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___________________________________________________________________________ PullDown Menu Shell System, Version 2.30 U.S. ShareWare Release PULL230.ZIP ___________________________________________________________________________ Released 16 October, 1990 User's Guide All Materials, Files, Contents of Distributed Files, Software and Documentation (C) Copyright 1989-1990 Sam Horton and Copyright (C) 1990 MicroDynamics Development Corporation 1445 Mensch Lane Gilbertsville, PA 19525 ASP Membership Application Pending CIS ID 72010,2546 GEnie S.HORTON1 All Rights Reserved. ___________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS ___________________________________________________________________________ Upgrading ............................................................ 1 License, Terms of Use, Distribution .................................. 1 License Distribution Consultant Dealerships Virus Protection File Description/Librarian's Reference ............................... 1 Introduction ......................................................... 2 Feature Overview Pure Text Files Installation, ShareWare Version ...................................... 5 Making Menus ......................................................... 8 Basic Menu Definition Advanced Menu Definition Help Subsystem Use/Definition Using the SAA Interface .............................................. 31 Keyboard Dialog Elements Getting Around Mouse Configuring the Menu System Options .................................. 33 Option Clusters for Configuration Colors Passwords Registration System Command Line Parameters .............................................. 34 Technical Support & Registrations .................................... 36 Domestic USA Germany Consultant's Dealerships ............................................. 38 APPENDIXES ---------- A: Troubleshooting Guide ............................................. 38 Unexpected return to menu shell, no selection activated Unexpected Results of a selection and debugging Tips Locking system Mouse Problems Unexpected System Halts/Fatal Errors B: Files included in package and used by PullDown .................... 43 C: Foreign Versions & Technical Support in Overseas .................. 44 D: Technical Notes ................................................... 44 E: Key Word Quick Reference (Complete Summary) ....................... 45 F: Load Time Minimization/Performance Optimization ................... 47 Special .DEF keyword MAXDEFS=nn Considerations G: Advanced Pathing/LAN Support and Setup ............................ 48 H: Special Thanks .................................................... 50 I: Next for PullDown v2.50-3.00 ...................................... 51 J: MicroDynamics Policy Statement .................................... 52 UPGRADING FROM PRIOR VERSIONS OF PullDown ___________________________________________________________________________ Print and read the file UPGRADE.DOC. It contains all of the information concerning HOW to upgrade you may need, and an update history of the evolution of the product. However, we urge you to reprint and peruse this documentation file, as many new features and important changes have been made. Your registration number is valid for this and all future releases of the software. Enjoy! * All commercial tradenames and trademarks referenced are property of their respective owners, and MicroDynamics makes no claim to any names or commercial trademarks commonly known to be held by owners other than MicroDynamics referenced within this or any other distributed document or file. LIBRARIAN'S STANDARD FILE DESCRIPTION: ___________________________________________________________________________ PULL230.ZIP A sleek SAA compliant professional-style pulldown menu shell for MS- DOS systems featuring a full range of powerful options permitting total system customization. Requires Hard Disk, DOS 3.0+, 256K RAM, IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, PS/1 or 100% compatible. 80286 or higher recommended. LICENSE AND TERMS OF USE ___________________________________________________________________________ SHAREWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT ACCEPTED BY YOUR USE: As a non-commercial private user you are permitted to use/evaluate this product at no charge for a period of 60 days. At the end of that period, if you feel that this work has some value to you, please consider a donation of $20 (US funds or your local currency equivalent plus $20) to register the product. Print and return the enclosed form in the file REGFORM.DOC to request upgrade diskettes, if desired, and registration numbers. After 50 unregistered starts, the command line registration system is automatically invoked until registration. Unregistered copies are fully functional with the sole exception of permanent saving of custom colors. Commercial business users are restrained from using the product in the unregistered state under ALL circumstances. Site licenses and multiple copy terms are covered within the REGISTRATION section of this document file. MicroDynamics assumes no liability arising from your use or inability to use this software product, nor does MicroDynamics assume liability for direct, indirect or consequential damages resulting from your use. DISTRIBUTION: PullDown v2.30 MUST be distributed in its original, unmodified form on only public-access BBS systems, through non-profit ShareWare libraries, or APPROVED ASP vendor sites and catalogs. ALL catalog houses are *urged* to notify MicroDynamics of their intent to dsitribute, as the version they list may not be the latest. ASP approved sites may begin distribution and then notify MicroDynamics, but unapproved vendors of shareware may NOT. Any distribution for remuneration beyond the cost of the diskette/mailing by NON-ASP approved vendor catalogs is strictly forbidden without the written permission of MicroDynamics and the author. (User group demo and distribution for member donation excepted.) Consultants/Dealers can obtain an on-site registration system upon acceptance of the "Dealer" agreement obtained from MicroDynamics. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 1 CONSULTANT DEALERSHIPS: Dealers and Consultants are presently using an onsite registration system and remitting a percentage of collected registration fees while providing a very clean professional look to their client's systems. If you would like to join that growing list, please notify MicroDynamics in writing, or call one of the technical support centers. A simple contract will be returned to you for approval. Voice support is available to registered Dealers and Consultants. VIRUS PROTECTION: The authorized shareware distribution copy of this software is contained within a tamper-proof ZIP file called PULL230.ZIP. If you did NOT see a banner notifying you that the ZIP file you received is valid upon invoking PKUNZIP, then assume the worst and find another copy. In fact, you are strongly advised to run a virus-checking program immediately after UNZIPPING *ANY* file or files from ShareWare libraries or Public Domain sources. However, please don't give in to the unfounded and frequently hysterical "fear cum mania" associated with the entire issue of computer viruses.... just be careful, and enjoy! Finally, if PullDown refuses to start, displaying a message "CRC Check Failed!" then immediately check the system for virus presence. PullDown contains a measure of anti- virus self-checking, and should not start if the file is modified in any way. INTRODUCTION ___________________________________________________________________________ What are PullDown menus? In short, they are identical to the familiar PCTools Deluxe interface, and very similar to the Windows pulldown menus you are likely already familiar with. The purpose of the menu shell is to make access to programs contained on the PC to be effortless. Moreover, in the case of PullDown, the process becomes both elegant and efficient. PullDown is unique among menuing shells, providing you with the ability to define truly professional quality menus for any system quickly using a simple text editor (or Word Processor saving files as text only) and a set of easy to master commands. Beyond a reasonable working knowledge of DOS, and the ability to learn, no other expertise is required to use PullDown. However, if you should become confused as your read through the documentation please seek assistance from a knowledgeable co-worker, a friend, or call one of the Technical Support BBSs... MicroDynamics wants to serve you in any way possible, and to the extent time is available even unregistered users can get technical support from the author of the product. Please, if you have ANY trouble, or suspect the menu system of "locking" or otherwise interfering with your computer, then call for support! PullDown, in summary, contains the following features: * Professional quality SAA compliant PullDown menus with custom color, screen mode, dialog, and mouse control. * All of the basic menuing system features including password protection, command line prompts, and screen blanking, PLUS user- defined help for each menu item, defined dialog boxes ranging from simple <Ok> and <Yes><No> one-liner messages to full screen scrolling message boxes and custom file loading input systems. * Color, Background Fill control, and unlimited upgrades via a command line registration system. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 2 * Support for up to 10 Top Bar menu items with up to 46 selections EACH, with unlimited menu file branching--practically limitless options can be defined. Even an AutoExec option is possible. * Automatically resumes the state of the menus as you left them last, and can be toggled to turn NumLock off on entry automatically. * Non TSR design assures conflict-free operation. Clear, concise manual with troubleshooting guide and quickref cards included. To configure the menu system properly, a working knowledge of DOS is most helpful, as well as some programming background. The programming background would help you understand very quickly how to configure the menus, but is NOT required to operate the system. More importantly, you must be familiar with the distinction between so-called "pure" text files and standard word processing files. For those who do not know what this means, let's take a minute to explain the differences, and finally to tell you how to save a file as pure text--the kind PullDown needs to operate correctly. (If you already intend to use a text editor, then skip on ahead three or four paragraphs.) [NOTE: It is assumed that the reader has used a word processor before, and if you have never used one, then it is likely that you will need some help setting up this menu system.] When you edit or create a word processing file, regardless of the word processor you use, you first LOAD the file, work with it, and then SAVE the file. Loading and editing a pure text file is no different from working with any of your standard word processing files.... it is the SAVE function that differs. To save a pure text file instead of the usual format of your word processor, select the option TEXT ONLY, or TEXT WITH LINE BREAKS as an option just before you save. The following paragraphs deal with exactly how do this in Word Perfect and MS Word. WORDPERFECT v5.1: [Alt =] [Text Out] [Dos Text] Then enter the filename. The file will be saved without any special formatting options as pure text, with line breaks. MS WORD, v5.0: [Esc] [Transfer] [Save] [Tab] [Space] [Space] [Enter] This selects Text-only-with-line-breaks, which saves a pure text file. Using the Text-Only selection will create a file which may not be compatible with PullDown's help system. See your manual for details. If you are using WORD for WINDOWS, the process is quite similar, only you select the option from within a dialog box instead. If you use another package, look in the index of your manual for Save Options/ASCII/Files or SAVE AS TEXT for references on how to do this. If you are familiar with the use of text editors such as PE2, PE3, QEDIT, MultiEdit or ZIA, then simply use on of those to create and maintain the required files. As an aside, the reason that you cannot simply save in your word processor's native format is twofold. First, word processors wrap the lines for you on screen from long lines. For example, a paragraph is wrapped for you when you type it in, you don't have to press ENTER at the end of each line. This is achieved by saving the paragraphs on disk (and memory) as one very long line, and then wrapping them on your screen or _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 3 printer on the fly. Second, certain characters, known as control codes, are saved within the word processor's document to store attributes of your text such as bold, underline, indented, left or right justified and so on. In most cases, "header" information about the overall document format like margins, running footers etc. is also stored within the file. If you were to view one of your word processing files straight, without the benefit of the word processor's interpretation of the control codes, you would see smiling faces and other goop on your screen, along with your text. PullDown is not equipped to interpret the extra formatting information, nor is it useful to the menu system. The first thing to check, if a menu behaves unexpectedly or a defined help screen looks bizarre, is the format in which you saved the file. If in doubt, issue the following command at the DOS prompt to check the file out: TYPE FileName.EXT Where: FileName.EXT is the file you suspect you saved incorrectly. If you get any beeping, strange characters you did not type in, or weird formatting like lines falling off the screen, then the file was saved in the word processor's format. To correct it, load the file again using the word processor, and then save it in the correct text-only format. Finally, to configure the menu system you MUST know the following about each of the programs you will place under the shell: * The DOS Drive it is contained on. * The DOS Directory it is in. * The command used to start the application. And, to have the system start each time you turn on your PC: * Where the special DOS file AUTOEXEC.BAT is. * Whether or not you are presently using another menu system. Is is