QUIKMENU (R) Version 2.16 (C) 1987 - DLF SOLUTIONS!



TABLE OF CONTENTS


1. Introduction
Disclaimer
License

2. Files in Distribution Archive
System Requirements
QUIKMENU Program Description

3. QUIKMENU Installation
Valid Keys and Corresponding Functions

4. Screen Blanking Feature
Changing Colors
Displaying the Help Screen

5. Printer Control Menu
Saving Your Changes
Sub-Menu Titles

6. Program Headings
Program Definitions

7. Program Path
Program Name
Trailing Parameters
Correcting Entry Errors

8. Erasing a Definition
Executing a Program

9. The DOS Shell

10. Error Messages

12. CAPSLOCK Program
DATETIME Program
DISKFREE Program
RAMFREE Program
RESTART Program




















INTRODUCTION


Having been a Mini-Computer (IBM System/34/36)
Programmer and now Data Processing Manager for many years,
my first exposure to to the PC world was quite a shock. I
could not believe all the garbage that I had to type in to
execute a simple program. This obviously led to a search
for a simple and efficient menu system. After looking at
many commercial and non-commercial programs I found that all
had some flaw that I didn't like. Either they ate up too
much memory or they created and used batch files to execute
programs. Some wouldn't even let me change colors.
Deciding, as most programmers usually do, that I could do a
better job, I set about creating the program you have here.
Along the way I wrote a few small utility programs, some of
which are included here and will be explained later in the
documentation. I hope you will find these programs as
useful as I do and I appreciate your contribution to their
development. If you have any comments, suggestions, or
complaints please write to me and let me know so that I may
address them.


Douglas L. Fraleigh
1405 Sadlers Wells Dr.
Herndon, VA 22070



DISCLAIMER


I warrant this collection of programs to do absolutely
nothing. Furthermore, all damages resulting from the use of
these programs and the accompanying documentation are the
responsibility of the user.



LICENSE


You are hereby granted a license to use the programs
described in this documentation on any single CPU at any one
time. This does not prevent you from installing these
programs on multiple CPU's, providing that they are all
owned by you and used only one at a time.













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FILES CONTAINED ON THIS DISTRIBUTION DISK


CAPSLOCK.COM Set the CAPS LOCK on

DATETIME.EXE A file date/time modification utility

DISKFREE.EXE Display disk(ette) free space

PRINTDOC.BAT Print the documentation file

QUIKMENU.COM The menu program itself

QUIKMENU.DOC This documentation

RAMFREE.EXE Display free RAM

RESTART.COM Perform a Warm Boot



SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS


IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible.

DOS 2.0 or above.

MDA, CGA, or EGA running in 80x25 text mode.

As the QUIKMENU program requires only 23K of RAM to operate
it will run on a diskette based system, however it was
designed with the hard disk user in mind.



QUIKMENU PROGRAM DESCRIPTION


QUIKMENU is a non-resident "shell" program that will
allow you to execute any other program, utility, or DOS
command, located on any valid system drive or sub-directory,
by pressing a single function key. Written completely in
Assembly Language it operates without the overhead
associated with many higher-level languages. It is
completely self-contained and thus creates no separate batch
or data files. The method of program execution used is the
same as the DOS command processor (COMMAND.COM) and
therefore is just as fast as loading programs from the DOS
prompt. It has been used successfully with PC-DOS and
various versions of MS-DOS from 2.0 through 3.2, and all the
commercial programs that I have gotten my hands on.









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QUIKMENU INSTALLATION


Installing QUIKMENU is as easy as copying the program
to the disk(ette) on which you intend to use it, I recommend
the "Root" directory, and typing QUIKMENU followed by the
"Enter" key. If you are using a DOS version of 3.0 or above
you may rename the program to any legal filename, such as
QM.COM. Unfortunately earlier DOS versions require that the
program name remain unchanged to allow your changes to be
saved. Modifying your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that the last
line is QUIKMENU will bring it up when you "Boot" your
computer.



