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MANUAL.DOC
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1992-05-01
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This new version of fastmenu GOLD contains many new options
and features. I strongly recommend that you read the following
recommendations and manual.
With all the files that fastmenu GOLD and it's included
utility modules, the directory that you copy fastmenu GOLD to
can become very crowded and messy. With this in mind I have
included in the Setup module, options that allow selecting
default paths for the Phonebook, Notepad, and Text file editor
to use for saving files to. Using different sub directories
for each of these modules to work out of will greatly simplify
your file lists and keep them in a much neater manner.
The following is a sample of how I would suggest setting up
your sub directories for fastmenu GOLD.
C:\ --+
|-- GOLD
| |- WORD
| |- PHONE
| |- NOTE
|
In the setup module, set the default paths as follows:
Fax/Text File Editor: C:\GOLD\WORD
PhoneBook/Dialer: C:\GOLD\PHONE
Calendar/NotePad: C:\GOLD\NOTE
If you currently have files created for the Fax/Text File
Editor saved in the C:\GOLD directory, move them to this new
directory with the DOS/Disk Utility module.
All files for the Phonebook/Dialer module should also be moved
into the new default sub directory. The Phonebook/Dialer files
will have the following filenames:
DMACRO.DAT
DIALER.DAT
VMODEM.DAT
All files with the extension of '.FON' *.FON
All files for the Calendar/Notepad module should also be moved
into the new default sub directory. The Calendar/Notepad files
will have the following filenames:
All files with the extension of '.NOT' *.NOT
Numerous other options found in the Setup module will help in
setting your system up for maximum performance. If you neglect
reading the following manual, you may miss some of fastmenu
GOLD's extended features.
Thank you; Jack W Hildenbrand
-
╔══════════════════════════╗
║ fastmenu GOLD (tm) ║
╚══════════════════════════╝
Version 6.0.0
Copyright (C) 1990-92 by:
Jack W Hildenbrand
9500 St.Rt.61
Berlin Hts., Ohio 44814
Phone 1 (419) 588-3608
Distributed By:
Kathi J Hildenbrand
jwh:SoftWare
P.O. Box 410
Berlin Hts., Ohio 44814
-
Table of contents. Page
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Why fastmenu GOLD?......................................... 2
Applications Main Menu..................................... 4
Edit Applications Module................................... 5
Setup/Configuration Module................................. 7
Function Key Password Protection........................... 9
Password Protecting Re-Assigning the Function Keys......... 9
Editing the Logo File...................................... 10
Setting up timed application/batch execution............... 12
Installation Instructions.................................. 12
Re-Assigning the Function Key Icons........................ 13
11 Digit Calculator........................................ 13
DOS/Disk Utility........................................... 14
Disk Utility File List Screen.............................. 17
fastmenu GOLD System Utility............................... 20
AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS File Switcher.................... 21
Phone Book/Dialer.......................................... 23
Adding applications to the Alternative Applications MENU... 25
Entering multiple commands at the Run File field........... 27
Displaying PCX picture files during screen blanking........ 28
Executing batch files before & after screen blanking....... 29
Sorting Folder Titles or Applications Listed in a Folder... 29
Text/Batch File Editor..................................... 29
Calendar/Notepad module.................................... 33
The End Icon and how it works.............................. 36
Setting up the user ID and logging......................... 36
Trouble Shooting........................................... 37
New Version and Update Policy.............................. 38
NOTE !!!!! IN ORDER FOR THIS PROGRAM TO OPERATE PROPERLY YOU
MUST HAVE A PATH STATEMENT TO THE ROOT DIRECTORY,
YOUR DOS DIRECTORY, AND THE FASTMENU GOLD
DIRECTORY. THIS PATH STATEMENT SHOULD BE IN YOUR
AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE.
EXAMPLE: PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\GOLD
Page 1
-
Over the years that computers have been with us, they have
gone from very large and complicated units to small desktop
and very powerful pieces of equipment. Along with that growth,
computers have become an almost must in every business, school
and now are becoming a standard in most homes. Also the coming
of the ever popular Hard Drive has made computing even more
popular among every computer owner from business to home use.
Storage capacities of Hard Drives have risen from around one
megabyte to now well over 300 megabytes of storage, enabling
the user to store and use numerous applications without the
need of using floppies for every day applications and data
storage.
One problem that has arisen from these very large Hard Drive
units is that it has become very hard for the user to remember
the names of all the directories and the names of all the
executable files that start the different applications that
they have stored on their Hard Drives. Also, in an office or
home situation where there are numerous people that use the
same computer to do different tasks and with different ideas
about how to setup access to their application, a Hard Drive
can become very messy and hard to find your way around in.
Also in most business situations the need for fast access to
applications is becoming more and more important.
As most of us know, since the Hard Drive was born, there has
been numerous menu programs written to help deal with this
problem, from small applications menuing systems to very large
and memory consuming applications. However, there seems to be
a very large gap, the small ones being to small and not
adequate for most needs and the larger windowing systems
needing more computer than most office and home users have at
hand. For this reason fastmenu GOLD was created.
What fastmenu GOLD can do for you:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
o.. Fast one or two key strokes to your applications.
o.. Consumes no memory during applications execution.
o.. Allows up to 40 folders up to 20 applications per folder.
o.. Allows quick editing of the applications lists.
o.. Can be operated with a Mouse.
o.. Built in Auto Mouse Detection.
o.. PassWord protection on any or all outside applications
execution, Module operations and DOS exits.
What you need to run fastmenu GOLD:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
o.. IBM PC/XT/AT or Compatible with DOS 2.2+.
o.. 640Kb of memory.
o.. A Hard Drive and at least one floppy.
o.. VGA Color Card and Monitor.
Page 2
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QUICK INSTALLATION AND STARTUP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Make a backup copy of your original disk.
2>- Insert your backup disk into any drive.
3>- Move to that drive and type: INSTALL
4>- Follow onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
5>- Make sure you have a PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
to your ROOT,DOS, and GOLD directorys.
6>- After installation, type 'GOLD' to start fastmenu GOLD.
7>- Add 'GOLD' as the last line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file if
you want fastmenu GOLD to automatically start when you
turn your computer on.
ADDING A APPLICATION.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- After you have gotten fastmenu GOLD up and running, at the
main menu screen you will see a window with twenty lines
lettered A to T. The letters on these lines will be blue.
These lines represent the folder titles. Before adding any
applications you must first create a folder (some sample
folders may already have been created for you) and give it
a title. To create folder #1, simply press the 'A' key and
at this point you will be given a place to enter the
folder title and then press the enter key.
2>- After entering the title for folder A, you will be taken
to a blank folder A. At this time you will also see two
new prompts, Title and Edit Applications. At this point we
want to add a application to this folder, so choose option
Edit Applications.
3>- After selecting the Edit Applications option, you will be
taken to the applications editor. To Add an application,
from the opening menu, select the Add/Edit option by
choosing option 'A'.
4>- After selecting the Add/Edit option, an Applications List
window will be displayed. We will Add an application to
line A, so move the highlight bar to line A, press enter.
5>- After selecting line A, you will be presented with a data
entry screen to fill out. At the first field, enter the
title or name of the application that you want to execute
with this line.
6>- At the Drive field, press the PgDn key and select the
drive that this application resides on. At the directory
field, press the PgDn key and select the directory that
this application resides in. At Run File field, press PgDn
and select the file that runs this application.
