Shareware Overload Trio 2/Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO/dir37/muimenu.zip/MUIMENU.DOC

Text File | 1994-03-01 | 12KB | 435 lines

 Introduction to MUI-Menu The Pop Up Menu Tool Manager
 -----------------------------------------------------

 Welcome to MUIMenu 1.00

 Index:

 About MUI - MagicUserInterface
 Description
 Requirements
 Copyrights and Contact
 Thanks
 Installing
 Using MUIMenu
 Source
 Known Bugs and Bug Report
 Future

**************************************************************************


                           This application uses


                         MUI - MagicUserInterface

                   (c) Copyright 1993 by Stefan Stuntz


 MUI is a system to generate  and  maintain graphical user interfaces. With
 the  aid  of  a  preferences program,  the  user of an application has the
 ability to customize the outfit according to his personal taste.

 MUI is distributed as shareware.  To  obtain a complete package containing
 lots of examples and more information about registration please look for a
 file  called "muiXX.lha" (XX  means  the  latest  version  number) on your
 local bulletin boards or on public domain disks.

           If you want to register directly, feel free to send


                           DM 20.-  or  US$ 15.-

                                   to

                              Stefan Stuntz
                         Eduard-Spranger-Stra▀e 7
                              80935 Mⁿnchen
                                 GERMANY


 NOTE:

 Try programming using MUI...and you'll never give it up.
 Thanks Stefan.

**************************************************************************

 Description
 -----------

 MUIMenu  creates  a  configurable Pop-Up Menu with some labelled buttons
 and lets  you  add, delete or change any of these objects to create your
 own custom menu.

 After  that you have just to press a button to execute the corresponding
 program.

 MUIMenu lets you save the created menu and reloads the  Configuration file  every time it is loaded.

 When you create a new menu button you have only to specify button label,
 the program to be executed, its parameters and if you want to execute it
 synchronously or asynchronously.

 ( see  Sync VS Async )

 You can build a menu with max 48 ITEMS : 12 rows x 4 cols



**************************************************************************

 Requirements
 ------------

 All you need is a wonderful machine called Amiga and WB2.0+
 Of course you need MUIMaster.library ( 2.0+ ) and MUI Classes

 MUI - MagicUserInterface is avalaible through Aminet or in any PD BBS.

 ( see  MUI - MagicUserInterface )


**************************************************************************

 Copyrights
 ----------

 Idea, Design and Code by Giuseppe Chiesa 1994

 Based on the original program by Claudio Fuse' aka DBL : DBLMenu

 This program is GiftWare, you can use it with no restrictions but if you
 like it I suggest you to send me a little gift...
 the   more  appreciated  are  postcards,  bug  reports  and  programming
 suggestion ( new ideas and critics are always welcome )...
 and if you  have  nothing to do and by accident you paint a new icon for
 this program feel free to send me your masterpiece.

 If  you  want  to spread this program you're free to do it with the only
 restriction of spreading the entire MUIMenu.lha archive leaving it as it
 is and without altering its contents.

 NOTE:
 There's no warranty that there are no more bugs  present in this program.
 Please remember that  you  use this product at your own risk and that the
 author cannot be liable responsible of any damage,direct or indirect,that
 the use of this program may produce.

 You are  not allowed to sell this program or to change anything in it and
 in its package. You are allowed to use part of the source included in the
 archive but you do it at your own risk.


 Contact
 -------

 If you want to contact me for any question or critic please feel free to
 reach me at ...

 E-Mail:

 [e-mail]

 or ( for postcards and any other gift )

 Address:

 Giuseppe Chiesa
 via Orombelli, 18
 20131 - Milano
 ITALY


**************************************************************************

 Thanks
 ------

 I want to thank stefan Stuntz for his wonderful MUI,
 I've never seen anything so easy and so powerful at the same time.

 Thanks to Claudio for his support and his idea.

 Thanks to my sweet love Francesca because she puts up with me,
 to my parents for everything they do for me and I shall never be able to
 repay enough.

 To my aunt Ada to whom I dedicate this little work...
 ...We all miss you...Thank you for being my aunt

 And last I want say hello to Furio, I still repeat the same old thing...
 ...try using MUI...try using MUI...try using MUI...try using MUI...
                        [ to be continued ]

 Thanks also  to  everyone  who  gives a  try to this program and to whom
 contacts  me even just  to tell me what he thinks  about MUIMenu or  say
 hello... bye !!


**************************************************************************

 Installing MUIMenu
 ------------------

 If  you have MUI already installed you have just to copy MUIMenu and the
 AmigaGuide  documentation  in  the  same  drawer and then you're ready to
 start.

 I suggest you to configure MUIMenu with MUI-Prefs so to control it with a
 hot-key, to create your menu and to put it in the WBStartup drawer.



**************************************************************************

 Usage
 -----

 When you start MUIMenu for the first time you should see the main window
 with the only editing buttons and without any executable program.

 Now you can add an ITEM to the menu using  ADD , this  will open  the
  Edit Window  and will let you insert all necessary data.

 You  have  to  insert  item  name,  program  to be executed when button is
 pressed and all the necessary parameters for the specified program; you can
 also  decide   if   the   program   must  be  executed  Asynchronously  or
 Synchronously.

 ( See  Sync VS ASync ).

 N.B.

