it's uses
;extended.
;BATNAME has three possibilities;
;1) BATNAME=AK    or whatever else you might want to call it. AK
;is default
;2)    BATNAME=%%USER%%    this way it acts like BATVAR in version 2.7.
;3)    BATNAME=UNIQUE    this method causes the program to generate a
;unique file name at runtime.
;(AKB00001.BAT, AKB00002.BAT, etc).
;This method allows several windows of the same menu in Windows,
;Desqview, or ;VM-386 without a batch file conflict.
;There is one drawback to this method:
;you need enough environment space to store the full path to the
;batch file.
;If this method is used, and there is not enough room, the batch
;files will
;not be cleaned up after use, and will therefore accumulate in
;the directory.
;Mountain Menus will continue to run OK but, it will create a
;new file each
;time you run something.
BATNAME=%%USER%%
;
;BACKGROUND is NEW!! and has two uses.
;BACKGROUND=MMMBG.TXT
;Mountain Menus will use a text file as the menu area background.
;(you can have a blast with this).
;BACKGROUND=32
;Mountain Menus will use ASCII 32 (space) as the character for
;menu area ;background.
;BACKGROUND=%%MBG%%
;32 to 255 are supported. An environment variable can also be
;used here for neat ;effects.
BACKGROUND=MMMBG.TXT
;
;ONECLICKMODE is NEW!!  this item is strictly for the mouse. it
;does NOT affect ;keyboard operation. When FALSE, version 2.8
;acts just like 2.7 ;does. You must click ;an item twice to run
;it, once to highlight the item, and once to execute it.
;If TRUE, the highlight bar follows the mouse whenever the mouse
;is
;within the menu window. You only click once to run an item.
;FALSE is default.
ONECLICKMODE=TRUE
;
;LOGFILE is NEW!!  this tells the menu to build and append to a
;log file.
;the log file contains:
;DATE--START TIME--STOP TIME--ELAPSED TIME--MENU ITEM--MENU
;TITLE--MENU FILE
;The log files are delimited so they can easily be imported into
;a database
;or spreadsheet. This allows a means of time accounting.
LOGFILE=C:\TCPP\%%USER%%.LOG
;
;MESSAGES is NEW!!  if TRUE, the 25th line of the screen
;displays an 80 char. ;message for the highlighted item. You
;specify this message in the menu file.
;If FALSE, the message line is not displayed (like version 2.7)
MESSAGES=TRUE
;
;DATEALPHA has BEEN CHANGED to DATE.
;There are several possibilities
;DATE=ALPHA    the same as DATEALPHA=TRUE in version 2.7.
;DATE=MDY    the same as DATEALPHA=FALSE in version 2.7.
;DATE=DMY    European date format. (I had some complaints from
;overseas)
;DATE=YMD    Year,Month,Day.
DATE=ALPHA
;
;SYSXXX is NEW!!  When set to FALSE, the corresponding item on
;the SYSTEM ;MENU is disabled (it cannot be highlighted, it's
;grayed out).
;The Default is TRUE for each.
;An environment condition may also be specified. The item will
;be disabled
;UNLESS the condition is TRUE ie. USER=ED. If you specify just
;USER=  the item will ;be enabled if USER is in the environment,
;no matter what it is equal to.
;The Quick Calendar and new ABOUT options cannot be disabled.
SYSTIME=TRUE
SYSDATE=TRUE
SYSENV=FALSE
SYSBLD=USER=SUPERVISOR
SYSSEC=USER=
;
;MOUSESPEED, BLANKER, and ENABLEEXIT are unchanged from version
;2.7.
MOUSESPEED=10,30
BLANKER=15
ENABLEEXIT=TRUE
;
;RET2SUB, JUSTIFY, and SORT are no longer supported in version
;2.8.
;They are placed in the menu file now, on the menu definition
;line.
;RET2SUB=TRUE
;JUSTIFY=FALSE
;SORT=TRUE


THE HELP FILE FORMAT

The help file holds the fill screen help information for each of
the menu items in a menu file.  The help file must have the same
name as the menu file it is associated with.  The help file must
also be in the same directory as the menu file.  The extension
for a help file is always .HLP.  If no help file exists for a
menu file, the <F1> key which calls these help screens up will
be disabled.  Each help screen is 78 characters wide and 23
lines tall.