presumed you know the first set of information about your programs, but just in case you are unclear, here is a short example of the DOS commands one might type to start Lotus 1-2-3 on drive C: in the directory LOTUS: C: [ENTER] CD\LOTUS [ENTER] 123 [ENTER] And 1-2-3 would start. In order, you typed the drive it was on, the directory it was in, and the command to start the program. You will need this same information about each application you will place under the menu shell. In version 3.00 of PullDown, an automated installation routine will do all of this for you, but for now you will need this information when configuring the shell. Making PullDown start each time you turn your PC on is covered in detail under INSTALLATION below. It is really easy to do, although it sounds cryptic when first explained. This manual is divided into the following general sections: - Installation, menu configuration, and interface usage - Menu system options - Technical Support and Registration - Appendixes on Troubleshooting and Technical Details _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 4 We hope that you find this reference document lucid and easy to use. As always, your comments, suggestions, and feedback on the documentation are more than welcome. Enjoy. INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________________________ In the ShareWare form, the menu system is typically distributed within a PKZIP file called PULL230.ZIP. ZIP files, as they are called, are simply compressed sets of other files. To remove the files from the ZIP file, and make them useful, you must UNzip them using the PKUNZIP utility from PKWARE. Assuming that you are installing the menu system for the first time, follow these steps in order to uncompress the files from a diskette in drive A: to the subdirectory MENU on drive C:. If you have the ZIP file on a different drive, or within a subdirectory, then substitute that information where you see the A: drive letter below. Of course, you can use any subdirectory or drive other than C:\MENU, just substitute your information in place of C:\MENU. Where not noted below, press the [ENTER] key after each command.... you MUST have a copy of PKUNZIP on your system and available to UNzip the files for this to work. 1. Place the PullDown installation or distribution diskette in drive A: 2. Type the following at the DOS prompt. C: MD\MENU PKUNZIP A:PULL230 C:\MENU ******** IMPORTANT ******** The files will be extracted, and when the process is finished you should see the following message on your screen: Authentic files Verified! # UQL485 (C) MICRODYNAMICS DEVELOPMENT / S.HORTON IF YOU DO NOT see this message, then you cannot be sure that you received a fully functional unmodified VIRUS-FREE copy of PullDown. It is suggested that you call the tech support BBS, notify MicroDynamics of the problem and where you obtained the file, and download the guaranteed clean copy of the system from the BBS. The BBS is on (215)-623-6203 24 hours a day, or (215)-363-6625 with advance registration. If you cannot do this, then a diskette containing the program will be sent to you free of charge for notifying MicroDynamics of the error(s) you encountered. Viruses and hackers are rightly maligned, and we will do everything we can to limit their impact on your enjoyment of the software. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 5 3. Edit the batch file used to start the menu system Using your text editor, or a word processor saving files in pure text, edit the file PULLDWN.BAT to match your menu system IF you did not install it exactly as described above. That is, if you substituted a drive other than C:, or a directory other than \MENU for the system, then you will have to modify the batch file used to call the menu system. The DEFAULT contents of that file are the following: ECHO OFF CLS REM PullDown Menu Shell System (C) 1990 MicroDynamics Development REM File=PULLDWN.BAT Modify as required. C: CD\MENU PULLDWN1.EXE %1 %2 %3 %4 IF ERRORLEVEL=1 GOTO ExitOnError TEMPULL.BAT :ExitOnError Again, substitute your drive letter for C:, and your path for \MENU if you used something other than the default information described in step 2. 4. Copy the file PULLDWN.BAT to C:\, and/or place \MENU in your PATH. This is necessary in order to support starting PullDown from anywhere you happen to be in your system easily. If you elect to copy the file PULLDWN.BAT to the root (\) directory of drive C:, your system will always be able to find it, regardless of the PATH setting in AUTOEXEC.BAT. [If that statement confused you, just follow the directions for copying the file to the root directory and be done with it.] If you wish, you may modify the PATH to include C:\MENU. A) Copying the file. COPY C:\MENU\PULLDWN.BAT C:\ B) Changing the PATH command. (Optional but recommended) 1. Edit C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT and modify the path. Append with ;C:\MENU 2. Save the file as pure text 5. IF you want PullDown to start automatically each time you turn your computer on, and you have a hard disk on which the first partition is C: (the first drive letter that is a hard disk) then follow these steps with care. A) Edit the file C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. If it does not exist, then create it anyway. B) IF the file already exists, then perform the following edit: 1) If you were using another menu system, and it used to start when you turned your PC on, then you will have to replace the command used at the end (most likely) of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file with PULLDWN to start the new shell. Look on the last line, if you see AUTO, 3DMENU, 3D, EZ, EZMENU, M, or MENU, then overtype _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 6 it with PULLDWN. If you see nothing like that, then add the line PULLDWN to the file after the last existing line. TIP: If the menu system fails to start after you have done this, then check with an experienced user or send the contents of the file to MicroDynamics on the tech support BBS for assistance. 2) Save the file as pure text. C) IF the file does not exist at all, then enter these lines to create a sample file that will start PullDown automatically. 1) Enter these lines. ECHO OFF CLS SET PROMPT=$p$g PULLDWN 2) And save the file as pure text. 6. Decide which text editor or word processor you will be using to configure and run PullDown with. Write down the program's drive, directory, and the command you use to call it up with. The example below assumes that you will use QEDIT in the directory C:\QEDIT. Full paths are shown as samples only, and do not need to be used if C:\QEDIT is already in your path. TIP: If you need to know what IS in your path, then type the command SET at the DOS prompt and look at the line with PATH on it. A) Edit the file EDITOR.BAT in C:\PULLDWN. You will see the following contents: ECHO OFF CLS REM EDITOR.BAT for inclusion with PullDown menu system. C:\QEDIT\Q %1 B) SAMPLE: If you are using PE2, which is contained within the directory C:\EDITOR, then change the file to the following: ECHO OFF CLS REM EDITOR.BAT for inclusion with PullDown menu system. C:\EDITOR\PE2 %1 C) SAMPLE: If you are using WordPerfect v5.1 in the directory F:\WP51 then change the file to the following: ECHO OFF CLS REM EDITOR.BAT for inclusion with PullDown menu system. C:\WP51\WP %1 And be sure to save the files you edit for PullDown as pure text. (DOS Text in the case of WP). You need to modify this batch file so that the selections in the menus concerning editing of the .DEFinition files is correct. (i.e. The selections call "EDITOR FileName.DEF".) _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 7 MAKING MENUS ___________________________________________________________________________ The files that contain the definition information PullDown uses to create menus have the extension .DEF. The included files are PULLDWN.DEF, which is the default menu file PullDown will load on startup, ADVANCED.DEF, which contains several advanced examples, and WINDOWS.DEF, which demonstrates starting Windows Apps from PullDown. These files, and the ones you might create in the future, are pure text files with line breaks. That is, when you edit them you MUST save them as described above under the INTRODUCTION section. Files in any other format will cause PullDown to fail when loading the definitions. These .DEF files are loaded by PullDown and the menus you describe within them are displayed on screen. Each title is defined explicitly, and is followed by the command(s) to be issued to DOS through TEMPPULL.BAT. That is, the defined commands you give PullDown in a .DEF file are written into the file TEMPPULL.BAT, and then that file is executed when you make a selection. Recall from above the contents of PULLDWN.BAT... ECHO OFF CLS REM PullDown Menu Shell System (C) 1990 MicroDynamics Development REM File=PULLDWN.BAT Modify as required. C: CD\MENU PULLDWN1.EXE %1 %2 %3 %4 IF ERRORLEVEL=1 GOTO ExitOnError TEMPULL.BAT :ExitOnError That second to last line containing TEMPPULL.BAT is executed after you exit the menu shell. PullDown basically creates a batch file called upon by TEMPPULL.BAT that contains the menu definitions you create. Now, let's see how a basic menu is constructed, and then move on to the more advanced features of the menu shell. BASIC MENU DEFINITION ===================== The basic keywords used by PullDown are: DEF Defines a new title heading to follow, and a new pulldown set. %TitleString 1) When immediately following DEF, defines top menu selection 2) When second through last for a menu, defines the title of the selection definition that follows it. +BatchCommand Following a %TitleString defines a DOS batch command associated with the preceding selection title. 'CommentString Anything preceded by ' is a comment and ignored by PullDown. Embedded comments are not supported, so keep them on separate lines. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 8 To demonstrate how this works, suppose you wanted to create a PullDown menu for your applications containing 1-2-3, Harvard Graphics, and MS Word 5.0. The corresponding DEF file would look like this, of course adjusted to reflect the DOS subdirectories and drive(s) in your system: DEF %Applications %Lotus 1-2-3 +C: +cd\lotus +123 +pulldwn %Harvard Graphics +c: +cd\harvard +hg +pulldwn %MS Word 5.0 +c: +cd\word5 +word +pulldwn And the result on screen would look something like this, but better of course, as this is just roughed out here for tutorial purposes... Applications --------------------- | Lotus 1-2-3 | | Harvard Graphics | | MS Word 5.0 | --------------------- NOTES: The keyword DEF tells PullDown that a new TOP BAR menu definition follows. See how that first one is Applications, and how all the others fall in under it? The keyword DEF is special in that way, and is used ONLY when you want a new menu selection and attendant subselections to follow. That last line on each selection, PULLDWN, ensures that the menu shell will be restarted for you after you use each program. If you omitted it, you would be at the DOS prompt (C:\ or similar) upon exit from an application. To continue with this example, suppose that you wanted to add another menu selection containing your utilities. One for the Norton Utilities, one for PC Tools Deluxe, FastBack Plus, and finally a selection to format a diskette in drive A:. You would then ADD to the above file the following definitions: --- _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 9 ' Second TOP BAR is Utilities.... (This is a comment ignored by PullDown) DEF %Utilities %Norton Utilities +C: +cd\nu +nu +pulldwn %PC Tools Deluxe +c: +cd\pctools +psshell +pulldwn %FastBack Plus +c: +cd\fastback +fb +pulldwn Format Diskette in Drive A: +format a: +pulldwn Then, your menu would FIRST appear on screen like this..... Applications Utilities --------------------- | Lotus 1-2-3 | | Harvard Graphics | | MS Word 5.0 | --------------------- Upon pressing the RIGHT arrow key, or sliding the mouse across the top bar while holding the left button, the menu would switch to the second TOP selection and appear something like this.... Applications Utilities ----------------------------- | Norton Utilities | | PC Tools Deluxe | | FastBack Plus | | Format Diskette in Drive A: | ----------------------------- _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 10 Thus, the whole file contains: ------------------------------ DEF %Applications %Lotus 1-2-3 +C: +cd\lotus +123 +pulldwn %Harvard Graphics +c: +cd\harvard +hg +pulldwn %MS Word 5.0 +c: +cd\word5 +word +pulldwn ' Second TOP BAR is Utilities.... (This is a comment ignored by PullDown) DEF %Utilities %Norton Utilities +C: +cd\nu +nu +pulldwn %PC Tools Deluxe +c: +cd\pctools +psshell +pulldwn %FastBack Plus +c: +cd\fastback +fb +pulldwn %Format Diskette in Drive A: +format a: +pulldwn And a complete working menu is defined. But, PullDown contains many more features to spice up the menus, and two of them are the HighLite key and the unselectable horizontal bar. HighLite (or HiLite) keys are used to permit quick keyboard access to a selection. Like PC Tools, PullDown employes the SAA (standard applications architecture) definition of their behavior. That is, if you press ALT+HighLite Key the selection is made, if you press and release ALT, then the HighLite keys are lit and stay lit until one is pressed. (NOTE: PullDown starts in this state, but the Dialog Boxes require an ALT press) _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 11 Pressing a lit HighLite key moves your cursor to the selection indicated. In the case of multiple keys on screen, the first one encountered moving down the current menu is selected. The unselectable bar is there for aesthetic separation of options only. First, suppose that you wanted the L in "lotus 1-2-3" to be a HighLite key. You would change the portion of the selection as shown below: (The dots before and after indicate that the example is a code fragment, and that other things follow and/or precede it.) . . %Lotus 1-2-3 HI=0 +C: +cd\lotus +123 +pulldwn . . The only thing changed is the addition of the HI=0 statement. HI=nn defines the character position of the highlite character in the preceding title. It has no meaning if following the TOP BAR titles APPLICATION and UTILITIES, but does have meaning in any other context. Note that the default for the system, if you do not specify HI= for each selection, is the HI=0 position. Now, why is the position 0 in HI=0 and not 1? Easy, we start counting the positions in the title at 0, not 1. So the O in Lotus is position 1, not 2 as you might suspect. A good habit to get into is placing a counter comment line above each selection to avoid confusion. e.g. . . '01234567890 %Lotus 1-2-3 HI=0 +C: +cd\lotus +123 +pulldwn . . To drive the point home, what number would follow HI= to highlite the 2 in 1-2-3 above? The answer is 8, as you can see plainly. Continuing on the unselectable divider bars, suppose you wanted to add one between the FastBack Plus and Format options under the UTILITIES top bar menu... you would do this by adding the special %- command which defines the bar like this: _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 12 . . %FastBack Plus +c: +cd\fastback +fb +pulldwn ' The %- below inserts the unselectable bar to separate selections. %- %Format Diskette in Drive A: +format a: +pulldwn . . And, the menu appearance would CHANGE to this when the UTILITIES menu is displayed: Applications Utilities ----------------------------- | Norton Utilities | | PC Tools Deluxe | | FastBack Plus | |-----------------------------| | Format Diskette in Drive A: | ----------------------------- Examining and modifying the PULLDWN.DEF file will give you a good flavor for using these and other options. In summary, the basic keywords and menu file structure are: DEF Defines a new title heading to follow, and a new pulldown set. %TitleString 1) When immediately following DEF, defines top menu selection 2) When second through last for a menu, defines the title of the selection definition that follows it. +BatchCommand Following a %TitleString defines a DOS batch command associated with the preceding selection title. 