Page 3
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7>- If you want this application password protected, enter a
'Y' at the Password field. If you are running DOS Version
3.3 or later, answer the Fast Run field with a 'Y'. If you
want fastmenu GOLD to pause before execution and ask you
for command line parameters, answer the Command Line Parms
field with a 'Y'. NOTE ! If you answer this field with a
'Y' then you must also include a (+) plus sign directly
after the run filename at the Run File Field.
8>- After completing all fields, press the Esc key to exit the
edit mode.
9>- At this time you will be presented with two more fields.
if you enter any information in these fields, it will be
displayed at application execution or exit. If you do not
want any prompt displayed, simply leave these fields
blank. When you are finished with these two fields, press
the Esc key to exit the edit mode.
10>- At this time you may save this entry by pressing the 'S'
key or abort and not save it by pressing the Esc key.
Pressing the 'C' key will return you to the editor. If
you want, you may also press the 'V' key to display a
sample batch file that is created with the information
you entered for this application.
fastmenu GOLD Applications Main Menu.
====================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exit.............. Selecting this option will exit you to DOS.
NOTE ! If you want, you may have fastmenu GOLD execute a
batch file or application uppon exit by clicking
your right mouse button (or CTRL+X) on the Exit
button and filling out the path information.
Y=Setup........... This option should be used the very first
time you use fastmenu GOLD.
Here you will set the program parameters that will make
fastmenu GOLD work properly. This option may be accessed
by pressing the letter 'Y' or by pointing the mouse at
the prompt icon and then pressing the left mouse button.
F1 through F9..... Used as hot keys to Applications.
Up-Dn Arrow....... Pressing the up or down arrow keys will
page through the Folder Titles or Folders.
=................. Pressing this icon will access the Folder
or Applications listed on a folder and give
you the option of sorting them.
Page 4
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*................. Pressing this Icon will toggle between the
3D or flat fonts.
?................. Press this Icon to display registration
information.
End............... Pressing this Icon will force fastmenu GOLD
into screen blanking.
fastmenu GOLD Edit Applications Module.
======================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ESC=Exit.......... Using this option will return you back to
fastmenu GOLD main menu.
Add/Edit.......... This option allows you to add or change
programs or applications on this folder.
Any application that can run in DOS can be started or executed
with fastmenu GOLD, either through the applications menu or
through the (S)tart option from the file list menu.
Adding a new application.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Choose option Add/Edit from the edit applications menu
prompt list then from the applications list select the
application or the line that you want to Add/edit. You
will be presented with seven questions to answer.
2>- The first question will be asking you for the title or
name of the program that you want to run. This title or
name can be anything you want it to be, and is only used
as a reference.
3>- The second question will be asking you for the name or
letter of the drive that this program will be running
from. Examples would be: A, B or C. Pressing the PgDn
key will list all available drives on your system.
4>- The third question will be asking you for the name of
the directory that this program is in. Always separate
multiple directory entries with a backslash (\).
Press the PgDn key to list all available directories on
your system.
NOTE ! If you are running this new program from a floppy
and/or the program is in the root directory, just
press <enter> at this prompt.
Page 5
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5>- The fourth question will be asking you for the name of
the file that you normally have to type in to run the
program (The executable file). You may also enter any
command line switches or parameters here. This is a
scrollable edit field that allows entering up to 255
characters.
NOTE ! Multiple commands may be entered at this field.
This is explained further, later in this manual.
ALSO This file will normally have an extension name
of either .EXE, .COM, or .BAT.
6>- The fifth question will be asking if you want to
password protect this program. If you do not want
password protection, just answer this question with a
'N'. If you want password protection for this program,
answer this question with a 'Y'.
7>- The sixth question will be asking if you want to use the
Fast Load method of launching this application. This
method is recommended, but may cause some problems with
early versions of DOS.
8>- The seventh question will be asking if you want fastmenu
GOLD to pause before execution of this application so
you may enter a variable DOS command line parameter.
9>- After answering all seven questions just press the Esc
key to exit the edit mode.
10>-At this time you will be presented with two more fields.
if you enter any information in either of these fields
it will be displayed with a pause during application
execution or exit. If you do not want any prompt
displayed, simply leave the field blank.
After completing these fields, you will be given the options
to (S)ave, (V)iew, (C)hange, or Esc. Pressing the Esc key
will exit the editor. Pressing the 'C' key will return you
to the editor to make any changes. Pressing the 'V' key will
display a sample of the command batch file that will be
created and executed when running this app. Pressing the 'S'
key will save this entry to disk.
11>- At this time, if you chose to password protect this
program, you will be given a place to enter the
password that you want to use to access this program.
You are allowed up to six characters or numbers in this
password. After entering this password, you will be
prompted to verify it's validity.
CAUTION !!! Be sure to remember this password, it cannot
be removed from a program listing unless you
know the password. This password is totally
scrambled before it is written to file and
would be very hard to unscramble.
Page 6
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Delete App's...... This option is used to delete or remove an
existing application.
Deleting a listing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Choose option Delete application from the menu list.
2>- After choosing this option, all applications listed on
this page will be listed to screen. Select the one that
you want to delete with the highlight bar and then press
enter. You will be asked to verify your delete
List.............. This option will list to screen, all
applications or programs that are on this
page.
NOTE ! If you have password protected any of these programs,
their directories and run file names will not be
listed to screen. Also at this time you will be given
an option to sort all entries. If you select to sort
all entries, they will be displayed to screen after
the sort is completed and then you will have the
option to save this sorted list to disk or return
without saving.
Edit Title........ This option will allow you to change the
Title or Name that is presently being used
used for this page.
Delete this page.. Choose this option if you want to delete
this page from the menu.
Update Directory Tree.. This option will update the directory
tree list that you see when you press
the PgDn key to list the directories.
Password Protection
for this Folder...... Selecting this option will give you the
option for entering or removing password
protection for this entire Folder.
fastmenu GOLD Setup Module.
==========================:>
This module offers several options for customizing fastmenu
GOLD along with setting the default drive and directory. The
default drive (C:) and directory (GOLD) may be changed from
this screen if need be. However I strongly recommend that you
leave them at their defaults. If you change them for some
reason, you will also need to edit the GOLD.BAT file found in
your ROOT, DOS, or GOLD directory. This file contains the
necessary drive and path statements to start fastmenu GOLD.
Page 7
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Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ESC=Quit.......... This option will return you to the fastmenu
applications menu.
A >-- Select System Fonts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will take you to a screen with all
available fonts listed for your selection. Select a font by
clicking your left mouse button on the desired font or press
the letter associated with the desired font.
B >-- Setup Default program parameters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUB MENU
~~~~~~~~
A >- Default Path (Fax/Text File Editor)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will allow you to setup a default
drive and directory that the fax/text file editor will use
at startup.
B >- Default Filespec (Fax/Text File Editor)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will allow you to set a default file
spec that the fax/text file editor will use.
C >- Default Path (Phonebook/Dialer)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will allow you to set a default path
for the Phonebook/Dialer to use.
D >- Default Path (Calendar/Notepad)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will allow you to set a default path
for the Calendar/Notepad to use.
E >- Folder/Applications Sort Option (ON/OFF)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will give you the option of turning
on or off the ability to sort the folders or applications
listed in a folder from the main menu screen.
F >- Display Logo At Screen Blanking (ON/OFF)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will give you the option of turning
on or of the display of the logo during screen blanking.
