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MANUAL.TXT
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1993-11-05
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+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The line above should be centered and one-inch below the top of form.
- THE CHOOSE MANUAL TEXT FOLLOWS -
+------------------------------+
| tm |
| CHOOSE |
| |
| BATCH STREAM BRANCHING |
| via |
| MENU SELECTION |
| |
| Copyright, 1990-1993 |
| |
| HFK Software |
| Sixty-Eight Wells Road |
| Lincoln, MA 01773 |
| |
| 617-259-0059 |
| |
+------------------------------+
Version 2.0
11-5-93
T A B L E o f C O N T E N T S
INTRODUCTION 1
INTRODUCTORY DEMO 1
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 2
INSTALLATION 2
MENU PRESENTATION 2
MENU SELECTION 4
BATCH BRANCHING 4
SPECIAL CHARACTERS 5
HIGHLIGHTED CHARACTERS 6
MENU COLORS 6
SYSTEM RE-BOOT 7
CLOCK FORMAT 7
DEBUGGING BATCH FILES 7
VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS 7
REGISTRATION 8
APPENDIX-A -- SAMPLE BATCH FILE 9
APPENDIX-B -- SHAREWARE DECLARATION 11
REGISTRATION FORM 12
-- I N T R O D U C T I O N --
CHOOSE provides an easy to use, yet powerful, means of menu
controlled branching within the AUTOEXEC or other BATCH
stream.
A system administrator can use CHOOSE to organize a complex
DOS environment so that users of the system may run programs
under the proper directories by simply making menu
selections -- that is, without an understanding, or keying,
of long input strings, e.g., CD\DOCS\BUSINESS\SALES ...
CHOOSE may be used as a conventional menu system to provide a
main menu from which programs may be run; however, CHOOSE
provides much more. Since menu selections cause a branch to
a specific position within a batch file, DOS commands at that
position not only can run a program, but also may select
drives, change directories, copy and rename files, as well as
present another menu with more choices and more branches.
The number of menus in a batch stream is unlimited and you
may nest or cascade menus as freely as needed. The more
complex the environment, the more useful CHOOSE is in keeping
things simple and avoiding error prone situations.
-- I N T R O D U C T O R Y D E M O --
The details in this manual are more easily understood once
you have seen CHOOSE in action. If you have not already run
the MENU batch, you might wish to do so now by:
1. Making sure that your CHOOSE files are in the
current drive/directory,
2. Entering "MENU" on the DOS command line, and
3. Experimenting by making various selections.
After running the MENU batch, you may wish to examine the
batch file (MENU.BAT) and relate the file content to the
observed actions.
-1-
-- S Y S T E M R E Q U I R E M E N T S --
CHOOSE requires about 10K bytes of RAM and runs via batch
files between other application programs. CHOOSE is NOT
a TSR and does not require resident memory. That is, memory
is of no concern because CHOOSE requires much less than most
other applications.
CHOOSE runs on an IBM PC (or equivalent) under DOS version
2.0 or later.
-- I N S T A L L A T I O N --
CHOOSE installation is simple. Just copy the file called
"CHOOSE.COM" from your CHOOSE diskette onto your system disk.
CHOOSE.COM may reside anywhere as long as the batch processor
can find it (or it is explicitly referenced). CHOOSE.COM is
normally copied onto the root directory and is available via
the PATH.
CHOOSE does work on diskette only computers, however complex
batch files generally run slowly without a hard disk. In
this case it may be worthwhile using a small "RAM DRIVE" to
contain CHOOSE.COM, batch, and related files.
-- M E N U P R E S E N T A T I O N --
CHOOSE menu text either originates on the CHOOSE command
line, or in a file whose name is specified on the command
line.
Normally, CHOOSE is executed via batch files; but, for
tutorial purposes, you may wish to install CHOOSE and
experiment by entering CHOOSE commands in response to the
DOS prompt.
The three basic forms of a CHOOSE command are:
CHOOSE
CHOOSE <title>^<selection-1>^ ... ^<selection-N>
CHOOSE <file specification>
Entering just "CHOOSE" will result in a brief command summary
display.
-2-
Entering
CHOOSE *** MAIN MENU ***^Windows^WordPerfect^Backup
will present the following menu, accept a user selection, and
return with the BATCH ERRORLEVEL set to indicate which
selection was made.
+-------------------------------------------+
| *** MAIN MENU *** |
|-------------------------------------------|
| Windows |
| WordPerfect |
| Backup |
|-----------+-------------------+-----------|
| 9:07:29 | UNREGISTERED USER | 15-0CT-93 |
+-----------+-------------------+-----------+
Note that the CHOOSE command contained title text (*** MAIN
MENU ***) terminated by a carat (^) and followed by the text
of three menu selections separated by carats. Up to
seventeen menu selections may be specified.
