
				EASY DOS MENU
				 Version 2.5
			    SERIAL SOLUTIONS, INC.
				P.O. Box 2392
			  Littleton, CO   80161-2392
			       (303) 347-8547

Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitations of Liabilities:

	This manual and the enclosed software were prepared by Serial 
Solutions, Inc. While the authors and program developers have taken reasonable
care in preparing this manual and the files on the enclosed diskettes to 
assure their accuracy, Serial Solutions, Inc. and the authors assume no 
liability resulting from any inaccuracy or omissions contained in them of 
from the use of the information or programs contained here.

	The authors and Serial Solutions, Inc. have no expressed or implied 
warranty of any kind with regard to these programs or to the supplemental 
documentation in this manual. In no event, shall the authors, the program 
developers, or Serial Solutions, Inc. be liable for incidental or 
consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the furnishing, 
performance, or use of any of these programs or documentation. This disclaimer
includes but is not limited to any loss of service, loss of business or 
anticipatory profits, or consequential damages resulting from the use or 
operation of the enclosed software.

	Serial Solutions, Inc. encourages your comments, questions and any 
suggestions for improvement that you wish to provide. Please feel free to
contact us at:             
			Serial Solutions, Inc.
			P.O. Box 2392
			Littleton, CO 80161
			(303) 347-8547
			CompuServe ID - 73544,3444


			     INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS

The following will help you install the Easy DOS Menu(EDM) to your PC.  You 
may not install EDM from a hard drive or to another floppy disk.

Insert the Menu disk and type "INSTALL" at the prompt.  All the needed 
information will be displayed on the screen, so follow all of them as they 
instruct.  However, the following will further explain the screen prompts.  
At any time before the copying of files begins, the user may hit <ESC> to 
exit from the INSTALL program.

For destination path, you may accept the default by simply hitting <ENTER>, 
or you may enter your own drive and path.  For this, the standard is:
    [DRIVE:\PATH] followed by an <ENTER>.

After entering the correct drive and path, the program will ask if you wish 
to include the "DEMO Menu."  If this is the first time you are installing the 
menu, you must say "YES". since the program needs a menu file.  To change the 
option from "NO" to "YES" and vice versa, you may use the space bar, the 
arrow keys, or by moving your mouse.  NOTE: <ESC> will always equate to "NO" 
in these situations.

Once the desired option is chosen, the necessary files will be copied to your 
designated drive and path.

WARNING MESSAGES:
There are two warning messages that need to be explained.

DIRECTORY WARNING: This means that your chosen path already 
		   exists.  This is a warning to alert you 
		   to the fact that if you do not change the 
		   path, some existing files may be copied 
		   over.

FILE WARNING: This tells you that a file already exists with 
	      that particular name in that particular path.  
	      You may choose to copy over it, or leave the 
	      old file intact by not copying the file from 
	      the disk.


ERROR MESSAGES:
 1. "Cannot Create Named Directory" - System could not 
    create the specified directory.

 2. "<filename> Does Not Exist On The Source Drive" - This 
    particular file does not exist on the source drive.  
    User should contact IST to find out how to address this 
    problem.

 3. "Cannot Get Current Working Directory" - The system is 
    having trouble locating this directory.  The directory 
    may not exist or is corrupted.

 4. "Drive Timed Out, Assumed Not Ready - Drive <letter>" - 
    The program could not locate specified drive in allotted 
    time.  User should check drive and retry.

 5. "Drive Not Ready - Drive <letter>" - Door may be open or 
    there may be no disk in the drive.  User should check 
    the drive and disk.

 6. "Error Creating Directory <Directory Name>" - System had 
    trouble creating this particular directory.

 7. "Invalid Drive <letter>" - This particular drive does 
    not exist on the PC.  You should check the drive you 
    inputted.

 8. "Cannot Install To a Floppy Drive" - the user can only 
    install from a floppy drive to a hard drive.

 9. "Not Enough Memory On Destination Drive" - This error 
    occurs if there is not enough memory on the destination 
    drive to hold the necessary files to be copied.  The 
    user should check the drive to get rid of unnecessary 
    files so that enough memory will be freed up.

10. "Unable To Locate Internal File" - There are necessary 
    internal file(s) missing.  You should contact Serial 
    Solutions to find out how to address this problem.

11. "Possible Corruption Of Internal File" - The necessary 
    internal file(s) have been corrupted.  Contact Serial 
    Solutions to determine how to address this problem.

12. "Unable To Open Internal File" - The necessary internal 
    file(s) are either missing or are corrupted.  Contact 
    Serial Solutions to determine how to address this 
    problem.

13. "Not Enough Memory To Allocate" - There is an internal 
    lack of memory.  The user should remove any TSR's 
    (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) that may be in 
    memory.

14. "<Directory Name> Directory Does Not Exist In 
    Destination" - The specified directory does not exist, 
    or it does not exist in the user defined path.

15. "Cannot Install From A Hard Drive" - This program cannot 
    be installed from a hard drive, only a floppy drive.