C >-- Add/Edit/Delete System Passwords
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A >- Password Protect Exit To DOS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may exit
fastmenu GOLD and go to DOS with or without a password.
Page 8
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B >- Password Protect The Setup Module
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may enter
the Setup module with or without a password.
C >- Password Protect The Edit Applications Module
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may enter
the Edit Applications Module with or without a password.
D >- Password Protect Re-Assigning The Function Key Icons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup whether or not a user may
re-assign the function key icons with or without using a
password.
E >- Setup User ID And Activity Logging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup ID and password protection at
startup of fastmenu GOLD. This option also provides user
activity logging options. More detail is given on these
options later in this manual.
D >--- Update Directory Tree Files at Startup
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you answer this option with a 'N', fastmenu GOLD will
startup much faster, skipping the opening screen and updating
the directory tree files. You will need to update the
directory tree files manually if any directory maintenance is
done outside the fastmenu GOLD environment.
E >- Toggle Screen Blanking On/Off
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to select whether you want screen blanking or
not. This option will present you with one question that can
be answered by either a 'Y' if you want screen blanking or a
'N' if you do not.
NOTE ! fastmenu GOLD can also be setup to display PCX picture
files during screen blanking. This option is explained
in more detail later in this manual.
ALSO ! This screen blanking only has an effect on fastmenu
GOLD's main menu screen and will not interrupt your
applications in any way. During screen blanking, a
logo will dance around on your screen, letting you
know that fastmenu GOLD is ready to go at any time by
pressing any key on your keyboard or moving the mouse.
If you have chosen to use the screen blanking option,
you will then be asked to enter the amount of time
(seconds) that fastmenu GOLD waits before going into
screen blanking. The time can be any number of seconds
between 1 and 999.
Page 9
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F >------- Set Opening Screen Mode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fastmenu GOLD will run in either of two screen modes.
Mode 1 >- In this mode fastmenu GOLD will display the page
titles on the first screen, at startup.
Mode 2 >- In this mode fastmenu GOLD will display any of the
application folders on the first screen, at startup.
You may select the folder that is first displayed.
When you select option 'F' from this setup menu, you will be
asked if you want the folder titles displayed first. If you
answer this prompt with a 'N', then you will also be asked to
enter the folder title number that you want displayed at
startup. You may enter any folder number between 1 and 40.
G >---------------- Edit Logo File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to edit or change the FASTLOGO.IFO file. This
file contains the information that you will see moving about
during screen blanking. Also the information in this file is
listed to screen on the main menu. After choosing this option
you will be presented with a screen that has this file listed
in a small editing window. You may make any changes you want
to this file and then press the ESC key to exit. You will be
asked if you want to save any changes you have made.
H >- Password Protect The Function Key Icons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to setup password protection to each
individual Function key F1 through F8.
NOTE ! The password protection setup through this option only
has effect on the function keys and will not affect
applications execution from the main menu.
Applications run through fastmenu GOLD have their own
password protection that may be setup through the Edit
Applications module.
Choosing this option will take you to a screen where you may
select the function keys you want to have password protected.
Select the function keys you want password protected by moving
the highlight bar to that option and using the space bar to
toggle your answer to either 'Yes' or 'No'. Only function keys
marked 'Yes' will be password protected.
After marking all function keys you want password protected,
just press the enter key to advance to the next screen. This
next screen will have all function keys listed again along
with a place to enter passwords. Also at the top of your
screen you will be shown the password number. You are allowed
up to 50 different password combinations. When you first enter
Page 10
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this screen the prompt will be in the password editor window.
At this point you may enter the first password up to forty
characters long. After entering the password, the prompt will
move down to the modules list. The first option in this list
will be asking you if you want to log the use of this password
and if you answer this with a 'Yes' then every time that this
password is used it will be recorded in a file called
MASTER.LOG. The remaining prompts in this box will determine
whether or not this password has access to the corresponding
function key or not.
NOTE ! On the previous screen if you chose not to have some of
the function keys password protected, they will show up
on this screen in a blanked out mode. Answers placed
after these blanked out function keys will be ignored.
After entering all information for this password you may use
the down arrow key to move to the next password. When the
highlight bar is on the last option in the module box pressing
the down arrow key will move you to the next password screen.
When the cursor is in the password window pressing the up
arrow will take you to the previous password screen. After
entering all passwords, pressing the F1 key will save them to
disk in the MASTER.DAT file.
You may edit or change these passwords at any time simply by
entering this module, making your changes and then saving them
by pressing the F1 key. This password protection not only lets
you determine which function keys that you want password
protected, but also lets you assign different access to
different passwords.
I >---------- Delete Function Key Password Protection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to delete or completely remove all function
key password protection. You will be prompted to verify this
choice. The MASTER.DAT file will be deleted.
J >-------- View Password Log File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to view the user ID and password log files. If
you have chosen to have any of the passwords logged, then they
will be listed in this file.
K >------ Delete User ID and Password Log Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use this option to delete or completely remove all logged
user ID or password use. You will be presented with a list of
these log files to choose from. You will be prompted to verify
your choice.
NOTE ! If you delete a log file, it will be re-created if
user ID logging or password logging is turned on.
Page 11
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L >--- Setup Drive/Directory Path
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have copied fastmenu to an alternate path, you may want
to make the drive and directory path to fastmenu current.
M >--- Timed Application execution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will take you to a menu where you may
select any timed event to create or edit from A to J (10). If
you want to setup a new timed event, just select a blank line
and you will be asked to give a description for this event.
After entering the description, you will see it listed as a
selection, just select it and you will be taken to the timed
event editor.
Selecting this option will open a window with data fields for
you to fill in. At the first field, enter the time in 12 hr
format (civilian time) that you want the application or batch
file executed.
NOTE ! From midnight to 12:59 afternoon is considered AM and
from 12:59 afternoon to 11:59 afternoon is considered
PM.
At the Date field enter the date that you want this
application or batch file to be executed.
NOTE ! If you want this execution to be on a daily basis,
leave this Date field completely blank. Then answer
the Yes/No weekday prompts to tell fastmenu on what
days you want this application/batch file to be run.
At the remaining three fields, enter the Drive, Path, and the
name of the executable file. After completing all fields,
press the Esc key to exit then press the 'S' key to save them.
At this field, you are allowed to enter multiple commands up
to 255 characters in length.
fastmenu GOLD installation instructions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE ! Before you install fastmenu GOLD I strongly recommend
that you make backup copies of your original disk.
Consult your DOS manual on making backup copies or
using DISKCOPY on your machine.
fastmenu GOLD is not a complicated program to setup and does
not require a lot of work to get running. The following three
steps is all that is needed to insure proper operation.
1>- Insert your fastmenu backup/distribution disk into any
drive, move to that drive and type: INSTALL <enter>.
Page 12
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Follow on-screen instructions to install fastmenu GOLD.
2>- Make sure your AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains a path statement
to the ROOT, DOS, and GOLD directories on your hard drive
An example of the path statement: PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\GOLD
3>- If you want fastmenu GOLD to startup automatically, add to
the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file the following line: GOLD
NOTE ! This line must be the last line in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
This should complete the setup procedure for fastmenu GOLD.
After installation you will have one new file added to the DOS
or root directory of your hard drive C: (GOLD.BAT).
Also you will have a new directory on drive C: (GOLD).