 ITEM        max chars.

 Name        16
 Program    32 ( with path )
 Parameters    48


 Press  OK  to accept or  CANCEL to cancel ITEM insertion.

 If  you  press   you'll get a new ITEM in the main window  and  if
 you  press  it the corresponding program will be executed followed by the specified parameters.
 To obtain the same results you can press the key near the label button.
 It is  a keyboard shortcuts for that ITEM, please note that letters start
 from 'b' and not from 'a' because it can be more useful to keep 'a' for
  ADD use.

 Proceding this way you can add new elements and create your own menu.

 Pressing   SAVE  you can save  your menu in  the   Configuration File
 called "MUIMenu.data"  in S:  drawer so that when you reload MUIMenu it can create your menu by reading its  Configuration File.

 If  you  want  you can also  CHANGE  an ITEM without  having  to   DELETE   it  and  then   ADD it again.

 Press  QUIT or Close Window to quit program.

 There is also a  Text Gadget  in the main window, refer to it for some useful information.

 I  suggest  you to configure your application so that it can be controlled
 with a  hot-key  using  MUI-Prefs program, this will let you have it under
 your control everytime you need to execute a program.

 NOTE:
 Closing the window doesn't quit the program but iconifies MUIMenu.

**************************************************************************

 Text Gadget
 -----------

 There  is a text gadget in the main window, it gives you information about
 what's going on.

 It is mainly useful when something goes wrong during  Configuration File  loading.
 In this case look,  with    CHANGE  button, to the last item loaded and look if everything's ok.

 This problem doesn't exist when you use  SAVE  button to save  Configuration File , it may happen only if you make an error in the config file editing it manually
 ...but  why  use  an editor when the program itself lets you automatically
 create your own menus ?


**************************************************************************

 Edit Buttons
 ------------

 ADD
 ---

 This Button opens the  Edit Window and lets you add a new item to the menu.

 DELETE
 ------

 This button lets you choose the element to delete and then kills it.
 Press  ABOUT  button to Cancel action.

 CHANGE
 ------

 This button lets you choose the element to change and the open the  Edit Window to let you change the ITEM attributes.
 Press  ABOUT button to Cancel action.



**************************************************************************

 Other Buttons
 -------------

 QUIT
 ----

 This button lets you quit the application.
 MUIMenu tells you when you're quitting without saving all changes.
 I suggest you to use a hot-key to make the use more comfortable.

 SAVE
 ----

 This button saves the menu to the  Configuration File  "S:MUIMenu.data"

 ABOUT
 -----

 This button opens a MUI-Requester containing some useful information.
 This button is also used to cancel  DELETE  or   CHANGE  operation.

 Keyboard ShortCuts
 ------------------

 On the right side of each button there's a label button containing the
 keyboard shortcut for that ITEM.


**************************************************************************

 Edit Window
 -----------

 This window lets you introduce ITEM name, program to be executed, its
 parameters and execution type ( See  Sync VS ASync ).

 Key  Shortcuts  are  avalaible  and a popup file requester is provided for
 program selection.

 Buttons
 -------

 OK
 --

 Accept ITEM and adds or changes it in the menu.

 CANCEL
 ------

 Cancel adding or changing operation.



**************************************************************************

 Synchronous VS Asynchronous execution
 -------------------------------------

 When  you  execute  a program ( child ) from inside another one ( father )
 the father  usually  waits  for  its  child to finish, this is Synchronous
 execution.

 This means that if the child program doesn't detaches itself from MUIMenu,
 who is  of course the father of all its children(the menu ITEMS) you can't
 press another  button  and  execute another program until the first one is
 ended.

 So you can  choose ASync in  the  Edit Window "  EditWindow  to
 automatically detach  the  program from MUIMenu and let it execute another
 one when a button is pressed.

 Actually,  MUIMenu  doesn't  even  let  you  press  Edit Buttons
 or  Other Buttons if  the last program is executed
 Synchronously and it doesn't detach from its father.

 N.B.
 Remember that MUIMenu memorize each button pression and replies after
 the last program has finished execution if it can't do it before.



**************************************************************************

 Configuration File
 ------------------

 The Configuration File is an ASCII file containing a title :

 MUIMenu Data File

 an end :

 END MUIMenu

 and, in the middle, each menu ITEM data preceded by ITEM keyword :

 ITEM            <-- ITEM keyword
 Cray Emulator        <-- Button Label
 Dh1:Emulators/CrayII    <-- Program Name with complete path
 -nottoofast        <-- Parameters
 1            <-- Asynchronous execution ( 0 for Sync )


 N.B.
 Indention is just for clarity


**************************************************************************

 Source
 ------

 In the archive you can also find the source code...

 Well I know it is not the best code you've ever seen but I have no time to
 rewrite some functions.
 So  look  at  it  if  you're  interested in MUI application generation and
 dynamic creation of gadget.
 Feel free to report any problem or critic!!


**************************************************************************

 Known Bugs and Bug Report
 -------------------------

 Well...I haven't found any bug yet so please tell me if you find something
 wrong.

 Bug-Report to

 E-Mail:

 [e-mail]



**************************************************************************

 Future
 ------

 - Maybe a different positioning for new buttons when a column is finished
 - ... tell me

 E-Mail:

 [e-mail]


**************************************************************************