VALID KEYS AND CORRESPONDING FUNCTIONS


ALT-B Toggle the screen blanking feature on or off
and set the delay time. (1-60 minutes)

ALT-C Display the color setting menu.

ALT-H Display the help text.

ALT-P Display the printer control menu.

ALT-S Save all color, text, and data changes.

ALT-T Update the sub-menu titles.

CTRL-F1/F9 Update the function key headings and program
definitions. (CTRL-F1/F8 on the printer menu)

ESCAPE End the QUIKMENU program.

F1/F9 Execute a Program (Once it is defined).

F10 Invoke a DOS shell.

1/9 Jump directly to the corresponding menu page.

HOME or 0 Jump directly to the main menu page.

END Jump directly to menu page 9.

PAGE UP Scroll to the next higher menu page.

PAGE DOWN Scroll to the next lower menu page.











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SCREEN BLANKING FEATURE


The QUIKMENU program contains a screen blanking feature
that will turn the display off when left on any menu page or
on the HELP screen for longer than the time entered by the
user. This feature is off when you first install the
program. To enable this feature press the "Alternate" and
"B" keys simultaneously. Screen blanking will then toggle
on and you will be prompted for the delay time you desire.
To disable this feature at a later time simply press the
trigger keys again and screen blanking will toggle to off.
To change the delay time you have selected simply toggle the
feature off and then back on and you will be prompted for
your desired delay time. Saving your changes at this point
will make your selections permanent. This feature will not
function during an application program, my thinking being
that if you have a screen up in an application, you must
want it to be displayed.



CHANGING THE COLORS


NOTE: THIS FEATURE WILL NOT FUNCTION IF YOUR COMPUTER IS
EQUIPPED WITH A MONOCHROME DISPLAY ADAPTER.

Pressing the "Alternate" and "C" keys simultaneously
will display the color setting menu. The function keys will
roll through the possible colors for the items indicated.
Save your changes by pressing the "F9" key (Same as ALT-S)
and return to the menu by pressing "F10".



HELP


Pressing the "Alternate" and "H" keys simultaneously
will display the help text. Pressing any key will return
you to the menu.



















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PRINTER CONTROL


Pressing the "Alternate" and "P" keys simultaneously
will display the printer control menu. From this menu you
can send control strings to the default DOS printer. The
default strings are for an Epson MX series printer. To re-
define the strings press the "Control" and "Function" key
(F1/F8) you desire to change and you will be prompted for
the new text that you desire. Type what you wish and press
the "Enter" key. At this point you must enter the control
string that corresponds to the function you wish the printer
to perform. These strings must be entered in Hexedecimal
and can be found in the manual that came with your printer.
Save your changes by pressing the "F9" key (Same as ALT-S)
and return to the menu by pressing "F10".



SAVING YOUR CHANGES


After making any color, text, or program definition
changes you MUST save them prior to exiting the QUIKMENU
program or they will be lost forever. To execute a save
press the "Alternate" and "S" keys simultaneously.



MENU TITLES


Pressing the "Alternate" and "T" keys simultaneously
will allow you to update the sub-menu titles. The cursor
will appear in the title area and you will be prompted to
enter your desired title (28 characters maximum). What you
enter will be centered automatically when you press "Enter",
so do not enter any leading blanks. In addition any titles
entered on a sub-menu will be displayed on the main menu
next to the "Function" key that corresponds to the menu page
for which you have defined a title.




















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PROGRAM HEADINGS


Prior to executing another program you must supply the
information that the QUIKMENU program requires. Select the
function key that you wish to define by simultaneously
pressing the "Control" and "Function" key (F1/F9) of your
choice. The cursor will appear next to the key you are
defining and you will be prompted to enter your desired
text. Usually this will consist of the program name or the
DOS command that you wish to execute (i.e., CHKDSK Drive C:
or DIRectory C:\DOS). You are limited to 28 characters and
MUST not precede your entry with a blank space as the
program will perceive this as an invalid entry. Pressing
"Enter" will bring up the program definition entry screen.