'CommentString Anything preceded by ' is a comment and ignored by PullDown. Embedded comments are not supported, so keep them on separate lines. And the basic structure of ALL .DEF files is: --------------------------------------------- _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 13 DEF %TopBar Title One %First Selection HI=nn +batch command +batch command %Second Selection HI=nn +batch command +batch command . . DEF %TopBar Title Two, appearing to the RIGHT of the preceding menu %First Selection, Menu Two HI=nn +batch command +batch command %Second Selection, Menu Two HI=nn +batch command +batch command . . And so on, up to 10 total top bar menus, limited in depth down the screen to the number of rows on the screen minus four. (Discussed later.) Of course indenting the lines is optional, but helps the eye follow selections and contents easily. Next, advanced menu elements such as password protection, command line parameter passing, and dialogs are covered. After that discussion, an overview concerning use of the interface with both the keyboard and the mouse is explained. ADVANCED MENU DEFINITION ======================== The advanced elements of menu definition are: PASS=PassWord User is prompted for a password to continue. The selection halts execution at the line PASS is encountered if the user cannot enter the correct response, or selects <Cancel>/presses ESC. ?QuestionString Shows the user PromptString and awaits input. If the user selects the <Cancel> or presses ESC, the execution of the selection halts and the user is returned to the menu. Up to 10 are supported, and passed to the batch file on a command line as if keyed. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 14 LOADFILE=FileSpec,HeadingComment Presents user with a professional style file load dialog, complete with the ability to traverse the entire system, event handling, and mouse support. The Heading Comment is optional, but encouraged. This dialog returns to the command line the file name entered by the user. A new file name can be entered at will, but the dialog will remind the user that the file does not yet exist before continuing. OKBOX=PromptString Places a single <Ok> dialog box before the user containing only the string PromptString. If the user clicks on <Ok>, or presses ENTER, then execution continues. If ESC is pressed, then the user is returned to the menu without action being taken. HighLite keys are O in <Ok> only. YORN=PromptString Places a single <Yes><No> dialog box before the user containing only the string PromptString. If the user clicks on <Yes>, or presses ENTER, then execution continues. If ESC is pressed or <No> is clicked, then the user is returned to the menu without action being taken. HighLite keys are Y in <Yes> and N in <No>. SCROLLBOX=HelpFile,HeaderString Presents user with an <Ok> scrolling mouse sensitive dialog box containing up to 50 lines of user-defined help in the text file HelpFile. Presents the lines directly following the first encounter of HeaderString (so make it unique in the file, or the first occurrence) up to the stop marker ### on a line by itself. User- defined help file syntax is covered a few paragraphs from now with a complete example. As an aside, the F1 key calls help in the same way for any defined menu selection in the file PULLDWN.HLP. Again, this is covered in detail later. @MenuFile.DEF Loads a the MenuFile[.DEF] menu definition file from the .DEF path. This path is either: 1) The path to PULLDWN1.EXE -or- 2) The path set in the PULLDWN=Path environment variable, if present. (Optional) [.DEF] denotes that the extension is optional. Strongly recommended that you follow syntax with .DEF to prevent confusion. !AUTO! A special set of instructions to be executed upon initial load of a .DEF file. Like an AUTOEXEC.BAT for your .DEF files. See detail a few pages from now on exact useage. Essentially you place any valid .DEF commands under !AUTO! and they are executed on load, and then the .DEF file resumes normally. You can only use this once in any .DEF file, and the first occurence is the one that is used. Any of these elements (except !AUTO!) can be used as many times as you like under any title selection. The only exceptions are ?QuestionString and LOADFILE, which are discussed in detail below. Working from the top of the list, here are complete examples concerning how to use each command: _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 15 PASS=PassWord - - - - - - - Description: PASS=PassWord User is prompted for a password to continue. The selection halts execution at the line PASS is encountered if the user cannot enter the correct response or selects <Cancel> or presses ESC. If you did not want just anyone running the Norton Utilities, then you could protect the selection like this: . . '0123456789012345 %Norton Utilities HI=7 PASS=YourWord +C: +cd\nu +nu +pulldwn . . For those of you who did not catch it, the HI=7 command was added to demonstrate highlite of the U in Utilities above. Also, the user is now asked for the password when selecting this item, and cannot proceed without entering "YourWord" (no quotes, of course) correctly. To use multiple passwords (unlimited) just place PASS=PassWord type statements under the item repeatedly. ?QuestionString - - - - - - - - Descriptions: ?QuestionString Shows the user PromptString and awaits input. If the user selects the <Cancel> or presses ESC, the execution of the selection halts and the user is returned to the menu. *NOTICE TO v2.01 USERS* &BatchCommand No longer supported. Simply the same as using + _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 16 In the simplest case, let's say you want to prompt for the file to load into MS WORD 5.0 when you use it. Change the MS Word 5.0 selection FROM THIS: . . %MS Word 5.0 +c: +cd\word5 +word +pulldwn . . TO THIS: . . %MS Word 5.0 ?Enter file to load, [Enter] for None: +c: +cd\word5 +word %1 +pulldwn . . NOTICE that the ONLY line to receive the %1 variable is the one that invokes the program, WORD. To clarify the result, suppose that the user enters MEMO as the response to the ? prompt. The resulting SHELL.BAT file, (called in turn by TEMPPULL.BAT), used to actually start WORD in this case will be: c: cd\word5 word MEMO pulldwn Similarly, if the user had entered nothing (just pressed ENTER alone), then no file would be loaded. The resulting PULLDWN.BAT file would be: c: cd\word5 word pulldwn Which is what you had by default before you included the prompt. To use multiple prompts, simply call ?QuestionString (Or LOADFILE - see next section for LOADFILE details.) repeatedly. Up to 10 variables can be passed, and are denoted IN ORDER OF ENTRANCE by %1, %2, %3 . . . %9, %0. Let's take a moment to digress on the use of those %n variables for the less expert users. Skip the following three paragraphs and examples if you already know about the variables in batch files. When you invoke a program from DOS, you can typically place a filename or parameter following the command used to invoke it, and the software will take some action. For example, when you start MS Windows you can specify a program to run by placing it's name on the command line. Likewise, your editor or Word Processing application does something similar in loading the file specified. All the %1 through %0 symbols mean is "place that string _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 17 found on the command line in position X here" where X is the number following the % symbol. (With 0 equal to number 10) Consider the following batch file.... echo off cls echo The first thing on the command line is %1 echo The second is %2 echo and the third is %3 Suppose it is called TEST.BAT... if you typed this: TEST Hello SecondString ThirdAndLast you would get this back: The first thing on the command line is Hello The second is SecondString and the third is ThirdAndLast Further, notice what you get if you type: TEST Hello is only: The first thing on the command line is Hello The second is and the third is and this: TEST First Second Third Fourth is only: The first thing on the command line is Hello The second is SecondString and the third is ThirdAndLast The fourth was carried in, but not used. All PullDown does is places the user's responses IN ORDER ENTERED on the command line. Using multiple prompts for PullDown menu files is not ANY different from using them in standard DOS batch files. i.e. ALL Batch Command Language extensions are available to you. To learn more about DOS, the batch language, and how to use it, try "Supercharging MS DOS" by Van Wolverton, Microsoft Press... it is a GREAT book on the PC's abilities, and you will learn a great deal reading it. Second, try BATCOM, a Shareware DOS Batch extender for more power in your batch language applications. Let us turn back to PullDown now, and go over an advanced example. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 18 Let's use a hypothetical example where you might want multiple prompts: copying the contents of one disk to another disk where the disks are not known in advance. . . '0123456789012345678901 %Copy from Disk to Disk HI=10 ?Enter the SOURCE (First) Disk Letter: ?Enter TARGET Disk Letter: %1 CD\ +XCOPY %1 %2 /S/M pulldwn . . Suppose the user responded A: and B: in order. The resulting batch file is: A: CD\ XCOPY A: B: /S/M pulldwn [Look up the XCOPY command to understand why the switches /S/M are included... essentially the disk is duplicated by "walking the tree" on the source and creating corresponding subdirectories and files on the target] Continuing with the example, let's add a second tier of query, which disk to run CHKDSK on after the copy operation: . . '0123456789012345678901 %Copy from Disk to Disk HI=10 ?Enter the SOURCE (First) Disk Letter: ?Enter TARGET Disk Letter: +XCOPY %1 %2 ' Clear the variables to get ready for the next question ?Enter the disk to run CHKDSK on after completion: +CHKDSK %3 pulldwn . . Assuming the user responds A: to the second question, and A: B: to the first two, The TEMPPULL.BAT contents would result as: XCOPY A: B: CHKDSK A: pulldwn _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 19 If the user did NOT respond to the second prompt and just pressed [ENTER] above, having done everything else the same, the result would be in error as: XCOPY A: CHKDSK A: pulldwn For this reason, you can FORCE the user to reply with non-blank input. Use the keyword REQUIRED before prompts to force non-blank replies. If you toggle REQUIRED on, and want to turn it off again, use NOTREQUIRED. You definition to force entries would look like: '0123456789012345678901 %Copy from Disk to Disk HI=10 REQUIRED ?Enter the SOURCE (First) Disk Letter: ?Enter TARGET Disk Letter: +XCOPY %1 %2 ' Clear the variables to get ready for the next question ?Enter the disk to run CHKDSK on after completion: +CHKDSK %3 pulldwn . . If the user attempts to enter NOTHING, the system will stop, create a dialog telling the user that input is required, and then reprompt for input again. This same behavior is present in LOADFILE, which is very much like ?PromptString, only it presents the user with an elegant file loading system instead of the blank prompt for input. LOADFILE - - - - - Defintion: LOADFILE=FileSpec,HeadingComment Presents user with a professional style file load dialog, complete with the ability to traverse the entire system, event handling, and mouse support. The Heading Comment is optional, but encouraged. This dialog returns to the command line the file name entered by the user. A new file name can be entered at will, but the dialog will remind the user that the file does not yet exist before continuing. Syntax: LOADFILE=ValidPath[,HeadingTitle] Where: - ValidPath is a valid DOS path. Can contain wildcards *, ? - If only wildcards are given, then the default directory is used for the first showing of files. - If you wish to load a specific file, then type the name in inside the top FileSpec box. (1) - Pressing ALT+N while inside the FileSpec box results in nothing being passed to the program. (If the keyword REQUIRED is in use, then the box will not permit this) _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 20 - If you type a filename without an extension in the FileSpec box, AND you passed a wildcard the pass before, then the extension of the wildcard, if not *, is appended to the file- name you enter. - If you enter a filename that does not exist, then you will be prompted for continuance. It is assumed that you will want to force the filename, even though it does not yet exist, when you are creating a new file altogether. Selecting