			      EASY DOS MENU (EDM)

The "Easy DOS Menu (EDM)" is a menuing system that allows the user to run 
virtually any program residing in their computer from a friendly interface.  
By customizing each module represented in the menu, all your applications can 
be invoked with a stroke of a key. Include Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, Harvard 
Graphics, Turbo C, a Daily Calendar, even a call to Windows, or for that 
matter any program that you currently use. Any program can be run by moving 
to the desired module and selecting it with either your keyboard or another 
pointing device. When you are finished with the application program, you will 
be immediately returned to the menu. No more effort is expended in locating a 
desired program, installing needed drivers or recalling crucial command line 
arguments, its all been recorded and ready to run. Switching from one process 
to another is as simple as locating it in the menu and selecting it.  
Moreover, programs can be assigned to function keys, so that all you need to 
do is hit the specified key assigned to the desired application. 


Program Operation and Description
Command Line Arguments: Command line arguments are options that can be passed 
to the menu.  Invoking command line arguments will cause the menu to take on 
certain attributes when the menu initializes. Command line arguments are not 
case sensitive. This means that any options used on the command line can be 
in either lower case or upper case. The order in which options are placed on 
the command line is not important, any order will suffice equally well. You 
are not limited to any specific number of options so any or all options may 
be used when invoking the menu.

Specific menu command line arguments:
/S - The "S" option adds a shadow behind each box in the 
     menu.  The shadow will highlight each option on the 
     menu seemingly elevating it from the screen. The shadow 
     option will allow up to four items to be displayed on 
     the screen at one time. If the shadow option is not 
     invoked the screen has the ability to display up to 
     five items on the screen at one time.

/V - The "V" option represents the echo mode or "verbose 
     mode. This means that all commands within the module to 
     be executed, will be printed, or echoed to the screen 
     as they are processed. This option is very effective in 
     troubleshooting commands that don't appear to be 
     working as they should. Inserting the MS-DOS command 
     "PAUSE" at the end of a command list will give you a 
     list of each command followed by its result if one is 
     supplied.

/T - A "T"  invokes the display time option. If this option 
     is invoked a continuously running representation of the 
     current time is displayed in the lower right corner of 
     the screen along the copyright bar. An AM or PM is 
     inserted after the time to denote whether the current 
     time is reflecting morning or evening. The format of 
     the time is displayed as - 
	HOUR:MINUTE:SECOND  [AM | PM]

/D - A "D" invokes the display date option. If this option 
     is invoked a representation of the current date is 
     displayed in the lower left corner of the screen along 
     the copyright bar. The format of the date is displayed 
     as MONTH/DAY/YEAR.

-XXX.MCF - This option allows the user to pass a specific 
	   menu file to the program. If this option is used 
	   the current directory is searched first for the 
	   named file. If the file is not found, each 
	   directory included in the "PATH" command is then 
	   searched. This gives the user the ability to save 
	   several different menus each containing different 
	   applications. The .MCF file extension is optional 
	   for this argument, if it is not included, the 
	   extension will automatically be appended to the 
	   file that is placed on the command line.


MENU SYNTAX:
		[DRIVE:][\PATH]EDMENU [/S | /V | /T | /D | -XXX.MCF]

Adding Menu to the Path Command:
	To run the program from any location in the machine, you must add the 
	menu directory to the PATH command which is usually declared inside 
	autoexec.bat file.  This can be done, on any text editor. To implement 
	this feature the menu path ( [DRIVE:][\PATH] ) needs to be appended to 
	the end of the "PATH" command.

	EXAMPLE:        PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\MENU




MOVEMENT WITHIN THE MENU:
	Movement from within the menu can be accomplished through the use of 
	a pointing device. The currently supported pointing devices include 
	the keyboard, a mouse, or the On-Command remote unit (hand-held 
	keyboard).

Keyboard
	If you choose to use your keyboard as the pointing device, there are 
	several keys which take on special meaning in the menu program, they 
	are as follows:
	Space Bar - In some modes the space bar will be used as 
		 a device to toggle between different 
		 options.

	Escape Key - The escape key is important since it will 
		  exit from any screen you are currently 
		  working in. This is helpful if you get 
		  into some menu option by mistake, escape 
		  will always get you out. The escape key is 
		  also used for exiting the menu. If you 
		  wish to exit the menu at any time, the 
		  escape key will bring you back to MS-DOS.

	Enter (Return key) - The enter key will select any 
			  option that is currently 
			  highlighted.

	Function Keys (F1 - F10) - The function key usage will 
				vary depending upon how you 
				get the menu package 
				configured. The function 
				keys are normally used to 
				run external programs and 
				utilities that have been 
				installed with the program.

	Arrow Keys - The arrow keys on the keyboard are used to 
		  move from one menu selection to another. 
		  The current option is usually highlighted 
		  so that you know your current position in 
		  the menu.
	NOTE: In order to use the arrow keys on the keyboard 
	   number pad, be sure the number lock is not 
	   activated.