The help file format is very simple.  The first line consists of
the menu item text of the item the help screen is for.  This
text is preceded by a percent sign (%).  Following this is the
actual help screen text, up to 23 lines worth.  Following this
is the next menu item preceded by a percent sign. etc.  This
file format makes the order of the entries unimportant.
However, if  a menu item's text is changed in the menu file, the
same change MUST be reflected in the help file or the help
screen will not be found.  'Menu Edit Mode' handles updating the
help file automatically if an item's text is changed.  If you
are editing your menu file by hand, it is up to you to make sure
the help file gets updated too.


THE MMMHELP.DAT AND MMMTRANS.DAT FILES

There are two language translation files used by the menu
program.  These files are provided so that the fixed menu items,
the 'System Menu' and the 'Menu Edit Mode' menus and the 'Menu
Edit Mode' help screen could be translated into any language.

The MMMHELP.DAT file contains the help screen for 'Menu Edit
Mode'.  This help screen is accessed by pressing <F1> while in
'Menu Edit Mode'.  By editing this file, you may provide a help
screen of your own creation, or you can translate this help
screen into any language.  If the menu cannot find this file,
the <F1> key will be disabled while in 'Menu Edit Mode'.

The MMMTRANS.DAT file contains each of the built-in menu items
used by the menu program.  These include the items on the
'System Menu' and all three 'Menu Edit Mode' menus.  Each of
these items is followed by an equal sign (=).  You may provide
any translation of these items that you wish.  Your translation
is limited to the same 22 characters used by the default
options.  If this file cannot be found by the menu program, or
if nothing follows the equal sign for that item, the default is
used by the menu program.


APPENDIX C

Menu Security Details

During the installation of the menu program you were provided
with the choice of enabling password security or not.  If you
did enable password security, you were asked to enter a master
password.  This master password was encrypted and then burned
into the menu program.  This master password is permanent.  It
cannot be changed or removed except by re-installing the menu
program from a floppy.  From this point forward the master
password must be provided in order to enter 'Menu Edit Mode'.
This password, like all others you assign to items, is Case
Sensitive!!  Also from this point forward the menu program MUST
find a password file for each menu file you have.  The password
file MUST be in the same directory as the menu file, and it MUST
have the same name as the menu file with the extension .SEC.  If
this file cannot be found by the menu program the following
happens:

The program will disable ALL user defined menu items and display
a message that the password file either does not exist or it has
not been initialized.

The program will create a new UNinitialized password file for
the menu file IF it has the proper rights in the menu file
directory.  Even if this file is created, access to menu items
will be denied until the password file is initialized.

Initializing a password file is done by simply entering 'Menu
Edit Mode' then returning to 'Run Mode'.  Remember, this will
require the master password.

This all takes place as a defense mechanism in the menu program.
 Simply deleting the password file WILL NOT allow access to
protected items.  In fact, it will disable ALL items.  Although
the menu program will immediately create a new password file if
it can, it requires that the holder of the master password
acknowledge the absence of this file (by entering 'Menu Edit
Mode').  Once this is done, users can run the menu and use it's
items.  Be aware that once in 'Menu Edit Mode', passwords may be
assigned to items at will.  So anyone who knows the master
password can modify and assign passwords to any menu item.

Since the password file is encrypted, you must use 'Menu Edit
Mode' to assign passwords to menu items.  This is done with the
'Assign Password to Item' option on the 'Item Settings' menu.
As with Novell, new passwords may be assigned to items, but the
item's existing password can never be obtained.  The menu
program maintains the password file as both hidden and read-only.

The following security minded options are in effect even if
password security was NOT enabled during installation:

The items on the 'System Menu' can be disabled using the 'Global
Settings' option on the 'System Settings' menu in 'Menu Edit
Mode'.

The ability to disable the 'Exit to DOS' is provided and can be
changed with the 'Global Settings' option.

The menu will always search the menu file directory FIRST on
startup when it's looking for it's configuration file
(MMMENU.CFG).  This means that the configuration file in the
current directory will only be used if one does NOT exist in the
directory where the menu file is stored.  On a network, this
allows an element of control concerning which configuration file
is used when the menu is called up.

A BREAK OFF command is provided by the menu program at the
beginning of the batch file which is created when a menu item is
run.  This minimizes the chances of a user being able to
CTRL-BREAK out of the batch file once it is run.