NO leaves you back where you started. - An optional HeadingTitle is defined by simply placing a comma followed by the desired heading text behing the path. The heading may be up to 69 characters, and leading/trailing blanks in the title are ignored. One leading and trailing space will appear automatically at the top of the file load dialog box. NOTES: The box will prompt you for RETRY on all DOS errors EXCEPT when you enter a filename that does not exist. If you WANT to pass a nonexistant filename to a program, it is permitted. For example, you might be creating an entirely new document, and want to key the filename here, especially if the input is required. (See REQUIRED keyword elsewhere in this manual.) Also, when your focus of the dialog box (cursor) is on the top line (file load specification) then it is optional to press ALT+N to load NO file at all. [This will not be permitted if non-blank input is required.] The ALT+N combination is effective ONLY when the cursor rests on that box. To let you know this, the TagLine on the bottom of your screen will contain explicit instructions concerning the availability of ALT+N when it is available. Note that the default drive and directory are automatically restored on exit, preventing the errors common to so many other file load systems when they fail to reset the drive and directory on <Cancel> exits! The box looks (roughly) like this: ................................. |--- The OPTIONAL HeadingTitle V ------------- Your Heading Title Centered on Screen -------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----->| FileSpec | C:\*.DOC | | | | ------------------------------------------- | | | |----------------------------------------------------------- | | | | [-A-] filespec.doc | | | | | [-B-] file.doc | | | --->| | DIRNAME lad.doc (2) | | | | | | WORD5 . | | | | | | . . | | | | | | . . | | | | | | . . | | | | | |----------------------------------------------------------| | | | ->| <Load> <Cancel> (3) | | | | |----------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | |--- (3) The TagLine for LOAD or CANCEL. Unlike all other PullDown | | dialog boxes, you cannot select these using ALT keys. You | | must move the pointer on top of them using TAB if you do | | not have a mouse. (Time constraint on design.) | | | |----(2) Directories in CAPS, filenames in lower case. Double click to | select, single click to move to. | |--- (1) The FileSpec Box - Presents argument for files to load. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 21 EXAMPLES OF USING THE LOADFILE COMMAND -------------------------------------- Using the same examples from ?QuestionString, so that easy comparison can be made, we see that the commands are not really all that different in nature. In the simplest case, let's say you want to prompt for the file to load into MS WORD 5.0 when you use it. Change the MS Word 5.0 selection FROM THIS: . . %MS Word 5.0 +c: +cd\word5 +word +pulldwn . . TO THIS: . . %MS Word 5.0 LOADFILE=*.DOC,Enter file to load into MS WORD: +c: +cd\word5 +word %1 +pulldwn . . NOTICE that the ONLY line to receive the %1 variable is the one that invokes the program, WORD. To clarify the result, suppose that the user enters MEMO as the response to the ? prompt. The resulting SHELL.BAT file, (called in turn by TEMPPULL.BAT), used to actually start WORD in this case will be: c: cd\word5 word MEMO pulldwn Similarly, if the user had entered nothing (pressed ALT+N and REQUIRED was not ON), then no file would be loaded. The resulting PULLDWN.BAT file would be: c: cd\word5 word pulldwn Which is what you had by default before you included the prompt. As you can see, the use of the command is simple, but the result is elegant. Now, suppose you have users that typically need only copy one file at a time from their WordPerfect directory to a disk for a co-worker. You might write a selection as follows: _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 21 . . '0123456789012345567801234 %Copy Document File for Tom HI=23 REQUIRED LOADFILE=\WP51\*.DOC,Select file to Copy to A: +echo off +cls +echo Place disk in drive A:, press any key when ready... +pause > nul +xcopy %1 a: +pulldwn . . And, for Tom, your selection might be: . . '0123 %Copy Document File from A: HI=0 REQUIRED LOADFILE=A:\*.DOC,Select file to Copy from A: +echo off +cls +echo Place disk in drive A:, press any key when ready... +pause > nul +xcopy %1 C:\WP51 +pulldwn . . Mixing ?QuestionString and LOADFILE is permitted, but remember that LOADFILE is actually passing parameters as well when you write the batch commands. Here is a simple example: . . '0123456789012345567801234 %Fomat a Disk and Copy a Document File to it HI=18 REQUIRED ?Enter disk letter to format and copy to: LOADFILE=\WP51\*.DOC,Select file to Copy to diskette: +echo off +cls +echo Place disk in drive %1:, press any key when ready... +pause > nul +format %1 +xcopy %2 %1 +pulldwn . . _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 22 Remember, PullDown does not have a way of knowing whether the variable returned in %1 is in fact a valid drive. It is up to you to make sure that users understand what to enter, and why the process (any process) might fail. Now let's look at some of the other informative prompts you can give to users. OKBOX and YORN - - - - - - - - Descriptions: OKBOX=PromptString Places a single <Ok> dialog box before the user containing only the string PromptString. If the user clicks on <Ok>, or presses ENTER, then execution continues. If ESC is pressed, then the user is returned to the menu without action being taken. HighLite keys are O in <Ok> only. YORN=PromptString Places a single <Yes><No> dialog box before the user containing only the string PromptString. If the user clicks on <Yes>, or presses ENTER, then execution continues. If ESC is pressed or <No> is clicked, then the user is returned to the menu without action being taken. HighLite keys are Y in <Yes> and N in <No>. These two commands are similar in that they pop a message you define to the user. Execution of the selection is then in the user's hands, as selecting <No> in the YORN type box, or pressing ESC in either box halts and returns the user to the menus where s/he left off. To illustrate, suppose you wanted the user to know that other applications such as the NotePad or COMPRESS are available within PC Tools Deluxe... . . '012345 %PC Tools Deluxe HI=3 OKBOX=Select APPLICATIONS in PCSHELL for more Utilities +c: +cd\pctools +psshell +pulldwn . . The user would see something like this on the screen.... (Only it looks much better) ----------------------------------------------------- | | | Select APPLICATIONS in PCSHELL for more Utilities | | | |-----------------------------------------------------| | <Ok> | ----------------------------------------------------- _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 23 In the case of YORN, the only difference is the bottom line. For example, including the following: . . '012345 %PC Tools Deluxe HI=3 YORN=Select APPLICATIONS in PCSHELL for more Utilities +c: +cd\pctools +psshell +pulldwn . . Would produce this style box: ----------------------------------------------------- | | | Select APPLICATIONS in PCSHELL for more Utilities | | | |-----------------------------------------------------| | <Yes> <No> | ----------------------------------------------------- Of course, YORN is more appropriate for situations where confirmation is requested. For example, if you wanted to create you own EXIT TO DOS selection, you might add the following to your growing .DEF file: . . DEF %Exit %Exit to DOS YORN=Are you sure you want to Exit? PASS=YourPass +echo off +cls +echo Type PULLDWN [Enter] to Start the Menu Shell ' Notice that NOT calling PULLDWN on the end exits to DOS %Load the default PULLDWN.DEF file @PULLDWN.DEF When the user selects "Exit to DOS", they will be prompted to be sure that this is what they want to do, and then required to enter the password "YourPass" to proceed with the operation. The second portion of this example demonstrates how to load a menu definition file from a menuselection, which is discussed at length below. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 24 @MenuFile.DEF - - - - - - - Description: @MenuFile.DEF Loads a the MenuFile[.DEF] menu definition file from the .DEF path. This path is either: 1) The path to PULLDWN1.EXE -or- 2) The path set in the PULLDWN=Path environment variable, if present. (Optional) [.DEF] denotes that the extension is optional. Strongly recommended that you follow syntax with .DEF to prevent confusion. Branching to another menu file is the feature of PullDown permitting you to define unlimited submenus for your system. All that happens is PullDown loads the file you specify after the @ symbol key. If the file is not found, then the user is prompted for a valid file. If the second file is not found PullDown exits to DOS displaying help and where to call for technical support. This option is amply demonstrated above, and should prove to be a valuable tool as you build your menu tree. Of course, you don't have to use it, but it is worthwhile to split large chunks into different files if for no other reason to optimize load time of a given .DEF file. (See APPENDIX E, PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION for details on why this is true.) As a final note on @, you can load PULLDWN.DEF at ANY time by clicking on the word PullDown at the bottom tag line, or pressing F9. This was added in the event you define a submenu you call and forget to allow an exit back to the main menu. (It happens!) Finally, a special .DEF command allows you to automatically execute a set of commands on entry to any particular .DEF file. It is !AUTO! and closely corresponds to the standard %TitleString behavior, without a title. !AUTO! - - - - A special method of automatically executing commands on entry to a .DEF menu is provided via the keyword !AUTO!. Syntax is: !AUTO! ' Any valid .DEF commands . . NOTES: - !AUTO! must be capitalized, and can occur ANYWHERE within the definition, even at the end of the file. - Only ONE occurence is permitted, all subsequent calls are ignored completely. - MAXDEFS=nn *still* must be the first line in the .DEF file to operate properly. (See OPTIMIZATION in the appendix) - Command line parameter IGNOREAUTO causes *all* !AUTO! commands to be ignored completely, just as if the system had just loaded the .DEF file prior. - Behavior is this: * Executed ONCE when loaded * Executed EVERY TIME you re-enter this menu, unless the IGNOREAUTO keyword is used on the command line. e.g. you enter it, select something, and then resume. You will get the !AUTO! sequence again. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 25 - Will function properly with RESUME toggled OFF, but * If resume is OFF when found, resume is toggled ON to avoid an infinite loop. * If the resume file [PULLRES.FIL] is deleted, the system has no way of knowing that the menu was just called. Don't delete the resume file with !AUTO! commands! - Selecting a <Cancel> or <No> option, or pressing [ESC] while viewing an <Ok> dialog box (except a HELP box) results in that ONE TIME abort of the automatic menu selection. The menu selection will be executed the next time you call that .DEF file. Normally, the !AUTO! commands are executed, and then you are sent back to the same .DEF menu definition, but the !AUTO! selection is NOT executed again. - Debugging using a standard selection and subsequent conversion to !AUTO! is strongly reccomended. DEFINING USER HELP SCREENS ========================== *USERS OF v2.17 or OLDER TAKE NOTE: Syntax has changed* It is worthwhile to detour at this point to a feature inherent within the menu system before explaining fully the SCROLLBOX= command. PullDown can call upon defined help within external text files such as the samples contained within the package SAMPLE.HLP, and the main help system file PULLDWN.HLP. The two are syntactically identical, but serve distinct purposes. In short, PULLDWN.HLP is the *ONLY* reserved .HLP file name within the system, and it holds the help screen text for *ALL* defined menu selections in any .DEF file you might use. All others are defined by you, and called individually in your SCROLLBOX= commands. First, let's suppose that you wanted to define a help screen that the user would see if s/he pressed/clicked [F1] from within your menu while the bar was on "Lotus 1-2- 3". You would edit the PULLDWN.HLP file to include something like this: . . %Lotus 1-2-3 The world's leading spreadsheet, which has about 5,000,000 registered copies sold, with roughly that same number bootlegged. ### . . And, if the user pressed or clicked F1, then the screen would show the following type of dialog box to the user: ------------------- Lotus 1-2-3 --------------------- | | The world's leading spreadsheet, which has + | about 5,000,000 registered copies sold, with + | roughly that same number bootlegged. + | |-----------------------------------------------------| | <Ok> | ----------------------------------------------------- _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 26 Upon pressing [Enter], clicking <Ok>, pressing ALT+O, or ALT followed by O and [ENTER], the box is cleared. This box is scrollable, can contain up to 50 lines of help, and can accommodate up to 69 characters in width. The box is self-sized about your text, and centered on the screen for you automatically. Of course, the box on screen looks much better than this one, but you can gather that this is a powerful and useful feature. Some rules apply when you define user help screens, and in summary they are: 1) PullDown will read lines UNTIL *one* of the following conditions is met: a) The End of Help marker, ###, is encountered ALONE on a line b) 50 lines are read into memory c) The end of the file is reached 2) Lines that are too long (up to 100 char) are truncated 3) The header you define in SCROLLBOX= or the title in the menu system should occur at the beginning of the help screen FIRST in the file. Otherwise, PullDown stops and reads the text following the first found header match. (See sample of this condition below, this includes comments in this version.) 4) A memory constraint is not anticipated, as memory is allocated for these lines when the program starts. 