PROGRAM DEFINITIONS


After entering the program heading you must now define
the program type according the chart displayed on the
screen.

1. An intrinsic DOS command such as DIR or COPY.

2. A batch file, which is a file with an extension of .BAT.

3. A utility program that does not take control of the
screen or require a user initiated exit. The programs
RAMFREE and DISKFREE included in this distribution are
examples of this type of program. The reason that this
is important is that a pause must be inserted after
executing the program or you will be returned to the
menu after execution and not have time to view the data
displayed on the screen.

4. The most common type, which is a program that takes
full control of the screen and ends only when YOU want
it to. All major word processors and spread sheets,
for example, fall into this category.

5. Execute the DOS command processor as an additional
shell. This is useful to allow you to exit to a
particular sub-directory.


NOTE: DEPENDING ON WHICH DEFINITION YOU SELECT YOU MAY
NOT BE PROMPTED FOR ALL OF THE REMAINING ENTRIES.
ONLY THOSE THAT ARE REQUIRED TO EXECUTE THE
PROGRAM WILL BE NEEDED.









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PROGRAM PATH


Enter the full path where the program that you wish to
execute reside. Be sure to include the drive, a colon, and
the full path. Do not enter a trailing back-slash.



PROGRAM NAME


Enter the COMPLETE filename of the program that you
wish to execute (Only those files ending in .COM, .EXE, or
.BAT are acceptable unless "Type" 1 has been selected).



TRAILING PARAMETERS


This is where you may enter any switches that the
program you are executing requires or specify a drive
identifier. For example, to execute CHKDSK.COM on diskette
drive A: and check all files to see if they are contiguous
you would enter "A:*.*" here.



CORRECTING ENTRY ERRORS


At this time backing up to a previous step after
hitting the "Enter" key has not been implemented. To
correct an error, finish the definition cycle that you are
on and start again, stopping at the prompt desired to correct
the mistake. You may either completely re-type your entry
or use the "Arrow" keys to move to the error and correct it.
Entries are not erased unless you desire it so you may
review your definitions as often as you like.





















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ERASING A DEFINITION


To completely remove a program definition press the
"Control" and "Function" key (F1/F9) to highlight the
definition. Then merely hold down the "Space Bar" until the
text is gone. Pressing "Enter" at this point will cause the
program to zero out the corresponding program definition.
This is often necessary when changing from one program
"Type" to another to insure correct operation.



NOTE: BE SURE AND SAVE ANY CHANGES YOU MAKE OR THEY WILL
BE LOST WHEN YOU END THE QUIKMENU PROGRAM.



EXECUTING A PROGRAM


At this point all that is required to execute a program
that has been correctly defined is a single stroke of the
"Function" key (F1/F9) containing that program's definition.
The default path will be changed to the path that you
defined so the program will execute just as though you
manually changed directories and typed in the program name
from the DOS prompt. No modifications to any program "Set
Up" are required. The program will be free to change to any
Video Mode, Drive, or Directory that it requires to operate
properly. When you exit the program all Video Mode, Drive,
and Path settings will be restored and the QUIKMENU will
reappear to await your next entry.




























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THE DOS SHELL


If you invoke an additional DOS Command Processor,
either through the F10 Key, or by defining an additional
"Shell" yourself (Program Type 5), you will be placed in the
Directory of your choice (In the case of F10, in the
Directory containing the QUIKMENU program), and will be free
to execute any DOS command or any other program you desire.
Upon leaving the QUIKMENU program the following message will
be displayed:

ENTER THE DOS COMMAND "EXIT" TO RETURN TO "QUIKMENU".

Additionally the DOS prompt will be modified. If you
do not already have a custom prompt, it will be changed so
that it indicates the current Drive and Path at all times.
Also (QUIKMENU) will be added under all conditions to remind
you that you have invoked a "Shell". To return to the
"QUIKMENU" program, regardless of your current Drive/Path
location, simply enter the command "EXIT".