Mouse
	If you wish to use a mouse as your primary pointing device your mouse 
	driver must first be installed before entering the program. To install 
	your mouse driver correctly consult your mouse users manual. Once this 
	has been accomplished, the menu can be run almost entirely from the 
	mouse, with the exception of entering text.  The buttons on the mouse 
	represent assignment keys within the menu to accomplish certain tasks.

Mouse Key Assignment
3 Button Mouse:
	The left button is defined as the "ESCAPE" key.  The right button is 
	defined as the "ENTER" key.  The middle button is defined as 
	combination key "ALT-O" in the Menu and function key F1 in the Editor. 
	If the user wishes to enter an escape they need only to hit the left 
	button. To use the enter key you only need to hit the right button. To 
	issue an F1 call you should hit the middle button.

2 Button Mouse:
	The left button is defined as the "ESCAPE" key.  The right button is 
	defined as the "ENTER" key.  When both the left and the right key are 
	pressed simultaneously a combination key "ALT-O" in the Menu or the 
	function key F1 in the Editor is produced. If the user wishes to enter 
	an escape they need only to hit the left button. To use the enter key 
	you only need to hit the right button. To issue an F1 call you should 
	hit both mouse buttons at the same time.

Mouse Movement
	Movement with the mouse is accomplished in the same manner with both 
	types of mouse. Moving the mouse in an upwards or downwards direction 
	along a flat surface will act as the arrow keys and move the 
	highlighted box up and down on the screen.





ON-COMMAND Hand Held Remote
	If this option is used as the pointing device the on-command driver 
	must be installed before entering the menu program. To accomplish 
	this correctly you should consult your on-command users manual. A 
	file has been included on the menu system disk which is the 
	on-command menu file (MENU.MAC). This file should be included on the 
	on-command command line to get the maximum usage out of the remote 
	unit. On-command keys that have special meaning.

	ON-COMMAND MENU MOVEMENT
	Arrow Keys                       Menu Movement

	End, Exit                        Escape Key

	1-10                             The function keys F1 - F10

	Enter, Run                       Enter Key or Return Key

	Space                            Space Bar

	Y                                This button will give a yes   
					 to questions asked

	N                                This button will give a no to 
					 questions asked

	Menu                             This will invoke the menu  
					 program from anywhere in DOS. 
					 Provided the On-Command Driver has been
					 installed.





			       THE OPTION BAR

     The Option Bar can be thought of as a small menu within a menu. Any 
     programs that have fixed arguments or parameters each time you call them 
     can be placed on the option bar.  Once the option bar has appeared on 
     your screen, you may then select any of your favorite programs with the 
     press of a button.  The option bar can be accessed through the menu 
     system itself.
     The option bar is called directly from within the menu environment.  
     This gives you the ability to define programs in which you never need 
     to change the program configuration (the option bar) as well as programs 
     whose configurations you can change easily (the menu environment).
	
CALLING OPTION BAR: ALT-O
	When you hold down the alternate key on the keyboard and 
	simultaneously press the "O" key (not zero), the option bar pops up 
	on top of your menu. Once the option bar is on your screen the item 
	on the top row, left corner becomes highlighted. You can now move 
	around the option bar as you wish until the program you wish to run 
	becomes highlighted.  

Option Bar Movement and Selection
     There are several ways to move around within the option bar.  You may 
     use the arrow keys on the keyboard, if you have a mouse installed you 
     can simply slide the mouse along the desk in the direction you wish to 
     move.  If you have the On-Command hand held remote system, you can 
     choose the arrow keys on the remote unit.
     If your option bar contains more than one row of program options, you 
     can move up and down rows, as well as along rows, to make your selection.
     To select the desired option, once you have positioned the highlight 
     bar over the desired option, you simply hit <ENTER> on the keyboard, 
     mouse, or remote button.

     For specific keyboard key assignments, mouse button assignments, or 
     On-Command key assignments, please refer to "Movement within the Menu" 
     section in the MENU chapter of this manual.
	NOTE: In order to use the arrow keys on the keyboard number pad, 
	      make sure the NUMBER LOCK is not activated.

     Once the application program has been completed, you will return to the 
     same place you called the option bar from.


Permanent Modules
There are six (6) permanent modules that exist in the option bar.  They are: 
Settings, Editor, Help, Info, Filex, and Clock.  Each of these will be 
discussed in the sections following this one.


Adding Modules
You may add any programs to the Option Bar, as long as you physically add 
them to the "SYSMOD.SS" file.  They must be added in the correct format.  The
format is as follows:

    <filename>|<file description>|NULL

The filename will be the program name.  The file description will be used in 
the Help Menu to describe which key is assigned to this program.  The NULL is
necessary because the third field is used for calling the permanent modules.
Each item is seperated by the pipe symbol ("|");

To add this information, you may use any editor (i.e. Edlin or Edit).  Then
simply add the information to the "SYSMOD.SS" file.  Now, when you access
the Option Bar, your files will be listed with the permanent modules.
Moreover, if you access the Help Menu, you will notice that a key assignment
has been assigned to your program.  You may now call the program by simply
hitting the assigned key combination.