A DOS command line is limited to about 125 characters which
limits the size of a CHOOSE menu that may be presented
directly from a command line. When a CHOOSE menu exceeds the
command line capacity, simply place the menu text in a file
and specify the file name on the command line.
When menu text is provided in a file, CRs (carriage return
characters) are treated as carats and LFs and other non-text
characters are ignored. Therefore, while you may provide
menu text as one long line (just as on the command line), it
is generally preferable to place each menu line on a separate
file line (without the carats).
CHOOSE menus are displayed centered both vertically and
horizontally and overlaying any screen text. That is, CHOOSE
does not clear the screen before constructing a menu. When a
selection is made, CHOOSE restores the overlayed display text
before exiting to DOS. Therefore, use the CLS command when
you prefer a blank menu background.
CLS
CHOOSE *** MAIN MENU ***^Windows^WordPerfect^Backup
-3-
You may wish to have help, sample, or other text surrounding
a menu. You might also wish to clear the background upon
menu selection. For example:
TYPE BACKGND.TXT
CHOOSE *** MAIN MENU ***^Windows^WordPerfect^Backup
CLS
IF ERRORLEV . . .
-- M E N U S E L E C T I O N --
CHOOSE uses standard menus with single-keystroke and
point-and-shoot selection methods. When a menu is displayed,
the user may make a selection by: (1) striking the key
corresponding to the first (or highlighted) character of a
menu choice, or (2) using the UP and DOWN arrow keys and/or
the SPACE bar to position the menu selection bar on a desired
item, and then striking ENTER to make the selection.
Striking the ESCAPE key backs out without making a selection.
If a mouse is available, it may also be used to make menu
selections using any button.
-- B A T C H B R A N C H I N G --
The power of CHOOSE results from the ability to change the
course of execution within batch streams via menu selections.
DOS's "ERRORLEVEL" is used to effect branching within a batch
file.
Whenever a menu selection is made, CHOOSE sets the ERRORLEVEL
as follows and exits to DOS.
ERRORLEVEL=17 SEVENTEENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=16 SIXTEENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=15 FIFTEENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=14 FOURTEENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=13 THIRTEENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=12 TWELFTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=11 ELEVENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=10 TENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=9 NINTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=8 EIGHTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=7 SEVENTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=6 SIXTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=5 FIFTH from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=4 FOURTH from LAST menu selection made
-4-
ERRORLEVEL=3 THIRD from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=2 SECOND from LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=1 LAST menu selection made
ERRORLEVEL=0 ESCAPE struck
BATCH's "IF ERRORLEVEL=" sub-commands are used following each
CHOOSE line to cause the appropriate branching in control
flow as shown in the following example.
CLS
CHOOSE *** MAIN MENU ***^Windows^WordPerfect^Backup
IF ERRORLEVEL=3 GOTO :WINDOWS
IF ERRORLEVEL=2 GOTO :WORD_PROC
IF ERRORLEVEL=1 GOTO :TAPE_BACKUP
GOTO :ESC_STRUCK
NOTE -- Since the IF ERRORLEVEL sub-command does not test for
EQUAL, but rather tests for GREATER THAT OR EQUAL TO, you
must test for ERRORLEVELs in descending order. Hence, CHOOSE
sets ERRORLEVELs in increasing order from the BOTTOM UP so
that you may test from the TOP DOWN.
If in the example above, the second menu selection is made,
then CHOOSE exits with ERRORLEVEL=2, the first IF ERRORLEVEL
sub-command fails (because the ERRORLEVEL is not equal to or
greater than three), the second IF ERRORLEVEL succeeds, and
control is transferred to a point in the batch file labeled
":WORD_PROC" where the appropriate DOS commands are executed.
-- S P E C I A L C H A R A C T E R S --
Special characters may be used in menu title and selection
text via a five-character symbol consisting of the display
code (decimal) enclosed in braces. For example:
{003} is displayed as a heart symbol,
{168} is displayed as an inverted question mark,
{171} is displayed as a 1/2 symbol,
{172} is displayed as a 1/4 symbol,
{241} is displayed as a plus-or-minus symbol,
{242} is displayed as a greater-than-or-equal symbol,
{243} is displayed as a less-than-or-equal symbol,
{248} is displayed as a degree symbol,
{060} is displayed as a less-than symbol (<),
{062} is displayed as a greater-than symbol (>),
{124} is displayed as a vertical bar (|), etc.
-5-
See your hardware reference manual for a complete list of
display codes.
NOTE -- DOS uses the "<" ">" and "|" characters in command
lines as filter, redirection, and piping operators. If you
provide menu text on a CHOOSE command line (rather than in a
file), you must use {060} {062} and {124} to specify these
special characters.