Assigning applications to the function key prompts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To assign a application to one of the function key prompts,
simply press the Ctrl key plus the corresponding function key
down or click the right mouse button on the function key
prompt. Complete the displayed path information and then save
it by pressing the 'S' key.
fastmenu GOLD 11 Digit Calculator.
=================================:>
This calculator works somewhat different than most people are
used to, in that you first need to enter a number and then
enter the operator. To start a calculation you first need to
type in the first number and then press the enter key then
enter the second number followed by the operand. Continue a
chain calculation by entering the number and then the operand.
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BackSp............ This option will delete the number at the
cursor location and move the cursor left
one position.
1 to 0............ This option will enter the chosen number to
the calculator.
/................. This option is used to divide numbers.
*................. This option is used to multiply numbers.
Page 13
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-................. This option is used to subtract numbers.
+................. This option is used to add numbers.
Enter............. This option is used to end a calculation.
P................. This option toggles printer on/off.
Up Arrow.......... Use this key to enter numbers to memory.
Down Arrow........ Use this key to pull numbers from memory.
C................. Press this key to clear the tap.
M................. Press this key to clear memory.
DOS/Disk Utility Module.
=======================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Format Diskettes.. Use this option to format new diskettes or
floppies.
NOTE ! For reasons of compatibility between computers, this
program uses the standard DOS format program found
in your DOS directory. For proper operation, your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file must contain the path to your DOS
files.
Formatting diskettes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- After choosing the Format Diskettes option, you will
be asked to choose whether you want to format a Non
Systems Disk or DOS Systems Disk (Boot Disk). If you
choose to format a systems disk, after the format
process, the necessary DOS files will be copied to it,
creating a bootable DOS diskette.
2>- After choosing the format type you will be asked to
choose the drive that you want to format from.
3>- After choosing the drive you will be presented with
four more options.
A>- The first option in this list will be used if you
want to format a disk to the same capacity that
is standard for your disk drive unit.
B>- The second option in this list will be used if you
have a high density 1.2 Meg 5 1/4in. drive and you
want to format a low density 360Kb disk.
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C>- The third option in this list will be used if you
have a high density 1.5 Meg 3 1/2in. drive and you
want to format a low density 720Kb disk.
D>- The fourth option will be used if you want to type
in a format switch. You will be presented with a
user input field for editing the format command
and command switches.
4>- After choosing the format density you will be asked
to insert a disk in the chosen drive and press any
key to begin formatting.
Single Pass DiskCopy. Use this option to copy a floppy disk in
one pass without the need of switching
disks back and forth during the copy of
high density disks.
File Maintenance..... Use this option if you want to perform
any of the following: Copy, Delete,
Rename, View, Edit, or Start files. You
may also do directory maintenance from
this option.
1>- After choosing this option, you will be asked to choose
the drive that you want to perform file maintenance on.
2>- After choosing the drive, fastmenu GOLD will check the
drive to see if it has any directories. Select the
directory you want and then press enter. At this time
you will be presented with the file list that was found
on this drive. If no files are found you will be
returned to the directory menu. Choosing a directory is
done by moving the highlight bar to the directory you
want with the Up and Down arrow keys and then pressing
the enter key.
3>- After choosing the directory, you will be taken to the
file list menu. Help with the file list options can be
found later in this manual.
DOS DiskCopy...... Use this option to make a duplicate copy of
of a diskette.
Only diskettes of the same capacity and size should be used
here. You will first be asked to choose the Source Drive. The
Source drive will be the drive that you will be placing the
original copy in. Then you will be asked to choose the Target
Drive. The Target Drive will be the drive that you will be
transferring your original to.
NOTE ! The Source Drive and the Target Drive can be the same
Drive. If so, you will be asked to switch diskettes
back and forth until the copying process is complete.
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Creating a new Directory from the Directory Tree screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After choosing the File Maintenance option, you will be asked
asked to choose the drive that you want to work with. After
choosing the drive you will be taken to the directory tree
screen. From the directory tree screen, you will move the
highlight bar to the location that you want this new directory
placed. You can do this by moving the highlight bar up or down
the directory tree and then pressing enter.
NOTE ! To place a new directory from the root directory, you
will want to highlight the ROOT option on the
directory tree list. If you want to place a new
subdirectory off from an existing directory, just
highlight that directory.
After choosing the directory location, press the 'C' key,
enter the name of the new directory and then press enter.
Deleting Existing Directories from the Directory Tree Screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option can be reached from the Directory Tree Screen,
after choosing the File Maintenance option from the DOS/Disk
Utility Menu and the drive from the Drive Menu.
NOTE ! A directory cannot be deleted without first deleting
any files it may contain.
Choose the directory that you want to delete by moving the
highlight bar to that directory then press the 'D' key. You
will be asked to verify your choice.
Renaming Existing Directories from the Directory Tree Screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select the directory that you want to rename by moving the
highlight bar to that directory and then press the 'R' key.
You will be presented with the directory name in an editor
field, simply edit the existing name and then press enter.
Printing the Directory list to your printer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the directory tree screen, you may choose to send a copy
of this directory tree information to your printer by pressing
the 'P' key.
NOTE ! You must have your printer connected to port LPT1.
Locate a File(s).. Using this option will take you to a module
that you may use to search for a file or a
a group of files on any drive or directory
on your system. You may also search for
text.
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Update Directory File. Using this option will manually update
the directory tree mirror files.
NOTE ! fastmenu GOLD automatically updates the directory
tree files if any directory maintenance is done with
the utility module.
If you select not to have fastmenu GOLD update the
the directory tree files at startup from the Setup
module and you perform any directory maintenance
outside of the fastmenu GOLD environment, you may
need to use this option to update the directory tree
files manually.
Include Attributes With Files (Yes/No)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option allows you to specify whether or not you want the
file attributes listed at the files list menu. If you select
not to have the attributes listed, the files will list to
screen much faster due to not needing to read the attributes
in on every file.
fastmenu GOLD Disk Utilities File List.
======================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(ESC)............. Using this option will return you to the
previous menu.
(Up/Dn)........... Use these options to move the highlight bar
up and down the file list.
One key press will move the highlight bar up or down one file.
Holding the key down will fast advance the highlight bar
until you release the key or the end of the file list is
reached.
(-/+/enter)....... Use these options to mark all files for
later maintenance. An asterisk will appear
to the left of the file name of every file
that has been marked.
Marking and Un-Marking Files.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- Move the highlight bar to the file you want to mark and
then press the enter key. If this file has already been
marked it will be un-marked. After using the enter key to
mark or un-mark a file, the highlight bar will advance to
the next file in the file list.
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2>- Pressing the plus key will mark all files in the file
list.
3>- Pressing the minus key will un-mark all marked files in
the file list.
(Q)uery........... Use this option to query the file list. DOS
wild cards are valid here.
NOTE ! The main purpose for including this option was to
give you a convenient way of copying or deleting
certain groups of files. For example if you wanted
to copy all the files with the .DAT extension, you
would first query the file list by entering [*.DAT]
at the File Spec. prompt. Then mark all these files
by pressing the plus key, then choose the (C)opy
option to copy all marked files.
Querying the file list with (Q)uery option.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1>- After choosing this option, you will be given a place to
enter your query instructions and then press enter. After
which the file list will again be presented with only the
files that meet your query instructions listed.
Query Examples:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[*.*]....... This query would list all files.