   Note: Since you cannot include the path where the file exists, you should
	 add the desired path to your "PATH= " statement in your autoexec.bat
	 file.  Otherwise, the program will most likely not be found.




			      THE EDM SETTINGS

OVERVIEW
The EDM Settings option allows you to assign certain characteristics to your 
menu, which are then reflected in the way the menu is displayed on the screen.  
The EDM Settings are listed in a pop-up menu which has the option on the 
left side of the menu, and its current setting on the right side.

Specifics
The function key assignment for this option is F1.  
There are six attributes that can be added to the menu internally.  They are 
shadow, echo, time, date, tension, and exit verification.  These menu 
settings can either be turned off or on.  This is done in one of three ways:
  (1) By using the space bar to change from "OFF" to "ON" 
      and vice versa.
  (2) By using the <ENTER> key, either on the keyboard or on 
      the mouse, to change from "OFF" to "ON", and vice 
      versa.
  (3) By moving the mouse to change from "OFF" to "ON" and 
      vice versa.
Once the user has set all the menu settings that he/she desires, the user 
must hit <ESCAPE> on either the keyboard or the mouse.  All the changes made 
will exist until the user changes them.
 
Shadow - All boxes in the menu can be represented with or 
	 without a shadow.  For the menu, this means that if 
	 the shadow is off, up to five boxes can be shown on 
	 the screen at any one time.  If there is a shadow, 
	 only four boxes can be shown on the screen at any 
	 one time.  The shadow does not affect anything, it 
	 just distinguishes the boxes more completely.

Echo - If the echo is on, all commands of the chosen module 
       will be printed to the screen as they are processed.  
       If the echo is off, the user will not see the 
       commands.  The benefit of having the echo on, is that 
       if a desired process does not execute properly, the 
       user may see a DOS system error which will help 
       explain the dilemma.

Time - Time will be shown in the bottom, right corner of the 
       screen if the time setting is on.  If the user does 
       not wish to have the time displayed, he/she may turn 
       it off.

Date - The date will be shown in the bottom, left corner of 
       the screen if the date setting is on.  Again, if the 
       user does not wish to have the date on the screen, 
       he/she may turn it off.


Tension - This is the tension of the mouse.  It ranges from 
	  1 to 4.  1 is the least amount of tension, meaning 
	  the mouse moves very quickly on the screen.  4 is 
	  the most tension, meaning the mouse moves more 
	  slowly.  Thus, as you increase the tension, the 
	  movement of the mouse will be easier to control.  
	  This tension setting does not affect the program 
	  in any way, it just enables the user to have more 
	  control over the movement of the mouse.

Verify Exit - This determines whether the user is asked to 
	      verify that he/she wishes to return to DOS.  
	      If "YES" is selected, a question will pop-up 
	      asking you to verify that you wish to exit.  
	      If this option is "NO", you will simply exit 
	      to DOS.

Saver Time - This determines how many minutes will pass before the screen 
	     saver activates.  This value can range from 1 to 4 minutes. 
	     Once the screen saver is activated, hitting any key will bring
	     you back to the menu.



				   EDITOR

The editor allows the user to customize the menu as he/she desires.  The user 
may edit an existing module by highlighting it and then selecting the edit 
option.  At this time, the commands needed to run this particular application 
are displayed to the screen.  Generally, the form is:
     - drive
     - path
     - program name or batch file

Once the user enters the editor, he/she has many specialized options.

Options:
Editing Commands - This concerns the actual editing of commands within the 
edit box.  There are three specific keys for adding a line and deleting a 
command.
  (1) Control-B - This will insert a line above the 
		  currently highlighted bar.  A new 
		  highlight bar will occur at this spot and 
		  the user will be expected to enter a new 
		  command.  If the user does not wish to add 
		  a new command after hitting Control-B, 
		  he/she may hit <ESC> and the new line will 
		  disappear and the lines below will move up 
		  one.  If the user wants to add a new 
		  command, he/she must type in the new 
		  command and hit <ENTER>.

  (2) Control-I and Enter - Either of these two keys will 
			    add a new line below the 
			    currently highlighted line.  
			    Again, if the user does not wish 
			    to enter a new command after 
			    hitting either of these key 
			    assignments, he/she must hit 
			    <ESC> and the new highlight bar 
			    will disappear and the highlight 
			    bar will highlight the previous 
			    command.  If the user wishes to 
			    enter a new command, just type 
			    in the command and hit <ENTER>.

  (3) Control-D - This deletes the currently highlighted 
		  line.  



To edit a line, move the highlight bar to the desired line.  Then, just type 
in the correct text.  If you are typing on a line which had some text, it 
will disappear as soon as you type in the first character of your new text.  
However, if you hit <ESC> before hitting <ENTER>, the old line will be 
restored.

When adding a new module, the first line in the edit box will be highlighted 
with nothing in it.  This tells the user that the program is expecting some 
input.  If the user does not wish to enter any commands, just hit <ESC>.
The <ESC> key will get the user out of the edit box with all the changes 
intact, unless the user hits <ESC> at the end of newly inputted line.  In 
this case, the new line will disappear, and the preceding line will be 
highlighted.  If the user hits <ESC> now, he/she will exit the edit box with 
all changes intact.
NOTE: If the user wishes to save the changes made to the 
      modules, see Save and Save-as below.  If the user 
      wishes to undo these changes, see Undo below.
     