5) Embedded blanks within the SCROLLBOX=HelpFile,HeaderString are not permitted. i.e. follow the = with the HelpFile, string. To conclude, you can pop a scrolling box like this with defined contents from your custom filename as follows: SCROLLBOX=HelpFile,HeaderString - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Where: HelpFile is any ASCII file, and HeaderString is the first unique occurrence of the header in the file followed by a help screen set of lines, ended by a ### on a single line. Full Description: SCROLLBOX=HelpFile,HeaderString Presents user with an <Ok> scrolling mouse sensitive dialog box containing up to 50 lines of user-defined help in the text file HelpFile. Presents the lines directly following the first encounter of HeaderString (so make it unique in the file, or the first occurrence) up to the stop marker ### on a line by itself. User- defined help file syntax is covered a few paragraphs from now with a complete example. As an aside, the F1 key calls help in the same way for any defined menu selection in the file PULLDWN.HLP. An example might be popping a multiple line notice giving the user specific directions. Building on the prior example for the Norton Utilities, suppose you wanted to tell the user that undeleting a file is supported, and where to call in your organization to obtain help if s/he cannot undelete it automatically: _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 27 . . '012345 %Undelete a File HI=0 SCROLLBOX=MYHELP.HLP,Undelete a File YORN=Do you want to continue? ?Enter file to undelete: +UNDELETE %1 +pulldwn . . And, within MYHELP.HLP you had placed: . . %Undelete a File 1) Attempt to use this automatic utility first to recover your file 2) If this fails, then DO NOTHING MORE, but call Tom Guru in MIS at x4567 and ask for assistance. If Tom is not in and you get his terse voice mail, then call Shelly at x5678. 3) Have a nice day. ### . . The user would be presented first with your help box, asked if they really want to continue, and finally prompted for the filename to recover. You can see more examples of this in ADVANCED.DEF and SAMPLE.HLP. DEFINING HELP SCREENS - - - - - - - - - - - Help files usually have the extension .HLP on them, and are pure text files like the definition files. As shown above, the syntax to call up a help screen is simple. In general, the format for each screen is: %Unique HeaderString Help Text . . . . ### Rules for use: 1) Lines may be up to 69 characters wide. This limit is actually defined by the width of the screen (80) less the number of characters displayed for the surrounding boxes and shadow(s). 2) Up to 50 lines excluding the header line are permitted. This limit is arbitrary and can be raised if you have need. 3) The %HeaderString *MUST* be the first occurrence of the header within the .HLP file, as PullDown scans for it and then displays the following lines as help. If you get unexpected text on the screen, it is likely that _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 28 you either did not make the header unique, or that there is another occurrence of the same string before you expected it for the help screen. 4) For ALL >menu selections< F1 help screens in ALL .DEF files, the file to use is PULLDWN.HLP - and PullDown expects it in the same subdirectory as PULLDWN1.EXE (C:\MENU unless you installed the system somewhere else on your PC... see INSTALLATION). 5) SCROLLBOX= statements may call upon any filename, any number of times. 6) Lines with a leading ' are comments, BUT the contents are scanned for the unique header string. Ample examples of defining user help are provided in the preceding sections, but let's take a close look at designing your own system in total with help for each menu selection here. Suppose you had a definition file with these contents: DEF %Applications %Lotus 1-2-3 +C: +cd\lotus +123 +pulldwn %Harvard Graphics +c: +cd\harvard +hg +pulldwn %MS Word 5.0 +c: +cd\word5 +word +pulldwn ' Second TOP BAR is Utilities.... (This is a comment ignored by PullDown) DEF %Utilities %Norton Utilities +C: +cd\nu +nu +pulldwn %PC Tools Deluxe +c: +cd\pctools +psshell +pulldwn %FastBack Plus +c: +cd\fastback +fb +pulldwn _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 29 %Format Diskette in Drive A: +format a: +pulldwn It is suggested that you take these steps to create help screens for use within the F1 HELP screens for your .DEF files, if desired: 1) Load the .DEF file into your editor or word processor. 2) Clip out all but the Title definitions (each line contents following the % symbols) without the leading % sign. 3) Set up a ruler to show where character 69 is 4) Write you help screens, ending each with termination marker ### 5) Save the file as PULLDWN.HLP, pure text. 6) Repeat for each .DEF file in your system, appending the file as needed. TIP: Keep the text "balanced" within an imaginary box on screen as you type. This will prevent an unprofessional appearance to the help screens when they are displayed. Your help file, in part, might look like this: ' Applications Help ' Ruler: ' MAXIMUM >>> '------------------------------------------------------------------| %Lotus 1-2-3 Leading spreadsheet. Use this option to edit the monthly operating report in the file RPTFIL.WK1. Print the report using ALT+P, save with ALT+S, then exit using /QY. ### %Harvard Graphics Use this software to make the charts for the monthly operating and marketing reports. Load the charts one at a time, and key the new values. When they are finished, show them to Mr. Jones, who will tell you what to change this month. ### %MS Word 5.0 Use word processor when you need to write long letters to coworkers or clients. ### . . and so on.... As noted in prior sections, each help text content definition is displayed in a dialog box that users can scroll through. Users press [ENTER], [ESC] or click on <Ok> to clear the box. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 30 USING THE SAA INTERFACE ___________________________________________________________________________ USING THE KEYBOARD ================== The first thing you see on invocation of the menu system is the PullDown front interface. A menu is initialized for you and rolled on to the screen. The HiLite HotKeys appear in a different color from the rest, and if pressed move the HiLite menu bar to the selection. If you then press [ENTER] the item is selected and the commands you defined in the .DEFinition file are executed. To access the selection directly, press and hold the ALT key, followed by the HiLite key of the selection desired. This is the same as pressing [ENTER] with the HiLite bar on that same selection. To access any function key, simply press it and the action is taken. That is all there is to the standard interface. On to Dialog Boxes. Dialog Boxes appear when you invoke them, and for the [F2=Options] [Options] [Settings...] setup dialog box. A couple of concepts need to be covered here for the less experienced user, and so again if you are a real "power" user skip ahead three or four paragraphs past the examples to save time. For the majority of others, we will take a look at dialog box elements, how the keyboard modifies each one, how to move around, and finally how to select options. Dialog boxes consist of one or more elements. An element is simply a type of dialog box interface that behaves in a certain way. Let's start with the most basic, the command button. A command button is bracketed by less than and greater than symbols on your screen. An example is the <Ok> dialog box you saw earlier in the documentation that looked like this: ----------------------------------------------------- | | | This is an <Ok> Dialog Box Example. | | | |-----------------------------------------------------| | <Ok> | ----------------------------------------------------- On your screen the cursor would rest on the O in OK. Where the cursor sits, that is called the current focus of the dialog box. If you press [ENTER] on a command button where the focus lies, that is the selection you make. To move the focus, you press the [TAB] key. For example, the <Yes><No> dialog looks like: ----------------------------------------------------- | | | This is a <Yes><No> Dialog Box Example. | | | |-----------------------------------------------------| | <Yes> <No> | ----------------------------------------------------- and the focus (cursor) rests on the Y in Yes at first. If you pressed [ENTER] you would be selecting <Yes>. Pressing [TAB] moves the focus to <No>, and pressing [ENTER] then would be answering <No>. By the way, unless otherwise noted, [ESC] is like pressing <No> or <Cancel>. Besides _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 31 [TAB] there is another way to move the focus in dialog boxes. If you press and release the [ALT] key, you will see HiLite keys lit on the screen. Pressing the HiLite key letters moves you around in the dialog box. For example, the HiLite keys in the <Yes><No> dialog box are Y and N, just as you would expect. Finally, if you pressed and held the [ALT] key down, followed by the HiLite letter, you would select the option just as if the focus rested upon it and you pressed [ENTER]. These basic movement principles hold for ALL dialog boxes, no matter how complex. Now let's examine the elements you will encounter in the SETUP options of PullDown and how to navigate them. The exact meaning of the options is discussed in the section coming later on CONFIGURING THE MENU SYSTEM. Option Button Clusters look like this: () Option One of Three < Current selection ( ) Option Two ( ) Option Three When the focus is on this cluster, the cursor will be on the selected option with the burger dot. To change options selected, press the [Up] or [Down] arrows. Press [TAB] to move on to another element, or press [ALT] and release it to activate the HiLite HotKeys. Check Boxes have this appearance on screen, and are either ON or OFF, depending upon whether or not they contain an X. (In other interfaces this could be a check mark, dot, or other character that is not a blank space) [X] Selected Option and one that is inactive looks like this: [ ] Selected Option Move the focus in one of the manners described above, that is with either the [TAB] key or the HiLite key presses. To toggle the option status while in the box, press the [SPACEBAR] key. Finally, a text box is one that takes user input, like the box that is popped to screen when you use the ?PromptString command. The focus initially rests on one of two places, depending upon whether something is already in the box when you enter it. If the box is empty, the cursor rests on the left margin of the box and is ready for your input. If the box contains something already, the text will be in a different color from the background and the cursor will be on the last character of the string contained in the box. At that point, if you want to replace the contents entirely just start typing. The old string is erased and you start anew. If you want to simply edit that string, press the LEFT arrow key. Then all standard editing keys take effect. i.e. [INSert], [DELete], and other edit keys all have meaning just like they do in your word processor. To accept the input AND exit press [ENTER]. To move on to another element press [TAB]. As a final note, when using the color selection palette move around with the arrow keys, accept selection with [ENTER] and cancel with [ESC]. USING THE MOUSE =============== Using the mouse with dialog boxes is the most natural way to select options and change the focus of the dialog. To select command buttons like <Ok> or <Cancel> just click and release the left mouse button on them. The same _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 32 holds true for the SAA front end, the [Function] keys on the bottom row, and the word PullDown in the lower left, which loads the default PULLDWN.DEF menu regardless of your current menu load status. (The key equivalent is [F9] for selection of the default menu file.) To change option's status AND focus, click on the desired selection, and to change focus to text input boxes, just click the left button on them. The SAA was designed with the mouse in mind, and you will find it the most natural extension of the keyboard allowing speed and accuracy of selection in a very easy to comprehend interface. CONFIGURING THE MENU SYSTEM OPTIONS ___________________________________________________________________________ Pressing or clicking [F2=Options] on the bottom row of the screen invokes PullDown's setup system. The menus are, of course, PullDown in style and reflect the exact colors of the system as they will appear on exit back to the menu shell. The first set of color options are changed by selecting each in turn and reconfiguring the colors with the sample box that pops up on the right side of the screen. Click or select with the keyboard the color you want for each element, or press [ESC] to back out. The menus will instantly reflect your changes, and by iterating through this process you will arrive at your own color configuration. If you are a registered user, you may save the colors as the defaults and exit the setup system by pressing [F10], clicking the [F10=Save & Exit] option on the bottom row, or lastly by selecting the SAVE option from the EXIT pulldown menu on the far right. You may abort at any time. If you are an unregistered user, the SAVE of ONLY the colors is withheld. ALL OTHER OPTIONS FUNCTION NORMALLY even if you never register the system. Let's go over the other options available under the second pulldown menu and what each means. First selection, second menu, SETUP options, brings a large dialog box to the screen. Each option cluster is clearly marked, and will contain rational defaults. The box looks roughly like this in layout, and each cluster is numbered below for reference as the options are explained below: _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 33 () Normal Mouse () Normal Screen Mode (25 Lines) ( ) Fast Mouse -> ( ) 43 Line EGA/VGA Mode -> ( ) Very Fast Mouse | ( ) 50 Line VGA Mode | ( ) No Mouse Support | [X] Show Blanker Flag | | | | | Cluster Two, with check Box, Option 2 Cluster One, Mouse Options. Option 1 And the lower section has two check boxes and two text boxes in it: [X] Turn NumLock OFF on Entry to Menu System <- Check box, Option 3 [X] Resume Status of Menus on Entry <- Check box, Option 4 ----------------------------- ----> Number of Minutes to Screen Blank | | | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------- | --> Password Required to Modify Options | | | | ----------------------------- | | | Password to get to [F2] options, Option 6 | ----------------------------- | --> Password Required to Exit to DOS | | | | ----------------------------- | | | Password to exit to DOS, Option 7. | Screen Blanker Countdown Timer Option 5. The options, and their impact on the menu system are: 1) The mouse speed of movement across the screen as you move the device is defined in units called Mickeys. (No kidding!) PullDown let's you select your speed to taste from normal to very very fast. The second box, the very fast option, is likely your best bet in 43/50 line mode as you can get around that big screen more quickly. The final option disables the mouse completely (makes it invisible, really) for those who hate rodents or have MS incompatible hardware that they want disabled. 