The workstation's environment can be used to disable any menu
item UNLESS a certain condition exists (ie. USER=MARK).  This
applies to the 'System Menu' items as well as your own menu
items.


APPENDIX D

Network Tips and Tricks

First, a couple of definite DO NOT's.

Do NOT TRY to run Novell's menu from Mountain Menus or visa
versa. It has to do with the fact that DOS NEVER forgets when a
batch file is in progress, Neither does Novell. As long as one
or the other menu program has a batch file active, the other can
not get control of the DOS prompt. Also, when a batch is run
from Novell's menu, it DOES return because their menu stays
resident. The result is getting caught in an endless loop of one
menu program running the other. CTRL-BREAK will end the loop if
your fast enough.  To be safe, rename Novell's menu program from
MENU.EXE to MENU.BIN so that it will not execute.  Then copy
MMENU.BAT to MENU.BAT.  Do NOT rename MMENU.BAT, instead make a
copy of it.  Now when your users type MENU, they will run
Mountain Menus.

It is important that you do NOT run the executable from inside
AK.BAT (the batch file created by the program). You should NEVER
have a batch command: MMMENU in your menu file. You should NEVER
enter the command MMMENU in the 'Command Edit Window'.  Results
are UNPREDICTABLE !! Always run a batch, which runs the
executable: MMENU.BAT. You cannot rename MMENU.BAT, but you sure
can have another batch file, say, MENU.BAT, with the same
contents.

Next, some basic good advice.

Install the Mountain Menus program in the PUBLIC directory.
This directory is usually a SEARCH directory which means the
menu can be run from any directory on the network.  PUBLIC is
also an excellent place for all of your COMMON network menus.
Since PUBLIC is usually READ-ONLY for most users, your menu and
configuration files are more secure.

Give each user on your network a HOME BASE directory.  This is
easy enough to do in the Novell's system login script.  Our
login script looks something like this:

DOS SET "USER"="%LOGIN_NAME"
MAP G:=SYS:USER\%LOGIN_NAME
DRIVE G:

USER will be set equal to the user's login name in the
workstation environment.  The MENU.BAT file can use this
information to insure the user is running the menu from his/her
HOME BASE directory.  In my example G drive is used.  It really
doesn't matter which letter you use.  The DRIVE G: make G the
default drive before exiting the login script.  The MENU.BAT
file in PUBLIC can then be modified to look like this:

G:
CD\USER\%USER%
IF EXIST %USER%.MNU MMENU %USER%
MMENU COMMON

Since MENU.BAT is in PUBLIC and PUBLIC is a search directory, my
users know that if they get dropped off at an unfamiliar DOS
prompt, they need only to type MENU <ENTER> at this DOS prompt
to get back to there HOME BASE directory (the first two lines do
this), and safely back into the menu.  On our net, a user may
optionally have his/her own menu file in their HOME BASE
directory.  This menu file is named the same as their login name
(ie. MARK.MNU).  If such a menu file exists, the third line of
the above batch will load it.  If it does NOT exist, the test
fails, and the fourth line loads the COMMON.MNU which is in the
PUBLIC directory.

Each user has full rights in the HOME BASE directory (or at
least enough to create and delete files).  No one else (except
the supervisor) has any rights there at all.  Since Mountain
Menus ALWAYS creates it's batch file in the default directory
when an item is selected,  the above method insures that the
default directory is always the HOME BASE directory before the
menu loads.  This way there is NO chance of anything deleting or
overwriting this batch file while it is in progress.  It also
eliminates having little batch files scattered about the network.

If you or your users are prone to logging in to more than one
workstation at a time, and running the menu from each, be sure
to use the UNIQUE batch file naming option  This will eliminate
any chance of a batch file conflict even if the same user runs
the same menu from the same directory.  The UNIQUE option can be
set with the 'Global Settings' option on the 'System Settings'
menu in 'Menu Edit Mode'.

Finally, the answer to the most asked question concerning
Mountain Menus and the network: How can my users LOG OFF from
the network without ever leaving the menu?  Believe me, it IS
possible, it's not TOO tricky.  The major concept is that the
batch file which actually runs the LOGOUT command MUST be run
from a drive which will still be around AFTER the LOGOUT
command.  What follows are all the details. In my example I
refer to a LOCAL drive.  In my example I use C: for this. It
doesn't need to be C:, but it DOES need to be a drive letter
which is still around AFTER Novell's LOGOUT command is run. It
can be a local hard drive, a RAM disk, or a floppy drive.  I
will also assume that F:\LOGIN is the directory where your users
log in from.  It could be G: or H:, depending on what your last
LOCAL drive letter is.