-- H I G H L I G H T E D C H A R A C T E R S --
A character of a selection line may be highlighted by
enclosing that character in braces. Using "Word{P}erfect" as
a menu selection would display the line as "WordPerfect" with
the "P" displayed differently and USED AS THE SELECTION KEY.
That is, this selection may be made by striking the P-key
instead of the W-key.
-- M E N U C O L O R S --
When your display mode is CO80, menus are displayed using
white characters on a blue background with highlighted
characters shown in white also. Highlighted characters are
displayed with extra intensity (bold) and are recognizable
even without a color difference.
You may override this color selection by beginning the menu
text with a five-character color specification consisting of
three color indicators enclosed in braces. The first
indicator specifies the normal text color, the second
indicates the color of highlighted characters, and the third
the background color. The following eight letters are used
to indicate each of the eight possible colors.
R - Red G - Green B - Blue W - White
M - Magenta Y - Yellow C - Cyan K - blacK
For example: CHOOSE {BCW}MAIN MENU^Windows^WordPerfect
|||
||+-- causes White background
|+--- causes Cyan highlighted characters
+---- causes Blue normal text
When your display mode is MONO or BW80, default and specified
colors are ignored and menus are displayed using black char-
acters on a white background with highlighted characters
shown blinking.
-6-
-- S Y S T E M R E - B O O T --
In a complex environment, it may be necessary to re-boot (to
clear an accumulation of drivers or TSRs from memory) and
start fresh via AUTOEXEC. A "CHOOSE RE-BOOT" command will
restart your system just as if you had held CTRL-ALT-DEL.
In some cases, your batch process may temporarily substitute
new AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files to effect the appearance
of continuous (seamless) control.
-- C L O C K F O R M A T --
CHOOSE displays the current time and date while waiting for a
menu selection to be made.
When you register, you may specify clock format of "12" or
"24" which indicates whether your copy of CHOOSE will display
time in a 12- or 24-hour format.
|-----------+----------- |-----------+----------
| 9:07:29 | REGISTERED U | 21:07:29 | REGISTERED U
+-----------+--------------- +-----------+---------------
(12-hour format) (24-hour format)
-- D E B U G G I N G B A T C H F I L E S --
CHOOSE batch files are normally run with "ECHO OFF" to keep
the screen clear between menu displays.
If your batch file is not running properly: (1) temporarily
remove (or REM-out) ECHO OFF commands, (2) strike CTRL-P to
enable command logging, (3) run the batch file, and
(4) examine the printed command log. Comparing a desired
batch flow with the actual batch flow generally makes the
necessary batch file correction obvious.
-- V I S U A L I M P A I R M E N T S --
CHOOSE has been designed to work with speech and large print
systems used by the blind and visually impaired. All menu
text is written directly to the screen memory, except for the
menu title and the menu bar selection which are displayed via
the cursor and BIOS (INT 10H).
-7-
When a speech system is tracking BIOS screen writes and a
menu is displayed, the title and the first selection are
verbalized.
As the SPACE BAR is struck, the menu bar cycles through the
selection lines verbalizing each. When a desired option is
heard, striking ENTER makes the selection.
The cursor is kept invisible, but always remains on the menu
bar line. Hence, the selection under the menu bar can always
be examined in detail using the features of the speech system
in used.
-- R E G I S T R A T I O N --
CHOOSE is a complete package that is provided as SHAREWARE
(see Appendix-B). Enjoy getting to know CHOOSE and under-
standing the benefits it provides.
Feel free to make copies for your friends and co-workers.
When you put CHOOSE to productive use, a $20 registration fee
is due. A convenient registration form is included. Please
be sure to include a phone number so that we may contact you
if an order processing question arises.
When you register: (1) you will receive a CHOOSE.COM that
displays your personal name (instead of "UNREGISTERED USER")
and displays the time in your preferred format (12/24 hour);
and (2) you will be entitled to phone support.
NOTE-1: This offer is subject to change without notice.
NOTE-2: Use of CHOOSE within a commercial product requires a
software license.