EDITOR OPTION BAR
F1 is the function key for the editor option bar.  It can also be called by 
hitting the middle button of a three button mouse, or by hitting both buttons 
on a two button mouse.  The editor option bar includes only those options 
that are relevant to the editor.  It operates just as the menu option bar 
did.  The desired option can be chosen in one of three ways.
    (1) By hitting the capitalized letter of the desired 
	option.
    (2) By moving the highlight bar, with the mouse, the 
	arrow keys, or the space bar, to the desired option 
	and hit the <ENTER> key.
    (3) By hitting the specified function key assignment of 
	the desired option. NOTE: This does not work while 
	you are in the option bar.


The editor option bar provides the user with eight (8) options.

Add a Module
The function key assignment is F2.  This option allows the user to add a 
module after the module that is being highlighted.  When this option is 
chosen, the user is asked to input the needed data.  First, a box will appear 
asking for the title of the new module.  If you wish to enter a title, just 
type it in and hit <ENTER>.  If you do not wish to add a module once you 
enter this option, just hit <ESC>.  If the user typed in a title and hit 
<ENTER>, a blank box will appear asking the user to input the commands needed 
to execute this new module.  A blank line is their so that the user knows 
that the computer is waiting for some input.  If the user hits <ESC> now, 
the module still exists and will be added to the menu.  However, it will be 
empty since no commands were entered.  If the user wishes to enter any 
commands, just follow the steps outlined in "Editing Commands."    


Delete a Module
The function key assignment is F3.  This option allows the user to delete the 
module that is presently being highlighted.  Before the deletion occurs, a 
warning box will appear asking for verification.  If you do not wish to 
delete the module, you must choose "NO."  This can be done in four ways:
  (1) Hit "N" or "n" on the keyboard.
  (2) Hit the space bar until "No" appears.
  (3) Hit the arrow keys until "No" appears.
  (4) Move the mouse until "No" appears.
Once "No" is highlighted, hit <ENTER>.  The same options hold for yes, except 
that the user is looking for "Yes" and may hit "Y" or "y" instead.


Rename an Item
The function key for this is F4.  This option allows the user to change the 
name of the highlighted module.  A box will appear asking the user to input a 
new title.  If the user does not wish to change the title of the module, 
he/she must hit <ESC>.  Otherwise, the user needs to enter the new title 
name and hit <ENTER>.


Change Title
The function key assignment is F5.  This allows you to change the title of 
the Menu.  Once this   selected, you will be instructed to enter the new 
title followed by an <ENTER>.  Again, if you hit <ESC> before <ENTER>, the 
title will not change.


Undo Changes
The function key assignment is F6.  This option will undo all changes made 
since the last save.  Thus, all this option does is reload the .MCF file that 
the user is using.  Therefore, if any previous changes had been saved, the 
undo will include those changes.


Save Changes
The function key assignment is F7.  This option will save the menu as it 
exists.  Thus, any changes made to the menu will be saved over the .MCF file 
that is being used.


Save As
The function key assignment is F8.  A box will appear with the existing .MCF 
file, and will ask the user to input the new .MCF file name.  If the user 
does not wish to save the menu, he/she may hit <ESC> and it will not be saved.  
Otherwise, the user may enter the new file name and hit <ENTER>.  NOTE: The 
user need not add an extension.  If one is added, it will be stripped off 
and the ".MCF" extension will be added automatically.  Moreover, even though 
the entire path is shown in the Change File Name box, you may not add a path 
to your filename.  You may only type in a new filename.


Change Call-Type
The function key for this is F9.  This is an option that should only be used 
by the more experienced user.  This option allows the user to define what 
call-type each command within the module should have.  The default call for 
each command is a DOS system call.  In almost all cases, the user will want 
to use the default case.  However, if a program is too large to load into 
memory while the menu is loaded, the user may choose between two other calls.  
First, the user can execute a program and return to the menu.  Or second, 
the user can execute a program and not return to the menu, but instead to 
DOS.
When this option is called, two windows will appear.  The first shows what 
the command is and what the existing call is.  The second window contains 
the three choices:
       - CALL TO DOS
       - EXECUTE - RETURN
       - EXECUTE - NO RETURN

If the existing call-type is correct, the user may hit <ESC> and nothing will 
change.  If the user wants to change the call-type, he/she can move the 
highlight bar, with the arrow keys or the mouse, to the desired call-type and 
hit <ENTER>.





				HELP SCREEN

The Help Screen can be selected within the menu from the option bar or by 
function key F3.  It gives a listing of all the fixed modules, as well as 
user established modules, with their corresponding function key assignment.  
If there are over 10 modules, the help screen will show that for modules 11 
through 20 will have an added shift to the function key.  For modules 21 
through 30, the help screen will show that a Control must be added.