FIRST, copy the following files to the LOGIN subdirectory on
your server:

MMMENU.EXE
MMENU.BAT
MMMENU.CFG    <= this one is optional.

NEXT, modify the MMENU.BAT file as follows:
change

MMMENU %1
to
F:MMMENU %1

NEXT, create the following two files:
LOGON.MNU    <= our login menu (it has only one option)
LOGEMOFF.BAT <= this will be copied to the local drive then run.

The contents of LOGON.MNU is as follows:

%LOGIN MENU
Log IN to the network
    F:LOGIN @1"Enter your login name:"
    MENU    <= trefers to MENU.BAT described above.

The only problem with this is if the user fails to properly
login.  If this happens, he/she will be dropped off at the DOS
prompt.  To handle this, I have included a utility called
NETCHECK.EXE.  This program returns an ERRORLEVEL to the batch
file.  If the login was successful, the ERRORLEVEL is 2, if the
login was unsuccessful, the ERRORLEVEL is 1.  If you wish to use
this to insure a proper login, copy the NETCHECK.EXE file to the
LOGIN subdirectory and change the LOGON.MNU file to look like
this:

%LOGIN MENU
Log IN to the network
    :TOP
    F:LOGIN @1"Enter your login name:"
    F:NETCHECK
    IF ERRORLEVEL == 2 GOTO AOK
    GOTO TOP
    :AOK
    MENU

The LOGEMOFF.BAT file will be copied to the local drive and then
run by the 'Log OFF the network' option on our COMMON.MNU menu.
The LOGEMOFF.BAT file should have the following contents:

    LOGOUT    <= the actual Novell command.
    F:MMENU F:LOGON

That's it!! Just two lines.

FINALLY, we must have a menu option on our common menu
(COMMON.MNU in our example) which lets us log off from the
network.  This menu item should have the following DOS commands:

Log off from the network   <= our menu item.
    F:
    CD\LOGIN
    C:
    COPY F:LOGEMOFF.BAT
    LOGEMOFF

Using the above method has worked very well for us for over a
year.  If you encounter problems, check to make sure you are
setup EXACTLY as described above.


APPENDIX F

Licensing Information For Mountain Menus 2.8.1

The formal license agreement is in a file named LICENSE which
SHOULD be contained within the archive distributed by Any Key
Software.  Make sure that you read it.

Mountain Menus 2.8.1 may be licensed for use in one of three
ways.  A license may be obtained for use on a SINGLE stand-alone
PC.  A license may be obtained for EACH file server on a
network.  Finally, a corporate wide Site license may be obtained
for unlimited use within your company's physical environment.

The stand alone license allows Mountain Menus to be installed on
one SINGLE hard drive. This hard drive may be a network drive,
however, the stand alone version will NOT tolerate being
accessed by more than one PC at a time in a network environment.
 If the license is for an individual, this individual may
install the program on more than one PC, IF and ONLY IF there is
NO chance that the program will be used in two or more locations
simultaneously.

The file server license allow Mountain Menus to be installed on
one SINGLE file server.  This copy may be accessed by all PC's
attached to this file server, up to the file server's maximum
connection limit.  The menu program's files must NOT be copied
to any local storage device.  It must NOT be installed on more
than one file server on a network.

The site license allows Mountain Menus to be installed on any
number of file servers and/or workstations.  All of the
computers on which Mountain Menus is installed MUST be within
the company's physical property boundaries and must be the
property of the company.  This is a corporate site license.  It
covers all computers owned by the company even if they are at
multiple locations!!

The fee for a license depends on the exact number of copies of
the program that your company will use.  As a special
introductory offer, Any Key Software will maintain the prices of
the previous version of the menu.  The actual prices for version
2.8.1 will not go into effect until the first of the year 1992 (01/01/92).
These prices are subject to change without notice.

PRICING FOR MOUNTAIN MENUS 2.8.1             BEFORE          AFTER
                                            01/01/92        01/01/92
                                            ===========  ===========
EACH Stand-alone PC installation.............$50.00...........$69.00

EACH File Server on a network...............$250.00..........$300.00
( Good for Maximum connections on server )

An UNLIMITED Site License ( Company Wide ).$2600.00.........$2600.00

Our hope is that with this price/performance ratio, you can
easily justify the registration of each installation you have,
and stay within the legal confines of this agreement.