PROMPT EXAMPLE: (QUIKMENU)
C:\DOS>




































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ERROR MESSAGES


FUNCTION INVALID

This error could only occur if a serious problem
existed in the QUIKMENU program itself. However, if you see
this message please notify me.


PROGRAM NOT FOUND OR PATH INVALID

This error occurs when one or more elements of the
Program Definition are incorrect. Check your entries to
insure that the Program "Type", "Path", and "Name" are
correct.


ACCESS DENIED

This error could occur under only two conditions that I
can think of. Either you are attempting to delete a file
marked as "Read Only" or are operating on a "LAN" and tried
to access a file that cannot be shared.


INSUFFICIENT MEMORY TO LOAD PROGRAM

Just what it says, either remove some "Memory Resident"
software and try again or you just don't have enough RAM to
execute this program. I suppose if you only had 256K of RAM
and tried to execute a program requiring all of that memory
that the 23K used by the QUIKMENU program might cause this
message, in that case you can either run the program
directly from the DOS prompt or upgrade your memory.


ENVIRONMENT INVALID

Another error that would only occur if the QUIKMENU
program itself had some serious flaw. If you see this, try
Re-Booting your computer and if it still occurs please
notify me.


FORMAT INVALID

See: PROGRAM NOT FOUND OR PATH INVALID













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NO COMSPEC VARIABLE IN ENVIRONMENT

This error can only occur if something has trashed the
DOS Environment, that is the area that DOS sets aside to
store information such as the location of DOS Command
Processor. Re-Boot your computer and try again.


MEMORY ALLOCATION ERROR

During the initial loading of the QUIKMENU program it
releases any unused memory and then attempts to allocate 1K
additional memory for it's own use. This message would
appear if that attempt failed. Re-Boot and try again.


80 X 25 SCREEN MODE REQUIRED

Upon entry the QUIKMENU program requires an 80 X 25
Text Screen Mode. Enter the command "MODE CO80" at the DOS
prompt and try again, ("MODE BW80" if you have a monochrome
monitor).


ERROR IN OPENING MENU FILE FOR UPDATE

This error occurs during an attempted save if you are
running a DOS version prior to 3.0 and have renamed the
QUIKMENU program. It could also happen if the QUIKMENU
program was located on a diskette that was "Write
Protected".


SORRY, DOS 2.0 OR HIGHER REQUIRED

Many of the functions of the QUIKMENU program are not
available in earlier versions of DOS.
























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CAPSLOCK PROGRAM


CAPSLOCK is a utility program that will set the CAPS
LOCK on and set the keyboard LED if your computer is so
equipped. I use it in my "Autoexec.bat" file to set CAPS
LOCK on when I turn on my computer.



DATETIME PROGRAM


DATETIME will modify the date/time stamp on the file or
files that you select. This will change the date and time
that appears when you execute the DOS command "DIR". This
is primarily of use to programmers who wish all files on a
diskette to have the same date and time. To use the program
type "DATETIME" and press "Enter". You will be prompted for
the path and file(s) that you wish to modify. Wildcards (*
and ?) are permitted and you may omit the path if the
file(s) you wish to modify are in the DOS default directory.
You will then be asked for the date (Format: MMDDYY) and the
time (Format: HHMM) that you wish to appear on the selected
file(s). If no matching file(s) are found you will be so
informed. If the update is successful a closing message
will be displayed. You may end the program at any time by
pressing the "Control" and "Break" keys.



DISKFREE PROGRAM


DISKFREE will display the available space on the DOS
default drive or any valid drive if a drive specifier is
entered. (i.e. DISKFREE A)



RAMFREE PROGRAM


RAMFREE will display the RAM available on your
computer.



RESTART PROGRAM


RESTART will cause your computer to perform a "Warm
Boot" similar to what occurs when you press "CTRL-ALT-DEL".








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the QUIKMENU program itself. However, if you see
this message please notify me.


PROGRAM N