[*.EXE]..... This query would list files with the EXE
extension.
[FAST??.*].. This query would list files that include the
letters FAST as the first four letters in
the file name.
(U)pdate.......... Use this option to update or re-list the
files from the present drive or directory.
NOTE ! You may change a disk while you are at the file list
screen. After changing to the new disk, just use the
(U)pdate option to list the files from the newly
inserted disk.
(S)tart........... Use this option to run applications outside
fastmenu GOLD.
This option was added to give you a way to test run an
application or to run applications or games from floppy
drives. Any program, game or application that can be run from
the DOS prompt can also be run through this option.
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NOTE ! This option will only accept files with the extension
of .EXE, .COM or .BAT. Before you can use this option
option, you must first mark the file that you want to
run. After marking this file, just choose the (S)tart
option to run it.
(V)iew............ Use this option to read or view text files.
Before you can use this option, you must first mark the file
that you want to read or view. After marking this file just
choose option (V)iew to view it.
(E)dit............ Use this option to edit or create any ASCII
text file.
To edit an existing file you must first mark it from the file
list menu. After marking it, just choose option (E)dit from
the file list menu.
To create a new file, just choose option (E)dit without
marking any files. After entering the editor you will be asked
to enter the name for the new file. You may use any DOS legal
name except names that have extensions of .EXE or .COM.
NOTE ! This editor has the ability to edit files with lines
up to 255 characters long. When you first enter the
editor, the right margin will be set to 255. If you
are editing a 80 column document you may want to
reset the right margin before you begin.
(C)opy............ Use this option to copy a file or group of
files from this directory or disk to
another directory or disk.
Before using this option, you must first mark the file or
group of files you want to copy, using the (Up/Dn) and (-/+/
enter) keys.
1>- After marking the files you want to copy just choose
option (C)opy to start the copy process.
2>- You will be asked to choose the Target Drive (the drive
that you want to copy these files to). After choosing the
Target Drive, fastmenu GOLD will check that drive for any
existing directories.
3>- If any directories are found, you will be asked to choose
which directory you want to copy these files to.
4>- If no directories exist or after choosing a directory, you
will be asked to verify the copying of these files.
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NOTE ! If you have marked more files than will fit on the
Target Drive, fastmenu GOLD will copy as many
files to the Target Drive as will fit and then
prompt you to insert a new disk. After which will
continue to copy the remainder of the files marked
to this disk. fastmenu GOLD will continue this
process until all marked files have been copied.
This copy routine was added to give you a means of
backing up entire directories or groups of files
to floppies without the worry of running out of
disk space on the Target Drive.
(D)elete.......... Use this option to delete or remove a file
or groups of files.
Before using this option, you must first mark the file or
group of files you want to delete, using the (Up/Dn) and
(-/+/enter) keys.
1>- After marking the file or group of files you want to
delete, just choose option Delete to start the deletion
process.
2>- At this time you will be asked if you want to verify each
file before delete or continue without verifying.
(R)ename.......... Use this option to rename a file.
After marking the file that you want to rename, just choose
the Rename option, you will be shown the old file name in a
edit field. Edit or change and then press the enter key.
(P)rint........... Use this option to send a copy of all
marked files to your printer. You must have
your printer connected to printer port LPT1
fastmenu GOLD System Utility.
============================:>
Set System Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option gives you a way to reset the system Time clock.
Set System Date
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option gives you a way to reset the system Date.
Set Mouse Sensitivity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option will allow you to adjust the sensitivity or
movement ratio of your mouse.
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Keyboard cursor speed and delay rate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option provides a way to adjust the speed of cursor
movement and the amount of time before continious movement
from holding a cursor keys down.
AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS File Switcher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(ESC)............... This option will return you to DOS.
To create a new file, simply select a blank line from the file
list by moving the highlight bar to the line you want to add a
file description to and then press the enter key. Enter the
title or description and then press enter. At this point you
will be taken back to the file list menu and your new file
description will be listed. To edit this new file, simply
select it from the list again and then press enter. At this
time you will be taken to the options menu.
The OPTIONS Menu.
================:>
This menu will present you with several options that will be
active only on the file that you have chosen.
(ESC)........... This option will return you to the main menu.
A...... This option will take you to the text editor that will
allow you to edit or change the chosen file listed at
the top of the screen. This editor is a full featured
text editor that includes block copy and paste
options.
NOTE ! This editor provides you also with a way to capture any
existing AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file or any text
file on your system. Pressing the F2 key will display a
place for you to enter the entire path and filename of
the file you want to capture to the editor.
B...... This option will install the file that you have chosen
to the root directory of drive C as the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file. You will be asked to verify all actions.
C...... This option will install the file that you have chosen
to the root directory of drive C as the CONFIG.SYS
file. You will be asked to verify all actions.
D...... This option will allow you to completely remove the
file listed at the top of screen. You will be prompted
to verify this action.
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Editor Options and Commands:
===============================:>
Home/End........ Move cursor to start/end of line.
Ctrl-Home/End... Move cursor to top/bottom of window.
PgUp/PgDn....... Display previous/next page.
Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn.. Display first/last page.
Ctrl-Left/Right. Move cursor by whole words.
Ctrl-Y.......... Delete the current line.
Ctrl-N.......... Insert a new line.
Insert.......... Toggle insert mode on/off.
Delete.......... Delete character at cursor location and move
text left one position.
Backspace....... Delete character at cursor location and move
cursor left one position.
Tab............. Move cursor right four positions.
Shift-Tab....... Move cursor left four positions.
Arrow Keys...... Move cursor one position in direction of
arrow.
Enter........... Starts a new line.
To copy a block. Move cursor to upper left corner of block
then while holding the shift key down move
the cursor right or down to the lower right
corner of the block. At this point pressing
any key except the ESC or delete key will
copy block to clipboard. If you press the
delete key at this point the block will be
deleted and also copied to the clipboard.
Pasting a block. Move the cursor to the new location and then
press the Shift-Insert keys.
NOTE ! Block operations may also be accomplished with a
mouse.
ALSO ! Once a block has been copied to the clipboard you
may return to the files menu, reload or create a
new file then from the options menu choose option
(1) to load this new file into the editor and then
paste a previously saved block to this new file.
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fastmenu GOLD Phone Book/Dialer.
===============================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Esc............... Use this option to exit the phone book
module.
(I)nsert.......... Use this option to insert a new record to
the phone book.
The new record will be inserted just above the highlight bar.
If the highlight bar is at bottom of file, the new record
will be added to the end of the file. If you want, you can
insert a new record ahead of an existing record by moving the
highlight bar to that record, then choosing the insert option.
After choosing the insert option you will be given a new slot
to enter the information for this record. You can move between
fields with the Up/Down arrow keys. When finished press the
Esc key to save it.
(C)hange.......... Use this option to change or correct an
existing record.
To change a record, just move the highlight bar to the record
that you want to change, then choose the (C)hange option.
After selecting this option, you may move freely between
fields with the Up/Down arrow keys.
(D)elete.......... Use this option to remove an existing
record from the phone book.
To remove a record, just move the highlight bar to the record
that you want to remove, then choose the (D)elete option. You
will be prompted to verify this deletion.
(S)ort............ Use this option to sort all records on any
field.