2) The number of screen lines is limited by the type of display adapter you have. PullDown automatically detects your monitor type, and will not permit you to select a mode that is unavailable to you. This option also limits the number of %Titles you can have DOWN the page, as the number down the page is equal to the number of screen rows less four (top line, second line for box, lower line for box, and shadow... four). If you select 50 line mode, load a 46 line menu file definition, and then select 25 lines, the menu system will refuse to change screen modes. If this happens, load a smaller menu file and then change back to a lower number of screen rows. Selecting the 50 line mode on EGA systems results in the 43 line mode being invoked. Finally, SOME clone systems MAY give PullDown a "false" impression of the type of monitor and video card installed within the system. If this happens, then the menu system will refuse to continue and issue a detailed fatal error message instructing you to call for technical _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 34 support. The check box allows you to turn the screen blanker flag that rolls across the screen OFF as you wish. 3) PullDown can turn off that annoying NumLock key on startup. Toggle this option ON to have PullDown do this each time it starts. 4) PullDown can resume the menus exactly where you left them when you selected an option. This is the default setting, and if you turn it OFF, then the system will load PULLDWN.DEF and show the first selection of the first menu when you enter the shell. This option will be toggled ON for you if you use !AUTO! commands. 5) Acceptable minute to blank settings are 1-99. Values less than one are returned as the default value of three minutes, as are values greater than 99 or less than zero. 6) A password can be required to protect option settings from children who enjoy changing colors or users you do not want to have access to the options. 7) This password, if entered, is required to exit to DOS using the [ESC] key. CAUTION: Don't set a password to modify options and a password to exit to DOS and then forget them. If this happens, and you defined passwords as required to exit from all available selections, you can get trapped in the shell! [See Appendix A, Troubleshooting, if this happens to you!] The other options available in the OPTIONS pulldown are Registration, How to Register, and Return Colors to Default Values. The latter option just returns the colors to something sane if you get too far gone (!) when setting the colors up, and the others are self-explanatory. Essentially you need to send the $20 registration fee for a matching registered name and number if you want to register the product. The number you need is based upon a non-linear algorithm of the ASCII encrypted values of your registered name, as you might suspect. Lines under a certain length are not even acceptable, and repeated attempts to register without a valid MicroDynamics issued number will invariably fail. When it comes time to register your copy, you can start the menu system with the word REGISTER behind it to obtain the registration system screen without going all the way into the SETUP screens. Finally, the EXIT option contains the two options SAVE & EXIT or ABORT. Selecting ABORT cancels all changes EXCEPT registration. Registration is final after the registration system is run once. (As you might suspect, the registered name and number are saved in a double-encrypted binary format in PULLDWN.CNF. Deleting that file voids your registration.) COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS ___________________________________________________________________________ Formal PullDown Syntax is: PULLDWN [DEBUG] [CANCEL] [HELP] [IGNOREAUTO] Where: DEBUG - Causes PullDown to display stages of messages concerning the activities carried on startup. Used when the program locks a clone system for an unknown reason to debug remote. Also displays extensive pathing debug help when multiple paths are in use. CANCEL - Erases the PULLRES.FIL file containing the resume status of _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 35 the menu shell, thus cancelling the resume feature on startup. Used when it is known that the .DEF file that was loaded on exit no longer exists. Specifically, PullDown creates this file each time you exit when the [ ] Resume Status box is checked ON, and the contents of that file define which menu file to load (the one you were in when you selected an option) and the specific item your cursor was on when you left the system. REGISTER - Invokes the command line registration system. Used when registering the product. See the following section for details on how to obtain your registration number. HELP - Displays a help screen concerning DEBUG and CANCEL IGNOREAUTO - Forces the commands under any !AUTO! selection to be ignroed. Use if you get trapped in a loop, or wish not to have the commands execute on load. TECHNICAL SUPPORT & REGISTRATIONS ___________________________________________________________________________ Even unregistered users are welcome to ask any and all questions, provide suggestions, and test BETA copies of the software without charge. You can contact MicroDynamics on the follow electronic systems via modem: * CompuServe ID 72010,2546 * RunWay BBS (215)-623-6203 8n1 - 2400-14,400 HST 3 Nodes, No Fee for Technical support or to download the latest versions - This BBS is subscription only for general downloads. Enter conference number FIVE (5) for MicroDynamics Technical Support and new offerings, including all BETA versions for general download. There is no charge at all to access the technical support SIG and any files contained therein. - Leave mail for SAM HORTON in any conference for help, preferably the MAIN or tech support conference #5. PLEASE do not leave messages to the Sysop (although they too will be answered quickly) as MicroDynamics is NOT the owner/sysop of the system. * DelChes BBS (215)-363-6625 8n1 - Public Node, no fee required, mail-in registration a MUST in advance - All latest posted under MicroDynamics SIG. Select from main menu these keystrokes to enter the conference: MSCS * EXEC-PC - Leave E-MAIL to Sam Horton - Answer not guaranteed in under one week - Latest release always posted on this premier BBS * GEnie - Support not available as of 10/1/90 - EMail still online S.HORTON1, but not checked routinely _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 36 BY MAIL: MicroDynamics Development 1445 Mensch Lane Gilbertsville, PA 19525 * IF YOU REQUIRE AN INVOICE, WE WILL BE HAPPY TO BILL YOUR ORGANIZATION. SIMPLY WRITE AND REQUEST THIS SERVICE. NO CHARGE. * To register, print and return the form contained in the disk file REGFORM.DOC. If you are unfamiliar with this process, type the following at the DOS prompt, assuming that you used the defaults to install the system as described earlier in INSTALLATION: C: CD\MENU TYPE REGFORM.DOC > PRN *IF* you know your printer is on a serial port on COM1: (unlikely, but check if you are uncertain), type: C: CD\MENU TYPE REGFORM.DOC > COM1: Turnaround is almost always less than one week, (often one day) and if you provide a valid CIS ID, or are an EXEC-PC subscriber, then you will get your registration number electronically. Diskettes are mailed at extra cost. The reason for the charge is simple: diskettes, stamps, mailers, and the labor cost money. You can save the charge by picking up the latest version on the tech support BBS or CIS electronically. MAJOR upgrades are always announced and chances are excellent you will receive a letter notifying you of their availability. Upgrade diskettes, again, are mailed for a fee. IF you find a virus infected copy, your diskette is FREE when you disclose the source of the file you obtained. Your registration number will be valid for all future releases, unless a code change is required to support a smaller faster link library. IF the code changes, you will be sent a new number in the mail upon release. In any case, if you upgrade an existing copy, the registration upgrade is automatic. Back up your PULLDWN.CNF file when you register, as this is the key file containing your user information. VOICE: Available shortly to registered users, and presently available to registered consultants and dealer sites. MULTIPLE SITE COPIES: Number of Copies Price Per Copy in Range ---------------- ----------------------- 1-20 $20 21-50 $15 > 51 $10 LANs registered by number of nodes on system with access to the menu shell in the same structure. Technical support is presumed to be first handled on site, and second through MicroDynamics for multiple site copies. OUTSIDE THE USA? See APPENDIX C: FOREIGN VERSIONS/TECHNICAL SUPPORT OVERSEAS below. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 37 CONSULTANT'S DEALERSHIPS ___________________________________________________________________________ Several consultants worldwide are presently installing PullDown for clients to differentiate themselves from the pack using the old "A" "B" "C" or rolling one style menus. The arrangement involves significant margin for the consultant, and increased customer satisfaction. Please call or write for details if you are interested in joining the growing list of authorized dealers. APPENDIX A: TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ___________________________________________________________________________ As with all software, you may have trouble configuring PullDown to suit your needs. The following guide is designed to get you through the vast majority of problems you might encounter, and the design of the product often includes a full help screen describing critical conditions that cause failures. However, there are some things the software is not presently capable of trapping as errors, and you will find this section helpful when you encounter one. PROBLEM: Option is selected and nothing happens--you just return to the menu shell without the application starting as expected. CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS: 1) Batch contents are in error. Examine the option in the .DEF file loaded for: a) Spelling errors and typos b) Erroneous contents... e.g. wrong directory for startup, bad drive letter(s), incorrect syntax. c) Commented out contents. Leading ' characters cause the line to be ignored as a comment. TIP: If you cannot determine what the problem is in short order, try modifying your batch definition for debugging as follows: Original Contents: . . ?Enter File to Load: echo off cls cd\word5 word %1 pulldwn . . ___________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 38 Suggested contents to "debug" the definition: . . ?Enter File to Load: echo ON cls cd\word5 pause word %1 pause pulldwn pause . . Then execute the selection again. This time you will see ALL DOS errors and each command followed by the PAUSE message "Press Any Key to Continue". Look for your errors and correct them as required, then when you have the selection working remove the pause commands and change echo ON to echo OFF so that the commands are no longer visible as they execute. A short guide to debugging in general follows below. What to look for as the selection runs: a) After the cd\word5 command, see if DOS says "Invalid Directory". If so, fix the path in your command to match the path to WORD. b) After the word %1 command, see if DOS says "Bad Command or Filename". If so, change the command to the correct name of the program. (May happen if you determine (a) above is the problem.) c) After the pulldwn command, the menu shell should start. If not, likely DOS returned "Bad Command or Filename" -- if so modify your PATH as described in INSTALLATION. 2) You started the menu shell using PULLDWN1 instead of PULLDWN. Use the batch file PULLDWN to start the shell, or the temporary files are never executed. You will know if this is the problem as the shell will just exit to DOS when you select anything at all and never restart. 