For example, F2 is a function key for the Editor, Shift-F2 could be an 
assignment to some user defined module, and Control-F2 could be a function 
key for some other user defined module.

For the most part, a user will not encounter the need for using the Shift and 
Control buttons, but as more and more user defined modules are added, the 
need for these buttons will become evident.  





			     INFORMATION SCREEN

The information screen can be selected within the menu from the option bar or 
by function key F4.  This screen provides the user with data regarding the 
"EASY DOS MENU."  It includes the version number, the revision number, the 
specific serial number of the disk, as well as the year of the copyrighted 
disk.  Moreover, it provides the user with Serial Solution's address and 
phone number.



			    


			      FILE EXECUTION
			       Version 1.21


OVERVIEW
	The File Execution module gives the user an environment in which they 
	can run any MS-DOS program or batch file from the menu screen. The 
	program to be run does not have to exist as a menu option. 


STAND ALONE FILEX       
	The File Execution routine can be run as a stand alone program which 
	can act as a program monitor executing the users applications. The 
	command line syntax is as follows:
	
	   FILEX [drive:][\complete DOS path]

	The user can specify a path name that file execution will change to 
	on initialization of the program. If no argument is passed to the 
	program on the command line the current subdirectory will be used. 
	The command line options are both optional and either or both may be 
	used.
  


SCREEN LAYOUT
	The File Execution screen contains three boxes in the center of the 
	screen and a program option box along the bottom of the screen. The 
	title bar along the top of the screen displays the program name and 
	version number. The current drive and path name are in the 
	highlighted line along the bottom of the screen.
	The three boxes in the center of the screen contain the files that 
	exist in the directory, the directories that are related to the 
	current directory and the valid drives that your system possesses. 
	These three boxes are labeled FILES, DIRECTORIES, and DRIVES. 


PROGRAM OPTION BOX
	The program option box has four choices available to the user. These 
	options are Execute File - Change Directory - Change Drive - Exit. 
	These options are selected by positioning the highlight bar over the 
	option of choice using the control keys and pressing the ENTER key.



FILEX MOVEMENT AND SELECTION
	SPACE BAR: The space bar will move the highlight bar to the right, 
		   wrapping around the screen when the end of the options are 
		   reached.
	RIGHT ARROW: The right arrow key will also move the highlight bar to 
		     the right as it proceeds through the options, wrapping 
		     around to the beginning when it reaches the far right 
		     side.
	LEFT ARROW: The left arrow key moves the highlight bar to the left 
		    side of the screen wrapping around at the beginning to 
		    the end of the options.
	ESC : The escape key serves the same purpose as the exit option on 
	      the program options. The program is exited and returned to the 
	      menu or the normal dos environment where it was called from.



PROGRAM FEATURES
Execute File:
	The execute file option places the highlight bar in the FILES window 
	on the left side of the screen. The user is then able to select the 
	file they would like to run. The user can use the up and down arrow 
	keys to scroll through the window to the file they would like to 
	execute.

	ESC: If the escape key is hit inside the files window 
	     the highlight bar returns to the program option 
	     box and no application is run.

	ENTER: If the enter key is depressed on a file from 
	       inside the execute file option, The program 
	       option box is cleared with the application that 
	       was chosen placed there. The program option box 
	       will now say RUNNING-><USER APPLICATION> with a 
	       flashing cursor following the application on the 
	       proceeding line. At this point the user /can 
	       enter command line arguments for the program or 
	       just hit the ENTER key again if there are no 
	       arguments.
	NOTE: If the application chosen is not a .EXE, .COM, or 
	      .BAT file, an error message will appear since 
	      these are the only types of DOS programs that can 
	      be run.


Change Directory: This option will allow the user to change 
		  to a directory that is directly related to 
		  it. In other words the user can 
		  automatically change from a directory to 
		  its parent(e.g. .. ) or to one of its 
		  child subdirectories( e.g. one that is 
		  attached to it at a lower level in the 
		  directory hierarchy). When this option is 
		  selected the first item in the directory 
		  box becomes highlighted. The user can then 
		  scroll up and down until the directory of 
		  choice is selected.
	ESC: The escape key makes the highlight in the 
	     directory box disappear and the highlight returns 
	     to the  program option box. The user is then free 
	     to make another selection.

	ENTER: The enter key will select the highlighted 
	       directory as the current directory. The file 
	       window will fill with the new files within that 
	       subdirectory. The directories which are related 
	       to the selected directory will become the active 
	       names in the subdirectory window. 


Change Drive Option: The change drive option allows the user 
		     to change the current logged drive in 
		     which the system is active. The letters 
		     that appear in the box are the possible 
		     drive configurations that the system 
		     detected on initialization. When the 
		     change drive option is selected from 
		     the program option box, the first drive 
		     specification in the drive box is 
		     highlighted. The user can then scroll 
		     up and down to select the drive of 
		     their choice.
	ESC: The escape key will make the highlight bar 
	     disappear from the drive selection box, and will 
	     reappear in the program option box. The user is 
	     then free to move about the program option box and 
	     make a new selection.