After choosing the (S)ort option you will be asked to choose
the field that you want to sort on. Do this by moving the
highlight bar to that field and then press enter. After
selecting the field, you will be asked how you want to sort,
from Memory or from Disk. Sorting from memory is a much faster
sort method, with this method, all records are loaded into
memory then sorted, after the sort, all records are saved back
to disk. Sorting records from disk can be aborted at any time
with the Esc key but sorting takes much longer to complete.
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(Q)uery........... Use this option when you want to locate a
record or group of records from the phone
book database. After selecting this option
you will need to select where you want the
results of this query sent, to screen,
printer in list form, or to mailing labels.
You will be presented with a screen to
enter search instructions. You may search
on any one field or a combination of fields
Records found that match your search
instructions will be listed to screen one
at a time with options to Print, Edit, or
Dial the phone number.
(V)iew............ This option will list to screen, the
complete record that is currently
highlighted.
(D)ial............ To dial a listed number, simply highlight
the entry that you want to dial and then
press the 'D' key. At the same time pick up
the phone receiver and after the number has
been dialed just press any key to close the
modem port.
NOTE !! You may also dial a number simply by clicking your
right mouse button on the entry that you want to
be dialed.
(P)arms........... Use this option to setup optional modem
parms. Consult your Modem Setup Manual
on available command options.
(F)iles........... This option will display a pick list menu
with the following options.
Open....... Use this option to open an existing phone book
database file. Upon selecting this option, you
will be presented with a list of existing
database files that you may open.
Create..... Use this option to create or open a new phone
book database file. Upon selecting this option,
you will be presented with a field to enter the
name of the new file.
NOTE ! do not include a file extension, fastmenu will
automatically append a ".FON" file extension.
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Delete..... Use this option if you want to delete an
existing phone book database file. Upon
selecting this option, you will be presented
with a list of existing files to select from.
NOTE ! You may not delete a currently open file.
Macros..... Use this option if you want to edit or create
new phone number macros. Upon selecting this
option, you will be presented with a editor
window with all existing macros listed.
NOTE ! You may embed macros within macros.
Up-Dn............. These options represent the up and down
arrow keys.
Using them will move the highlight bar up or down one record
at a time. Continuing to hold one of these keys down will
cause the highlight bar to scan until you release the key.
PgUp-PgDn......... These options represent the Page Up and
Page Down keys.
Using them will move the highlight bar up or down a full page
at a time. Continuing to hold one of these keys down will
cause the highlight bar to rapid scan until you release the
key.
NOTE ! The phone book module uses a file oriented database
and is limited in the number of records only by your
disk size.
Setting up applications for the Alternate Applications MENU.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE !! This option was included with fastmenu GOLD under
requests from several users and shareware authors, to
allow creating applications designed especially to be
run through fastmenu GOLD.
ALSO !! When fastmenu executes an application through this
menu, the VGA (640 x 480 16 Color) screen mode is not
switched back to CGA. Therefore if you are installing
an application to this menu and it is not capable of
running in VGA mode, there may be problems unless the
application switches the screen mode internally.
To install an application to this menu, you must create a file
with a file extension of '.APP'. The filename can be any thing
you want as long as the extension of this filename is .APP.
Install this file in the same directory that fastmenu GOLD is
using. The actual application can be on any drive or directory
on the system.
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The following is a sample of the information that this new
file must contain.
--------------------------------------------------------------
DISKUTIL.APP
Disk Utility UTIL CUTILITY
--------------------------------------------------------------
| | ||
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
The above file is named: DISKUTIL.APP
The Title to this application is: Disk Utility
The executable filename is: UTIL
The Drive is: C
The Directory is: UTILITY
The application title starts at the first character and can be
no longer than 32 characters.
The Filename starts at character 33 and can be no longer than
8 characters. This filename is the name of the executable file
for the application you want run. Do not include the file
extension.
The Drive character is at character number 41 and is only one
character long. This drive character represents the drive that
the application is on.
The Directory name starts at character 42 and can be no longer
than 8 characters. This directory represents the directory
that contain the application.
There is only one line in this file and a new file must be
created for each application you want listed to the menu. Just
make sure that you give each file a different and unique
filename and include the '.APP' file extension.
The applications will be listed to the menu in the same order
they are read from disk (Top to bottom).
NOTE !! A kit can be downloaded from most BBS's that has
some vga screen samples along with a sample
application and '.APP' file that may help in the
design and setup for applications created for
fastmenu GOLD. (GOLDKIT.ZIP)
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Entering more than one command at the Run File field.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A new option has been added to fastmenu GOLD that allows
entering more than one command at the Run File field when
adding applications to the menu. The following commands are
now allowed at the Run File field:
* Any legal DOS command line command.
* Any legal DOS batch file command.
* Any legal and existing executable file name.
* The keyboard character ^ (carat key) Shift+6
* The keyboard character + (plus key)
This option will allow doing away with those small batch files
you sometimes need to execute an application with. In other
words, if you have an application that you want to backup
after every time you run it you could enter the following
command:
Drive: C
Directory: CHOICE
Run File: FIRST+^ECHO Insert backup disk.^PAUSE^COPY *.DAT A:
The above command list would first move to drive C, change to
the CHOICE directory, run the executable file FIRST, at exit
of the application it would prompt you to insert a backup
disk, pause for you, copy the DAT files to drive A, and then
return to fastmenu GOLD.
Notice the carat character (^) between each command. Also
notice that you can mix DOS command line commands and batch
file commands.
Also notice the plus character (+) after the 'FIRST' run file
name. This plus character tells fastmenu GOLD to also ask the
user for a command line parameter at execution.
NOTE ! Before this plus character will be active, you must
also switch the Parms: Y/N field to 'Y'.
Any number of commands can be executed, just make sure you
separate each command with the carat character (^).
If you experience a problem of fastmenu dropping out after
executing a batch file, you might try adding the CALL
statement just before the batch file name.
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Example:
Drive: C
Directory: PCTOOLS
Run File: PCTOOLS^CD\BAT^CALL BATCH
The above example would switch to the PCTOOLS directory,
execute the PCTOOLS executable file, switch to the 'BAT'
directory, execute a batch file named BATCH, and then return
to fastmenu GOLD.
Example:
Drive: C
Directory: DOS
Run File: CHKDSK+^PAUSE
The above example would first ask you for a command line
parameter, switch to the DOS directory, execute the CHKDSK
application with your command line parameter, pause for you to
press enter, and then return to fastmenu GOLD.
Displaying PCX picture files during screen blanking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During screen blanking fastmenu GOLD now first looks for a
script file named PCX.DAT. If this file exists, fastmenu will
display the PCX files according to the way you have them
listed in this script file. You may also include a time
parameter with each PCX file that tells fastmenu how long to
display each PCX file. The format of this file is as follows:
PCX.DAT < FileName of the script file.
4 < The first line is a number representing
MOUNTANS.PCX 10 \ the number of PCX files listed in this
HOUSE.PCX 10 \ file
UNICORN.PCX 5 > < All remaining lines are used to list
RACECAR.PCX 15 / the PCX files along with the time
(seconds) to display the PCX file.
All PCX files and the PCX.DAT file must be located in the same
directory that you have fastmenu GOLD in.
NOTE ! If this PCX.DAT file does not exist, fastmenu GOLD will
still display all PCX files found in the directory.
ALSO ! If you want, you may also have fastmenu GOLD display
any PCX file you want during start up. Simply rename
the PCX file you want displayed to OPENING.SCR.