2a) Start the shell using PULLDWN1 as the command, and then check the contents of SHELL.BAT to make sure that you are getting the expected contents. If you are, and the system is supposed to pass a command line variable, then check TEMPPULL.BAT to make certain the command line parameters are going through. Remember, it is up to you, the batch file author, to trap bad command line parameters, as PullDown has no way of knowing (nor passing to a batch file) that a NUL input is not valid. (Will be supported if requested... e.g. a REQUIRED keyword.) _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 39 3) All runs well, but you cannot get back to the line containing PULLDWN to restart the menu shell.... caused by a program that "clears the stack" on exit, thus erasing the batch file from memory. To circumvent this, modify your batch contents to use a command shell to invoke the program ONLY. e.g. modify the sample above to look like this: . . ?Enter File to Load: echo off cls cd\word5 command/c word %1 pulldwn . . This should solve the problem. An alternative is to compile your batch files using a utility from PC Mag called BAT2EXE. A discussion of its usefulness is beyond our scope here, but if you are an advanced user you should check that utility out. You can get a copy on just about any major BBS in the country, or on CompuServe in the PCMAGNET forum. PROBLEM: System locks up or "freezes" permanently. CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS: 1) If you are running ANY TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident Programs, like SideKick, PC3270, CXI, PCOX, PCSHELL in TSR mode.) uninstall it and retry the menu shell. If it starts, reload each TSR in order until the conflict arises again. While PullDown is known to be well- behaved and stable on IBM hardware, there are clone BIOS chips out there that will cause conflict when certain TSRs are running. [If this is too technical, and you suspect the problem on your system, consult an expert or call for technical support... we will be glad you help.] 2) If you are using PC3270 or 3270 as a TSR gateway to your mainframe, invoke it only with the T command line option. Using the R option and invoking the HotKey over PullDown will cause a crash every time. Suffice it to say IBM did a less than perfect job with the keyboard handling in the 3270 program. If you know you have this problem, simply never pop up the 3270 as a TSR while inside the shell. A future version of PullDown may solve this problem for you, but it remains to be seen. The problem is also specific to some but not all genuine IBM PS/2's. 3) If all fails and the system locks continually, try the DEBUG command line parameter, note the last message on the screen after the crash and report circumstances to MicroDynamics. There are some AMI BIOS chips in some 80286 clones KNOWN to lock every time PullDown is run. If you call MicroDynamics technical support with a problem like this, please have the following handy: - BIOS manufacturer and date (shown on boot up) - Contents of CONFIG.SYS (in C:\ most likely) - Contents of AUTOEXEC.BAT (also in C:\) _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 40 4) Zenith Z series PC clones are notorious for being incompatible beasts. PullDown will undoubtedly crash on these machines, and the Zenith video ROM debugger will appear on the screen. If this happens, it means you cannot use PullDown on your computer. PROBLEM: Help system or main menu system displays unexpected or bizarre results. CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS: 1) You used a word processor to save the file without converting it to pure text. Reopen the file with the same word processor used to create the file in error, and then resave it as text. See INTRODUCTION section. 2) .DEF file is corrupt. Check to ensure nothing is wrong with it, and that it is in fact pure text. 3) You have a string occurrence of the exact menu title or search string used to define the help header BEFORE the header itself. Remove the duplicate occurrence of the help header, or change the header to be unique within the file. 4) You have an exact match of menu titles within the system. Each %TitleString in this version must be unique, just as headers in help files need be unique. 5) You were using an older version of PullDown, less than 2.30, and your syntax for the help headings has not yet been updated. Add a leading % symbol before each heading to correct. 6) You included leading blanks in your %HeaderString, to match the leading blanks included in the .DEF file call. This is not needed. Under NO circumstances are leading blanks permitted in the %HeadingString. (Saves memory, easier to search, easier to display) PROBLEM: Mouse intermittently disappears, but reappears after you select F2 options and reenter the menu system, or the mouse does not select correctly when clicked on a menu item. CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS: 1) Your IBM mouse driver is outdated. Get an update from a current copy of WINDOWS or directly from IBM. Versions dated 1897 or earlier do this routinely in high resolution screen modes on IBM PS/2s. 2) You are using a Logitech C7 mouse. There is an acknowledged bug in the mouse... to see if this is the case, gently shake the mouse, then try again. If this works, call Logitech for a driver upgrade, or a new mouse. 3) You are running an MS 200 DPI mouse in emulated graphics mode. When you do this, you must select a pixel within a menu item exactly to get the system to function correctly. PullDown is simply not designed anticipating a character mode emulated in 200 DPI graphics! Use the system in text mode to avoid the problem, or stick to the keyboard. A future version may address this problem directly and solve it. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 41 PROBLEM: You are using !AUTO! and the commands execute forever. CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS: 1) Your commands under !AUTO! deleted the file PULRES.FIL. Since PullDown only knows that you already performed the !AUTO! commands by writing a flag in the file PULRES.FIL, deleting it caused an infinite loop. Don't delete the file... to break the loop, start the menu shell with the command line parameter IGNOREAUTO. 2) The path to PULLRES.FIL is impaired or in error. Check pathing by starting the system with the command line parameter DEBUG. (See Advanced Pathing in Appendix) PROBLEM: Logitech mouse fails to operate properly under any conditions, and causes intermittent "Subscript out of range Module DIALOGIC address ####:####" errors exiting to DOS. CAUSE: 1) The Logitech mouse manufacturer has designed a mouse driver that is NOT strictly MS Mouse compatible. MicroDynamics is working with the software firm which produced the assembler code for mouse handling to solve this dilemma quickly. Disable the mouse until we can crack this one... PROBLEM: System halts and exits unexpectedly with an error message in the format "Fatal Error at ####:####" CAUSE: Fatal internal error. Might be a bug, and should be reported with all circumstances to MicroDynamics. Our policy is that if it is a PullDown bug that can be solved, we will solve it and ship a working copy to you free of charge in under one week. TRY FIRST: If you are using a CLONE VGA card: restart the menu system. Likely the system is returning VGA to the menu shell and does NOT correctly support the 43 or 50 line video mode. If the system fails again, delete the file PULLDWN.CNF. It is a read-only file, and thus you will have to use a PCTools or Norton utility to delete it, or use the DOS attribute command to strip the attribute and delete the file. Comments: The vast majority of internal errors are elegantly handled within the system, and the fault tolerance is very high. Most errors are not "fatal"-- that is they do not cause the system to exit to DOS. Those that are, like corrupt .DEF files with no ensuing valid user response as to what file to load, corrupt configuration files, completely invalid .DEF files, and more are handled internally. IF the system ever exits to DOS with a fatal error, a detailed screen describing the problem and where to call for technical support is likely to follow. If not, the reason is technical, and you should call MicroDynamics for help. We will be happy to assist even unregistered users as time becomes available. Debug requests and help calls from registered users, of course, take priority, but we want you to be happy first, and THEN register the product if you are having problems. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 42 APPENDIX B: FILES INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE OR CREATED BY PULLDOWN v2.30 ___________________________________________________________________________ Files used to run the system: ---------------------------- PULLDWN.BAT .......... Main command to start the menu system MENU.BAT ........... Calls PULLDWN.BAT for convenience. PULLDWN1.EXE .......... Executable called upon in PULLDWN.BAT PULLDWN.DEF .......... Default menu definition file. PULLDWN.HLP .......... Main help file for ALL F1 help menu definitions Files created by PullDown to run the system (Not on disk or in .ZIP file): ------------------------------------------- PULLDWN.CNF ........... Binary encrypted file containing colors etc. PULLRES.FIL ........... Binary file containing resume information TEMPPULL.BAT ........... File called upon in PULLDWN.BAT with SHELL.BAT SHELL.BAT ........... User-defined batch file. Parameters passed to it within TEMPPULL.BAT as SHELL %1 %2 .... %0 Documentation: ------------- READTHIS.NOW ........... A file for the power user who will not read this PULL230.DOC ........... This file, the main documentation file on disk QREF.DOC ........... A quick reference one sheet card to keep by your keyboard when first using the system. UPGRADE.DOC ........... Specific instructions for v2.01 or earlier users who are upgrading to v2.30 REGFORM.DOC ........... Registration mailers. IF YOU NEED AN INVOICE, WE WILL BE HAPPY TO BILL YOU IN LIEU OF RETURNING THIS FORM. PULLDWN.REG ........... Registration help screen for OPTIONS pulldown VENDOR.DOC ........... Vendor data requested by ASP and P(S)L Extras: ------ ADVANCED.DEF ........... Advanced samples for your inspection WINDOWS.DEF ........... A mock MS WINDOWS menu for your inspection SAMPLE.HLP ........... A sample external help file for SCROLLBOX calls AUTOEX.DEF ........... Demo of !AUTO! command use PATHS.$$$ ........... PATHS.USR example (See Advanced Pathing/LAN) VFILE.COM ........... Complimentary file view utility For more on advanced pathing options, see APPENDIX G: Advanced Pathing DISK/FILE I/O ERRORS -------------------- IF PullDown encounters an unexpected file condition, you will be prompted to either input the correct file, or sent to DOS with a specific help screen concerning what is wrong and how to fix it. If you do get a somewhat technical error message like "Error Cnf() FOpen() [1]" then call for technical help. It may mean you are out of disk space, but most likely a hardware error has occurred and you should seek assistance in fixing the condition. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 43 APPENDIX C: FOREIGN VERSIONS/TECHNICAL SUPPORT OVERSEAS ___________________________________________________________________________ First, if you are registering the product outside the USA, you must either: 1) Remit in United States Dollars 2) Remit in your local currency by check or money order PLUS 20% to cover currency conversion and handling charges here in the US. 3) Contact your local country/region distributor. To date, only Germany has a distributor, so that is the only country in which you may to contact them directly. If you are in Germany, contact: MicroServe, GmbH Leher-Laempel-Weg 41 A D-2800 Bremen 41, Germany CompuServe ID: 73727,475 BBS: +49-42-983-0086 A German language version of the documentation will be available in the future, and there is a strong possibility a full German language operating version will be made available in 1991. In any other country, contact MicroDynamics Development directly as described within the preceding section REGISTRATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT. APPENDIX D: Technical Notes on PULLDWN1.EXE Creation. ___________________________________________________________________________ PullDown was created entirely within the QuickBASIC Extended environment in conjunction with the Assembler Library QuickPak/Professional for BC7 from a fine company called Crescent Software located at 32 Seventy Acres, West Redding, CT 06896, (203)-438-5300 CIS 72657,3070. The dialog boxes were created using DIALOGIC from DIALOG Software. The DIALOGIC system can also be purchased from Crescent. The AutoHelp system used to display the help screens is a commercial product available from MicroDynamics development, and may be included in the upcoming utilities pak for DIALOGIC owners through DIALOG software. Conversation concerning QuickBASIC is also invited on the tech support BBS systems. Enjoy, and happy coding! (Source for AutoHelp is available to DIALOGIC owners for the asking.... so call or write if you want a copy. Full source for PullDown is not presently available.) _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 44 APPENDIX E: Key Word Crossreference/Quick Reference Long Format ___________________________________________________________________________ By Usage: Menu Definition Commands: ----------------------- DEF Defines a new title heading to follow, and a new pulldown set. %TitleString 1) When immediately following DEF, defines top menu selection 2) When second through last for a menu, defines the title of the selection definition that follows it. +BatchCommand Following a %TitleString defines a DOS batch command associated with the preceding selection title. 'CommentString Anything preceded by ' is a comment and ignored by PullDown. Embedded comments are not supported, so keep them on separate lines. !AUTO! Automatic executing .DEF command heading. Used like %TitleString And the basic structure of ALL .DEF files is: --------------------------------------------- DEF %TopBar Title One %First Selection HI=nn +batch command +batch command %Second Selection HI=nn +batch command +batch command . . DEF %TopBar Title Two, appearing to the RIGHT of the preceding menu %First Selection, Menu Two HI=nn +batch command +batch command %Second Selection, Menu Two HI=nn +batch command +batch command _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 45 . . And so on, up to 10 total top bar menus, limited in depth down the screen to the number of rows on the screen minus four. Where: HI=nn is the HiLite key number, counted in left to right starting at zero. Example: %Lotus 1-2-3 followed by HI=6 highlights the 1. PASS=PassWord User is prompted for a password to continue. The selection halts execution at the line PASS is encountered if the user cannot enter the correct response or selects <Cancel> or presses ESC. ?QuestionString Shows the user PromptString and awaits input. If the user selects the <Cancel> or presses ESC, the execution of the selection halts and the user is returned to the menu. Up to 10 are supported, and passed to the batch file on a command line as if keyed. OKBOX=PromptString Places a single <Ok> dialog box before the user containing only the string PromptString. If the user clicks on <Ok>, or presses ENTER, then execution continues. If ESC is pressed, then the user is returned to the menu without action being taken. HighLite keys are O in <Ok> only. YORN=PromptString Places a single <Yes><No> dialog box before the user containing only the string PromptString. If the user clicks on <Yes>, or presses ENTER, then execution continues. If ESC is pressed or <No> is clicked, then the user is returned to the menu without action being taken. HighLite keys are Y in <Yes> and N in <No>. SCROLLBOX=HelpFile,HeaderString Presents user with an <Ok> scrolling mouse sensitive dialog box containing up to 50 lines of user-defined help in the text file HelpFile. Presents the lines directly following the first encounter of HeaderString (so make it unique in the file, or the first occurrence) up to the stop marker ### on a line by itself. @MenuFile.DEF Loads a the MenuFile[.DEF] menu definition file from the .DEF path. This path is either: 1) The path to PULLDWN1.EXE -or- 2) The path set in the PULLDWN=Path environment variable, if present. (Optional) [.DEF] denotes that the extension is optional. Strongly recommended that you follow syntax with .DEF to prevent confusion. LOADFILE=FileSpec,HeadingComment Presents user with a professional style file load dialog, complete with the ability to traverse the entire system, event handling, and mouse support. The Heading Comment is optional, but encouraged. This dialog returns to the command line the file name entered by the user. A new file name can be entered at will, but the dialog will remind the user that the file does not yet exist before continuing. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 46 APPENDIX F: Performance Optimization (Load Time Minimization) ___________________________________________________________________________ Some guidelines and a special .DEF command are given below to help you minimize the time it takes PullDown to parse and load the text files used for menu definition... all .DEF files, that is. In a future version, a separate compiler will be included, and PullDown will flash to your screen with the menus you define. However, for now, a performance hit occurs when the text file is parsed. Some optimizing techniques can be used to minimize the load time for you, and if you use all of them you will be happier with the performance. [Remember, PullDown loads large amounts of information relative to most menuing systems....] 1) After you have settled on a particular .DEF file definition, place the number of DEF statements present in the file on the FIRST line of the .DEF file, preceded by MAXDEFS=. Sample: MAXDEFS=4 Misdefining here does nothing fatal, but will result in a dialog box telling you of an error. The maximum is 10, anything higher is ignored. An example is included in ADVANCED.DEF. 2) Use the letter combination DEF a minimum number of times in the .DEF file. The reason is somewhat technical, but in lay terms the system stops and looks for the keyword DEF on a line by itself EVERY time it encounters the three letters DEF in sequence. It is not a noticeable performance hit, and is vastly superior to testing the first three nonblank characters of each line, but if even the embedded three letters DEF occur many times, you are slowing the system down for no reason. This comment applies really to those who might otherwise overcomment the file and refer to the DEF file etc. many times. 3) Minimize the overall size of the .DEF file. Do not include huge sets of batch commands, place them in separate batch files and call those files from within PullDown. .DEF files larger than about 20K are not really useable due to the performance decrease on non-80386 or higher machines. 4) Minimize the number of comments within the .DEF or .HLP files. Again, more to scan, more to load. 5) Don't bother putting the menu system on a RAM disk.... it does not help you much. PullDown is very efficient in loading the .DEF files into memory, and that operation is a small portion of the total time it takes PullDown to start. In the compiler versions, it might be a factor, because then the time to load the .EXE and .DCF files will be relatively important. 6) If you are using an IBM mouse, or some clone mice, the load time on a serial unit is likely to be impacted by the version of the mouse driver you have. Be safe: just get the latest. MS makes the driver available to users many ways, the latest of which is the new driver included with Windows v3.0. 7) As an aside, the leading blanks or tabs used to make the file readable do NOT a performance decrement. Use them freely. 8) Scanning of .HLP files for the header and reading the lines is very fast, and will mostly depend upon disk access time. Slower disk, longer time to scan. Larger files are not likely to cause a detectable performance decrease on newer 80286 or higher based hardware. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 47 9) Use a version of DOS over 3.0. There are several file I/O goodies in that version not available in 2.xx DOS. The system is untested under v2.xx of DOS, but should function normally. To date, no trouble has been reported to MicroDynamics under any v2.xx of DOS. APPENDIX F: Advanced Pathing/LAN Support and Setup ___________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 contains advanced pathing support for users or LAN administrators who might require it. The following documentation is intended for use by professionals, but examples are supplied in hopes of conveying some useful information to those who might need it for simpler purposes. NOTE: These variables may be defined EITHER using environment commands (SET VarName=Path) -or- within a flat file in the default directory called PATHS.USR to save precious environment space. PLEASE read all of this section or none of this section. Going off "half cocked" with these variable assignments will likely lead to frustration! Enviroment variable Purpose --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PULLDWN Used for ALL OTHER subsequent environment varibles IF they are not set to something else. If not set, the default DOS directory is assumed, *not* the path to PULLDWN1.EXE as in prior versions. PULLTMP Used for TEMPPULL.BAT, SHELL.BAT and PULLRES.FIL. PullDown *must* have write access to this directory. PULLDEF Path to *ALL* .DEF files, even those called upon within @DefFile commands. Write access optional, but needed if LAN users are permitted access to these files for modification. (Also path to *.REG) PULLHLP Path to ONLY the master PULLDWN.HLP file, which is used only to define help for the menu selections. This path is NOT appended to SCROLLBOX=HlpFile,HeaderString calls. PULLCNF Path to PULLDWN.CNF and any future .CNF files. Write access is NOT needed if the product is registered, but IS required if the product is unregistered. Example: -------- 1) You have a laptop, and want the .DEF files read from a ramdisk on D:\RMDISK, but all others read from C:\MENU, from which the menu system starts. Your enviroment settings (DOS command) would be: SET PULLDEF=D:\RMDISK _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 48 * Note: a trailing \ is OPTIONAL on path settings for PULLDWN 2) Same as above, only you want to start from the root directory and still have PullDown read all files except .DEFs from C:\MENU SET PULLDWN=C:\MENU SET PULLDEF=D:\RMDISK To accomplish this, you might want to modify PULLDWN.BAT to include the above SET commands, so that you could be sure it would work each time you started it. A word of caution: if you start PullDown from a directory other than the default, then be SURE that the command to invoke TEMPPULL within PULLDWN.BAT points right to the batch file, -or- can be accessed by DOS in the PATH. TEMPPULL.BAT will contain a EXPLICIT path to SHELL.BAT, as defined by PULLTMP in the environment. Example: ------- 3) More laptops... You want to configure your laptop so that the .DEF files are read from C:\MENU\DEF, the system starts from C:\, and all other files from C:\MENU. You might modify PULLDWN.BAT to look like this: ECHO OFF CLS C: CD\ SET PULLDWN=C:\MENU SET PULLDEF=C:\MENU\DEF \MENU\PULLDWN1.EXE %1 %2 %3 \MENU\TEMPPULL As you can see, maximum flexibility in defining paths is permitted. This means that LANs can also be supported, with some careful attention to paths used when the system is set up. LAN SETUP ========= The following paths might require WRITE access: ----- PULLTMP For the temporary batch files PULLCNF IFF you are unregistered and/or users have access to options Write access not required if you are both registered and your users do not have access to the configuration screens. PULLDEF IFF users are permitted to modify the .DEF files PULLHLP IFF users are permitted to modify the master PULLDWN.HLP file Using the rules presented above, make intelligent decisions concerning where the files should be pathed. IF ENVIRONMENT SPACE IS A PROBLEM, see the following section concerning the use of a special file PATHS.USR. PATHS.USR, if found in the DEFAULT directory at startup, will be searched for valid path settings. The environment will NOT be checked if this file exists, even if PATHS.USR contains nothing of value. The file cannot be more than 50 lines long, and can contain comments preceded by the ' character, and will ignore leading/trailing blanks, as well as embedded _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 49 comments on a valid line. Invalid lines are ignored, but you can check the validity of your pathing using DEBUG on the command line. The syntax of the PATHS.USR file follows: ' Comment.... ignored. Embedded comments supported. PULLDWN=Path1 PULLTMP=Path2 PULLDEF=Path3 PULLHLP=Path4 PULLCNF=Path5 * Invalid lines ignored completely * 50 lines in the file, maximum. (Halts on error - Fatal) * Variable assignments cascade FROM PULLDWN to others, if the others are unassigned. * Order of entry in the file is irrelevant * Subsequent reassignment of any one variable replaces prior * All assignments are optional. Default DOS directory assumed if PULLDWN not specified, path set as in PULLDWN if PULLDWN is specified. Essentially, if you don't assign a value to PULLDWN, paths not specified assume the default directory. If you do assign PULLDWN, paths not specified are equal to PULLDWN's value. [If PULLDWN is not set, it is NUL and thus the default directory.] * If the file PATHS.USR exists, the DOS environment is NEVER checked for variable settings... instead, whatever the result of examining the PATHS.USR file is, it is used. * Performance hit to check file is minimal, but is something to consider on slower 8088/8086 systems or diskless stations accessing a slow shared volume. * Sample is provided in the package, only it is names PATHS.$$$ when shipped. * Use of other environment variables, as in %VarName% is not supported at this time within the flat file. Remember, PullDown never just exits to DOS without an explanation, so you should get errors that you can debug with if you have misdefined a path. However, if you want extensive help in checking out which, if any, of your paths are invalid and WHY, then start the system with the command line paramter DEBUG. DEBUG and PATH TESTING ---------------------- Starting PullDown with the command line DEBUG (any case) will result in PullDown VALIDATING and reporting any errors associated with all paths in use. This is a nice feature permitted you to discover why and where a path you have set is causing you problems. The system will halt as it checks each, beeping on error, and displaying EXACTLY the paths in use, and their associated environment variable assignment names. APPENDIX H: SPECIAL THANKS ___________________________________________________________________________ - Crescent Software and Dialog Software for support and superior tools - Ted Rosenberger of TARGET Software for performance tweaks and advice - Ray Novino for excellent Sysop support on RunWay BBS - Peter Rucci for great support and fine Sysop help on the DelChes BBS - Conrad Kreyling for code, help, encouragement and many ideas - John Hanks of Skagit Valley Computer Solutions for testing and assistance - Paul Schauble for LAN testing and BETA advice on 2.30 _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 50 - One hundred ShareWare authors I cannot name, and the ASP, for setting fine examples to follow over the last four years. - Brenda Donovan (and Ed) for testing v2.01 BETA - The many registered users and sites that provide the economic incentive to continue the insane pursuit of product development * Dedicated to Pat. APPENDIX I: What's Next for PullDown? ___________________________________________________________________________ Two highly skilled programmers have joined in the development effort of PullDown, v3.00. Planned enhancements include: * .DEF file 'compiler' (tokenizer) to vastly cut load time of any .DEF file, while providing exhaustive error trapping and return of error codes, error messages, and line numbers of errors for external editors. * Integrated "smart" editing environment, with dual user levels ranging from novice to expert. * Automated system scanning installation routine, with automatic detection of executables and .DEF setup. Interactive and flexible. * Requested enhancements, as they become required. * Possible upgrade for the complimentary utility VFILE.COM, if demand warrnats it. Mouse support is likely, but will not be done if no interest is shown. _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 51 APPENDIX J: MicroDynamics Policy Statement ___________________________________________________________________________ We want you to be happy first, and then register the product. To that end, we will: * Support any user of any version, registered or unregistered, for any period of time. Unregistered users will receive technical support until the time requirement of doing so impairs the support of registered users. * Permit downloading of the latest version of all forms of our products, without restriction or fee. * Support unlimited FREE shareware upgrades of our products via command line registration. * Make all of our future versions automatically upgrade critical system information withot requiring user intervention, whenever possible. * Permit downloading of the 80286/80386 specific version of PULLDWN1.EXE free of charge to all BBS callers. * Permit any caller, registered or not, to BETA TEST all products prior to release. Productive and participative BETA sites are always welcome. * Welcome any enhancement request you may have, and implement it if it is technically feasible to do so and within the scope of the product definition. * Correct any verifiable bugs in under ONE WEEK from the date of confirmation, and post a working solution for any user, registered or not. * Respond positively to all complaints and compliments of all users, registered or not, because the customer is ALWAYS right. Enjoy! _____________________________________________________________________________ PullDown v2.30 Documentation Page 52