-8-
A P P E N D I X - A
S A M P L E B A T C H F I L E
ECHO OFF
:MAIN_MENU -- DISPLAY MAIN MENU
CLS
CHOOSE MAIN MENU^{W}indows^Word{P}erfect^{F}ormat^{B}ackup
IF ERRORLEVEL=4 GOTO :WINDOWS
IF ERRORLEVEL=3 GOTO :WORD_PROC
IF ERRORLEVEL=2 GOTO :FORMAT
IF ERRORLEVEL=1 GOTO :TAPE_BACKUP
GOTO :ESC_STRUCK
:WINDOWS -- "Windows" SELECTED
WIN
GOTO :MAIN_MENU
:WORD_PROC -- "WordPerfect" SELECTED
CD\WORDPERF
WP
CD\
GOTO :MAIN_MENU
:FORMAT -- "Format" SELECTED
CLS
ECHO Formatting diskette in Drive-A
EZ-DEX KEYBOARD_PRIME=~ARCHIVE~N~
FORMAT A:/U/V
GOTO :MAIN_MENU
:TAPE_BACKUP -- "Backup" SELECTED
MEM/C
CHOOSE IS MEMORY FREE OF TSRs?^Yes (backup)^No (re-boot)
IF ERRORLEVEL=2 GOTO :START_BACKUP
IF ERRORLEVEL=1 GOTO :RE-BOOT
GOTO :MAIN_MENU
:START_BACKUP
CD\TRAKKER
TAPE
CD\
GOTO :MENU1
:RE-BOOT
ECHO RE-BOOTING SYSTEM
CHOOSE RE-BOOT
:ESC_STRUCK -- ESCAPE struck
-9-
NOTE-1: In this simple batch file (which might be a part of
an AUTOEXEC), highlights are used so that single
keystrokes of "W" "P" "F" and "B" may be used to
select Windows, WordPerfect, Format and Backup. Only
the "P" in WordPerfect need be highlighted, but the
"W" "F" and "B" are highlighted so that the four
selection keys are displayed in the same color.
NOTE-2: Striking the ESCAPE key results in a transfer of
control to ":ESC_STRUCK" at the end of the batch file
which results in a return to the DOS prompt. A menu
selection of "E{x}it" might have been used, but the
GOTO for the ESCAPE-struck condition should NOT be
eliminated (because someone might strike ESC).
NOTE-3: At ":TAPE_BACKUP" the current memory allocation is
displayed via "MEM/C" (not included in DOS 3) and a
menu is presented overlaying the allocation infor-
mation (without covering TSR names). The tape backup
program performs poorly when TSR's are using large
blocks of memory and this menu allows you to view the
allocation display and re-boot if too much memory is
blocked-out. This menu overlaying a memory usage
report appears as follows:
------------- --------------------- -------------
MSDOS 15296 ( 14.9K) 3BC0
HIMEM 1072 ( 1.0K) 430
COMMAND 2626 ( 2.6K) A40
MOUSE 16272 ( 15.9K) 3F90
COMBO 114976 (112.3K) 1C120
EZ-DEX 11264 ( 11.0K) 2C00
NAV& +-------------------------------------------+
ANSI | IS MEMORY FREE OF TSRs? |
RAMDRIVE |-------------------------------------------|
FREE | Yes (backup) |
FREE | No (re-boot) |
FREE |-----------+-------------------+-----------|
| 9:07:29 | UNREGISTERED USER | 15-0CT-93 |
Total FREE : +-----------+-------------------+-----------+
Total bytes available to programs :
Largest executable program size :
3145728 bytes total contiguous extended memory
0 bytes available contiguous extended memory
3080192 bytes available XMS memory
MS-DOS resident in High Memory Area
-10-
A P P E N D I X - B
S H A R E W A R E D E C L A R A T I O N
This product is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that
the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The
ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with
an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for a
members' products. You may contact the ASP Ombudsman via:
ASP Ombudsman
545 Grover Road
Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA
FAX: 616-788-2765
or
CompuServe Mail: ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536
HFK Software actively supports the goals and principles of
the Association of Shareware Professionals.
-11-
-- C H O O S E R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M --
+-OWNER'S-NAME-(in-place-of-UNREGISTERED-USER):---------+ +-Clock format:--+
| (10-35 chars)| | (12/24hr)|
+-------------------------------------------------------+ +----------------+
+-MasterCard-or-VISA-account,-check,-or-P.O.-number:----+ +-Expiration:----+
| | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------+ +----------------+
+-Signature-if-credit-card-order:---+ +-Phone-number:---+ Diskette: __
| ($20)| | | 3-1/2 inch |__|
+-----------------------------------+ +-----------------+ 5-1/4 inch |__|
--(fold-back-here)--------------(first-fold)--------------(fold-back-here)--
+-------+
From: ________________________________ | place |
| stamp |
________________________________ | here |
+-------+
________________________________
To: +------------------------------+
| |
| HFK Software |
| 68 Wells Road |
| Lincoln, MA 01773-3702 |
| |
+------------------------------+
--(fold-back-here)--------------(second-fold)-------------(fold-back-here)--
This form may be:
(1) folded and placed in a standard business window envelope;
(2) folded, taped, stamped, and mailed without an envelope; or
(3) FAXed to HFK Software at 617-259-0626.
Be sure to include a shipping address (return address above).
Massachusetts residents must include state sales tax.
Phone orders via: 617-259-0059