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Executing batch files (*.BAT) during screen blanking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you like, fastmenu will execute a batch file either before
or after screen blanking. To use these options, simply create
the batch file and copy it to the drive and directory that the
fastmenu files are located in. If fastmenu finds a batch file
with the name 'BEFORE.BAT', it will be executed just before
going into screen blanking. If a 'AFTER.BAT' file is found, it
will be executed after screen blanking. If a 'INSTEAD.BAT'
file is found, it will be executed instead of screen blanking.
These batch files may be used to execute applications or do
any system maintenance you would like done at this time.
Sorting Folder Titles or The Applications listed in a Folder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sort option has been added to fastmenu GOLD's main menu to
give you a means of sorting the Folder Titles or the
Applications listed in a folder simply by selecting Sort from
the main menu.
If you select this Sort option while viewing the Folder
Titles, you will be asked if you want to sort the Folder
Titles. If you answer with a 'Y' (Yes), fastmenu will sort all
the Folder Titles in alphabetical order and place all blank
lines at the bottom of the list.
If you select this Sort option while viewing the Applications
listed in a Folder, you will be asked if you want to sort the
App's in this Folder. If you answer with a 'Y' (Yes), fastmenu
will sort all Applications listed in this Folder in
alphabetical order and place all blank lines at the bottom of
the list.
Available options while in the Fax/Text File Editor.
===================================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Esc................ Use this option to exit the phone book
module.
F1=Menu............ Use this option to access the Command
Menu.
Available options while at the Command Menu.
===========================================:>
Option Reaction to option
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Esc................ Returns control to the editor.
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F10=Run Batch...... This option allows you to execute DOS or
batch file commands. When you select this
option, all lines in the current text file
will be executed at the DOS level as if
they were executed from a batch file.
A>- Save....Return. After selecting this option, the current
filename will be displayed in an editor
box. You may edit the existing filename
and then press enter to save it. After
saving, you will be returned back to the
editor.
B>- Save......Exit. This option works just like the A>- option
above with the exception of, you will be
returned to DOS after saving the file.
C>- Open..Existing. After selecting this option, you will be
presented with a field that you can edit
the file spec for files that you want
listed for opening. DOS wild cards are
permitted here. After entering the file
spec, all files in the current path that
match the file spec will be listed in a
scrollable window for you to select from.
NOTE ! If you currently have a text file loaded and have
made any changes to this file, you will be asked if
you want to save changes before opening a new file.
D>- Create.....New. After selecting this option, you will be
presented with a field to enter a new
filename. Any legal DOS filename can be
used.
NOTE ! If you currently have a text file loaded and have
made any changes to this file, you will be asked if
you want to save changes before creating a new file.
E>- Change....Path. This option allows you to change the
current drive and directory that will be
used for saving and opening text files
from.
After selecting this option, you will be
given a scrollable window with a list of
the drives on your system. Simply move the
fighlight bar to the desired drive and
press the enter key.
After selecting the drive, you will be
given a scrollable window with a list of
the directories on your system. Simply
move the highlight bar to the directory
you want and then press the enter key.
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After selecting the directory, you will be
returned to the editor and the new path
will be listed at the top of your screen.
Any future Saves or Opens will be
performed from this new path.
F>- Tab......(4 ).. This option provides you with a way of
changing the number of spaces the cursor
moves to the right every time you press
the Tab key.
NOTE ! Pressing the Shift key plus the Tab key will move the
cursor in the left direction.
G>- Margin...(255). This option provides you with a way of
setting the right text margin. The right
margin may be set anywhere from 10 to 255.
Setting the margin to 0 will cause a 255
character right margin. Wordwrap will
occur at the right margin setting.
H>- Print.....File. Selecting this option will send the
currently opened text file to any printer
connected to printer port LPT1.
I>- Clear...Editor. Selecting this option will clear all text
from the editor.
NOTE ! If you currently have a text file loaded and have
made any changes to this file, you will be asked if
you want to save changes before clearing the text.
J>- Delete....Line. Selecting this option will delete the line
at the current cursor location.
NOTE ! Every time you delete a line with this option it is
saved and replaces any text that is currently in the
paste buffer. You can replace any deleted line by
placing the cursor on a blank line and then
selecting the Insert option.
Just remember, if you have text saved in the paste
buffer, it will be replaced with any text from a
deleted line.
K>- Insert....Line. Selecting this option will insert a blank
line at the current cursor location.
L>- Copy........... Selecting this option will save any marked
block of text to the paste buffer.
You must first mark a block of text before
this option can be used.
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Marking a block of text can be done by
holding the Shift key down while moving
the cursor with the arrow keys or by
holding your left mouse button down and
dragging the mouse cursor. The block will
be marked with dashed lines.
M>- Delete......... Selecting this option will delete any
marked block of text.
Any text that has been deleted with this
option will be saved to the paste buffer.
Marking a block of text can be done by
holding the Shift key down while moving
the cursor with the arrow keys or by
holding your left mouse button down and
dragging the mouse cursor. The block will
be marked with dashed lines.
N>- Paste.......... Selecting this option will paste any block
of text that has been saved to the paste
buffer. The block of text will be pasted
at the current cursor location.
O>- Print.......... Selecting this option will send any block
of text that has been previously saved to
the paste buffer to any printer connected
to printer port LPT1.
Editor hot keys and commands.
============================:>
Insert............ Toggles between insert and overtype mode.
Red cursor designates insert mode.
~~~
White cursor designates overtype mode.
~~~~~
Tab............... Moves cursor right (tab spaces).
Shift+Tab......... Moves cursor left (tab spaces).
Delete............ Removes the character at the cursor
location.
Home.............. Moves cursor full left of text at cursor
line.
Ctrl+Home......... Moves cursor to top of screen.
End............... Moves cursor full right of text at cursor
line.
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Ctrl+End.......... Moves cursor to bottom of screen.
PgUp.............. Moves text up 25 lines each press.
Ctrl+PgUp......... Moves to top of text file.
PgDn.............. Moves text down 25 lines each press.
Ctrl+PgDn......... Moves to bottom of text file.
Up/Dn Arrows...... Moves cursor up/down on line each press.
Right/Left Arrows. Moves cursor right/left one space each
press.
Ctrl+Y............ Delete the line at cursor location.
Ctrl+N............ Insert a blank line at the cursor location.
BLOCK OPERATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ctrl+Arrow Keys... Mark a block of text.
Ctrl+Delete....... Delete a block of text.
Ctrl+Insert....... Insert a block of text.
Pressing any key except the Esc key will save a marked block.
Calendar/Notepad Module.
=======================:>
Opening menu options and commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you first enter the Calendar/Notepad module you will be
presented with a calendar of the current month with the
current date highlighted in red.
To change the current date you can either click your mouse on
another day or press or click on the up or down arrow keys
Icons.
To change the month, simply press or click on the left or
right arrow keys or icons.
The menu at the right side of your screen under 'Select
Options' has several more options that allow entering/editing
notes or printing them.
To enter a note for a certain day or date, by using the
up/down or left/right arrow keys, move the highlight to the
date that you want to post a note for and then click on the
Edit Note Icon or simply press the 'E' key on your keyboard.
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At this time you will be taken to the note editor where you
can proceed to enter the text for the note. The editor options
are as follows:
F1=Save......... Use this option to save your note to disk
when it is completed.
F2=Clear........ Using this option will totally clear the
editor of any existing text.