	ENTER: If a drive is selected and the enter key is 
	       depressed the system changes over to the new 
	       drive spec. chosen by the user. The system picks 
	       up the current default directory on that drive 
	       and fills out the directory window with all the 
	       child subdirectories of the current directory. 
	       All the files in this directory are then filled 
	       out in the file window. The highlight now 
	       appears in the program option box, ready for the 
	       user to make a new selection. The drive box 
	       remains constant through the execution of the 
	       program since valid drives are static with any 
	       given system.
     NOTE: There are a number of possible error messages at 
	   the drive selection option, the most common of 
	   which is a floppy drive has been selected and the 
	   drive is not ready.

 

Exit: The exit option closes out the program and returns the 
      user back to the menu program or to the DOS level if 
      the program was being run as a stand alone.. On exit 
      all memory used by the program is returned to the 
      system.
 

FUNCTION KEY OPTIONS
F1: Function Key F1 will bring up a blank line in the
    program options box. A flashing Cursor will be present 
    at the left side of the line. The user is able to enter 
    any command at this point. Valid Commands include the 
    full path name to any program that doesn't exist in the 
    current subdirectory( e.g. c:\lotus\123, etc...) or any 
    valid dos command ( DIR, TYPE, etc...) or any program 
    that can be found by the PATH environmental variable. 

    Once an application is run a message will appear at the bottom of the 
    screen which says " HIT ANY KEY TO RETURN TO FILE EXECUTION ". Once the 
    user depresses a key the file execution screen will return and be ready 
    for the next command.

F2: Directory Statistics. If the F2 key is selected the 
    system will take a quick scan of the current 
    subdirectory and report several vital statistics of the 
    directory.
    Organization of the statistics box is as follows:
		   1). PATH
		   2). FILES
		   3). BYTES USED
		   4). BYTES FREE

     PATH: This line tells what subdirectory the scan is 
	   occurring for. ( otherwise known as the current 
	   directory).

     FILES: This is the number of files that reside in the 
	    current sub-directory. This file number includes 
	    all subdirectories and includes them as files.  
	    (This means that the entry on the number of 
	    files line is the actual number of items in the 
	    sub-directory files and directories)

     BYTES USED: This number is the sum of all the sizes of 
		 all the files in the directory. In essence 
		 the number given on this line is the total 
		 size of the subdirectory. The files in 
		 lower subdirectories are not included in 
		 this number.

     BYTES FREE: This number should be the same from all 
		 subdirectories, it is the total number of 
		 available bytes left in the system.

     NOTE: The user has an additional option from the 
	   directory statistics window, which is that of 
	   window statistics. The window statistics are 
	   going to be the same in most cases unless an F5 
	   (LOAD ON) routine has been used.

SEE FUNCTION KEY INDEX - F5 - LOAD ON - for more information on that function. The window statistics are laid out in an identical format as the directory statistics. To execute the window statistics the user would hit function key F1 from inside the directory statistics.

			PATH:
			FILES:
			BYTES USED:
			BYTES FREE:

     PATH: This entry in the window is the current path of 
	   the present subdirectory.

     FILES: This number is the number of files that are 
	    currently used in the window. The number is 
	    different from the directory statistics if the 
	    user has done a LOAD BY.. function before 
	    performing this operation.

     BYTES USED: This number is the total number of bytes 
		 used in the files that are presently 
		 located in the window. The number of bytes 
		 can be different from the regular directory 
		 statistics if the user has done a LOAD ON.. 
		 function (F5) before performing this 
		 function.

     BYTES FREE: This number is the total number of bytes 
		 free in the system and should always be the 
		 same as the directory statistics entry.


F3: REVERSE FILE SORT - The reverse file sort resorts 
    the files in the file window. The default order is 
    ascending order and will always bring up the files in 
    this sorted order. The reverse sort changes the order in 
    which the are sorted and this order is maintained 
    throughout the execution of the program. If the files 
    are in ascending order and the reverse sort is executed 
    the files will be sorted in descending order. If the 
    files are in ascending order and the reverse sort is 
    executed the files will be sorted in ascending order.




F4: LOAD ON... - This function is performed by hitting the 
    F4 key. A box with a LOAD ON.. Title will appear with a 
    flashing cursor before the highlighted line. The User at 
    this point will need to enter a string on which they 
    would like the files in the file box entered. All DOS 
    wildcards are valid in the LOAD ON... function. Some 
    examples of LOAD ON.. strings are the following, *.*, 
    *.exe, 123.* f??.* etc.. Once the user has entered the 
    string they should hit enter. The file box at this point 
    will contain only the files in the current subdirectory 
    that match this file pattern. The highlight bar should 
    now appear in the program option box so the user is now 
    free to perform any normal operation.
    NOTE: The file statistics of the window are now 
	  available in the window statistics. See (F2 - 
	  DIRECTORY STATISTICS)

F5: KEY ASSIGNMENTS - The key assignments box gives the user 
    a quick reference to what each function key does. The 
    key assignment box is layed out as follows:

					F1 - RUN FILE (PROGRAM )
					F2 - DIR. STATISTICS
					F3 - REVERSE FILE SORT
					F4 - LIST ON...
					F5 - KEY ASSIGNMENTS

ERROR MESSAGES
	1. "Invalid Subdirectory Name" - This error occurs when 
	the user tries to change to a subdirectory that does 
	not exist. This error is commonly caused by a 
	misspelling of the directory name.