Texas residents!! Whether you are ordering for the first time OR upgrading,
you MUST include state sales tax of 7.75%
Orders from Texas will NOT be processed unless sales tax is included OR
a tax exempt certificate is provided!!

We cover shipping our package via UPS ground WITHIN the U.S. and Canada.
If you prefer another method you must cover the cost of shipping yourself.

Overseas orders MUST include shipping costs with payment. The least expensive
method we have found is US POSTAL. Some typical costs for POSTAL are:

Australia = $22.70 US dollars
Belgium   = $22.70 US dollars
Denmark   = $19.25 US dollars
France    = $26.30 US dollars
Germany   = $19.25 US dollars
U.K.      = $19.25 US dollars
Netherlands $19.25 US dollars
Sweden    = $22.70 US dollars
Switzerland $16.25 US dollars
U.S.S.R.  = $26.30 US dollars

UPGRADE INFORMATION FOR VERSION 2.8.1

The upgrade policy for Mountain Menus is very straight forward.
If you registered a previous version of the menu, simply apply
the price you paid toward the amounts indicated above.  Whatever
this amount turns out to be, divide the number by 2.  That's
right, 50 %.

This means that if you registered version 2.7 and paid $50.00,
$250.00, or $2600.00 then your upgrade will be sent to you free
of charge.

If you paid $20.00 for a single user registration, you can
upgrade to the new single user version for $15.00.

If you purchased a file server license for $100.00, you can
upgrade to the new file server version for $75.00.

Single user licenses may upgrade to the new file server version
for the difference divided by 2.  This means $20.00 purchases
can upgrade to a file server license for $115.00.

This upgrade offer does NOT apply to upgrading to a corporate Site
License.  File server and single user licenses may upgrade to
site licenses for the difference (NOT the difference divided by two).

This upgrade offer does NOT apply to upgrading from ANY previous
version of Mountain Menus sold AFTER 09/01/91 (September 1, 1991).
Those licensed to use versions of Mountain Menus PRIOR to version
2.8.1, sold AFTER 09/01/91, may upgrade for the difference (NOT the
difference divided by two).

This new version of Mountain Menus is being distributed with a
typeset, bound user manual.  Single user licenses will receive
one copy of the manual.  File server licenses will receive one
(1) copy of the manual.  Site license will receive five (5)
copies of the user manual.  More may be purchased at a price of
$15.00 per manual.

In all cases, only ONE set of media, either 5 1/4 or 3 1/2 inch,
will be distributed PER license purchased.  Please indicate when
you order if you would prefer 3 1/2 inch media.  If nothing is
specified, 5 1/4 inch media will be sent.  Once you receive this
media, you may make up to TWO backups of the original disk.  If
you purchase a site license, you may copy the original disk as
necessary.

For ordering convenience, Any Key Software is now accepting VISA
and MASTERCARD. We have a toll-free number for placing
credit card orders.  This number is good for the continental U.S.
AND Canada. If you wish to order by credit card, please call our
toll free number.  The number is: 1-800-225-9539.  This number is
for ORDER inquiries ONLY. The hours for the 800 number are from
9:00 am to 5:00 pm, during the business week.

There is an added advantage to ordering on the card.  Once you
charge is confirmed, Any Key will call you back with your serial
key.  You can use the install program provided with the
shareware version to burn this key into the shareware copy of
the menu program that you already have.  This UNLOCKS ALL of the
features of the registered version.  So, within an 24 hours of
deciding to register the program, you can have the fully
functional version.  There's no need to wait for the mail man to
deliver the package in order to get started.  By the time the
package arrives, you can already be up and running.

Purchase orders are acceptable. Any key Software politely
requests NET-15 on payment of invoices.  Purchase orders may be
FAXed to us to expedite shipping.

Checks, payable to Any Key Software, are also accepted.  Our
address is:

Any Key Software
P.O. Box 10443
Corpus Christi
Texas,  78460-0443

Phone Numbers:

Orders ONLY:     1-800-225-9539

Facsimile:      (512)  241-0865

Technical Support and information: ...    [phone]

Compuserve Email:     71500,1457