F3=Delete....... Use this option if you want to totally remove
a note from the system.
F4=Copy......... Before using this option you must first mark
a block of text that you want to copy. You
can do this by holding your left mouse button
down while dragging your mouse to a new
location. You will notice a broken line box
being drawn as you move your mouse cursor,
inside this box represents the text that you
want to copy. After marking your text, simply
click your mouse on the F4 function key icon.
You may also mark a block of text using the
Shift+arrow keys found on your numeric pad.
F5=Paste........ After copying a block of text to the buffer,
you may paste it to a new location in this
note or to a newly created note by placing
the cursor at the location you want the text
located and then clicking or pressing the F5
key or Icon.
F6=Print........ Selecting this option will display a small
menu that has the following options:
A>- Print ALL.... Using this option will send the currently
loaded note to any printer connected to
port LPT1 on your system.
B>- Print Buffer. Using this option will send any text that
has been copied to the paste buffer to
any printer connected to port LPT1 on
your system.
Esc.............. Returns you to the editor.
NOTE ! All keyboard hot keys that are valid in the Fax/Text
file editor are also valid in this editor.
Print Notes.. option
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selecting this option will bring up a small menu with several
print options.
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A>- Print Date... Selecting this option will print any note
found at the currently highlighted date
on the calendar.
B>- Print Week... Selecting this option will print any note
found on the currently highlighted
calendar date plus any notes found on the
next seven calendar days.
C>- Print Month.. Selecting this option will print any note
found on the currently highlighted
calendar date plus all notes found for
all days in the rest of the month.
D>- Print Year... Selecting this option will print any note
found on the currently highlighted
calendar date plus all notes found for
all days in the rest of the year.
Esc.............. This option will return you to the
opening calendar menu.
Delete Notes.. option
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option provides a means of removing several notes with
a single pass.
After selecting this option, you will be presented with a
scrollable tag menu with all notes listed. To delete notes
from this menu, you must tag the notes that you want deleted.
Tagging notes from this menu can be done either of three ways.
Simply click your left mouse button on the notes you want
tagged, move the highlight bar to the note you want to tag
and press the enter key, or by clicking your left mouse button
on the up/dn arrow icons and clicking on the enter icon.
After you have all notes tagged that you want deleted, simply
select the Delete icon from this menu. You will be asked to
verify this delete.
NOTE !! This Calendar/Notepad module saves all notes in
separate disk files and as a result you may have
quite a few files created and on disk at any one
time. For this reason I recommend creating a sub
directory your hard drive to store these files in.
The Setup module accessed from the fastmenu GOLD main
menu has options for selecting a sub directory for
the Calendar/Notepad to use.
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Using separate files for each note drastically speeds
up the display of any note and also results in using
less disk space due to not needing to maintain a
index file along with the data files.
All notes saved to disk files are pure text files
with no formatting characters embedded. Most
wordprocessors or text file editors will have no
problem reading these files. Your Fax Modem will also
have no problem reading these files.
The End Icon and how it works
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fastmenu GOLD now has a new Icon located at the upper right
of your screen 'End'. This Icon is present in almost all
utility modules and screens.
Pressing this 'End' Icon at the main menu screen will force
fastmenu GOLD into screen blanking.
Pressing this 'End' Icon from any other module or screen will
immediately return you to the main menu.
NOTE !! If you are using the user ID and activity logging
option, pressing this 'End' Icon from any screen
or module will force fastmenu GOLD into screen
blanking.
Setting up the user ID and logging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A new feature has been added to fastmenu GOLD that allows for
setting up user ID access to fastmenu GOLD and along with
this option you can also select to log all user activity.
This user ID and logging is setup through the Setup module,
through option 'C>- Add/Edit/Delete System Passwords' and then
option 'E>- Setup User ID And Activity Logging'.
While at this user ID setup screen, notice, in the window at
left you will see slots for up to 20 user names and ID's. By
pressing the up/dn arrow keys you can move between three
windows, allowing up to 60 users total.
To enter user names and ID's, simply press the Edit Icon, you
will be placed inside the window where you can begin entering
or editing users. In the Users Name fields, enter each users
complete name, at the associated ID field, enter that users
password or ID that he will use to access the system.
After entering all users, simply press the Esc key to quit.
If all is OK with the names and ID's and you want to save
them to disk, simply press the Save Icon.
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After pressing the Save Icon, you will be asked if you want to
log all user activity. If you select to log all user activity
you will also be asked as to how large you want to allow the
log files to become before the current one is closed and a new
one is created. A suggested size for these files is around
340kb. This allows copying or saving them to 360kb diskettes.
These log files can be viewed or deleted at any time from the
Setup module options 'J' and 'K'.
NOTE !! This user activity logging can be turned on or off
at any time by returning to this setup menu and
selecting the Log On/Off Icon. This Icon will toggle
logging on or off.
ALSO You may return to this user ID setup menu at any time
and add/edit/change user names and passwords.
Trouble Shooting.......................
======================================:>
VGA Problems...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fastmenu GOLD has built-in VGA detection that will prevent it
from being run on any system that is not equipped with a VGA
color card and monitor.
New VGA Color cards are coming out every day from new and
existing manufacturers, due to this, you may experience some
problems getting fastmenu GOLD to run on these new cards.
If you know that you do have a full VGA system and yet you
still cannot get fastmenu GOLD to run, a way has been built-
in to fastmenu GOLD to bypass this VGA detection.
Create a file named: SKIP-VGA.DAT
This file should have only one line in it and that line should
read: VGA You may use any text editor or wordprocessor to
create this file.
This SKIP-VGA.DAT file should be copied to the same directory
that you have installed fastmenu GOLD to.
Input Runtime Module Path:.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fastmenu GOLD uses a runtime module at various times during
operation and must be able to locate it.
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This runtime module is in a file named: BRUN45.EXE.
For proper operation you must have a path statement in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file telling DOS where to locate this file. Also
you should have a path statement to the ROOT directory and the
directory that your DOS (DOS, DRDOS, NDOS, DOS50) files are
located in.
An example of the minimum path statement would be:
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\GOLD
--------------------------------------------------------------
This version of fastmenu GOLD was written and compiled using
MicroSoft QuickBASIC v4.5.
About 30% of the code is in QuickBASIC including all of the
VGA screens and windows. The rest of the code is comprised
of super fast compiled assembly language routines.
New Version and Update Policy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Registered users of fastmenu GOLD can obtain a copy of any
updated version for one year from the date of registration by
sending $8.00 to the below address. New updates are sent out
on HD 5 1/4 in, and HD 3 1/2 in disks. A full manual (on disk)
is included with each update.
Registered users over one year from registration date can
obtain a new updated version by sending $34.00. With this type
of update, you will receive a copy of the latest version, on
HD 5 1/4 in, and HD 3 1/2 in disks, a full printed manual, and
one full year of support.
DISCLAIMER
Users must accept this disclaimer of warranty: This
application supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without
limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness
for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages,
direct or consequential, which may result from the use of this
manual or the application it describes.
jwh: SoftWare
PO Box 410 9500 St.Rt.61
Berlin Heights, Ohio 44814
Phone (419) 588-3608
fastmenu GOLD is a product and copyright (c) 1992 by:
Jack W Hildenbrand. All rights reserved.
MicroSoft QuickBASIC is a product and copyright (c) by:
The Microsoft Corporation.
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