	2. "Invalid Drive Specification" - This error occurs 
	when the user tries to change to a drive that does 
	not exist on the system. The user should check which 
	drives are valid on their particular system.

	3. "Not Enough Memory to Allocate" - This error occurs 
	when the program tries to create an internal 
	structure and their is not enough memory in the 
	system to allocate space for it. This error can only 
	be fixed by increasing the size of the users system.

	4. "Not Enough Memory To Execute" - This error occurs 
	when the user is trying to execute a program and it 
	is so large that it can not fit into the available 
	memory with the file execution program. This can 
	possibly be fixed by unloading all active programs 
	from memory except the file execution program and 
	retrying the execution of the program. The only 
	other remedy is for the user to increase the size of 
	their systems memory.

	5. "Not An Executable File" - This error occurs when 
	the user has chosen a file from the file box and 
	tried to execute it. The cause is that the chosen 
	file is not an executable file, in other words it is 
	not able to be executed. The MS-DOS file 
	configurations are that only files with the 
	extensions of .EXE, .COM, and .BAT can be executed. 
	The user should re-examine the file and only execute 
	an executable file.

	6. "Argument List Exceeds 128 Bytes" - This error 
	occurs when the user has selected a file to execute 
	and the command line argument was to long. The 
	remedy for this error is to re-check the command 
	line argument and try again.

	7. "COMMAND.COM Can Not Be Found" - This error occurs 
	if the user has tried to execute a file and the 
	operating system can not be found. The user must 
	check the system and most likely re-install the 
	operating system in their machine.

	8. "The COMMAND.COM File Is invalid" - This error 
	occurs if the user tries to execute a file and the 
	operating system is found but it is either installed 
	incorrectly or it is corrupted. The user should at 
	this point go back to the DOS level and re-install 
	the operating system.


	  


				   CLOCK

This module allows the user to change the time and date of the PC.  It can 
be selected within the menu from the option bar or by function key F6, or it 
can be used as a stand alone program.  Once selected, a box will appear with 
TIME and DATE.  Select the desired choice and hit <ENTER>.

For TIME: The current time will be displayed.  Choose the       
	  hour, minute, or second option.  Once chosen, you 
	  may change the value using the up arrow to 
	  decrement the value by 1.  Or use the down arrow 
	  to increment the value by 1.  Once the desired 
	  value is found, hit <ENTER>.  Again, if you hit 
	  <ESC> before selecting <ENTER>, no change will 
	  occur.

For DATE: the same holds true for date as it did with time, 
	  except that the user can change the year, month, 
	  and day.






				 COLOR SCREEN


The color screen allows you to customize the color scheme of the menu.  The 
color screen option can be reached from within the option bar or by hitting 
the function key F5.

When activated, the color screen will have three (3) independent windows on 
the screen.
The top box shows which area of the menu to change.  There are eleven (11) 
choices:
   1) Menu Background
   2) Title Background
   3) Title Text
   4) Non-active Border
   5) Non-active Background
   6) Non-active Text
   7) Active Border
   8) Active Background
   9) Active Text
  10) Footbar Background
  11) Footbar Text
The non-active boxes are those that cannot be chosen until they are 
highlighted.  This is to ensure that the user can distinguish which box 
he/she is currently on.  The active box is the currently highlighted box, 
which a user can select to run that application or to use the editor.

The middle window is a sample look at the menu.  It is displayed with the 
colors currently selected for the menu.  As you change a color, the color 
change will be reflected here.

The bottom window shows the key assignments used in the color screen.  The 
Up and Down arrows are used to scroll through the eleven (11) areas to change.  
The Right and Left arrows are used to actually change the color of the chosen 
area.  The <Esc> key will EXIT from the color screen with the previous colors 
still in place.  The <ENTER> key will EXIT the color screen with the color 
changes saved.

As you scroll through the options (using the Up and Down arrows), the areas of 
the menu will change in the top box.  If you wish to change the color of the 
currently dsiplayed area, use the Right and Left arrows to change the color.  
You will notice that the change is reflected in the sample menu.  Once you 
have made all the desired changes, hit the <ENTER> key if you wish to save 
your changes.  If you do not wish to save your changes, or just wish to leave 
the color screen, hit the <ESC> key.





			    EDM ERROR MESSAGES

 1. "<Filename> Not Found in Current Directory" - This 
    particular file could not be located.

 2. "No Menu Definition File Found" - The program could not 
    locate a .MCF file.  User should copy the "DEMO.MCF" 
    file from the INSTALL disk.

 3. "Not Enough Memory To Allocate" - There is an internal 
    lack of memory.  The user should remove any TSR's 
    (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) that may be in 
    memory.

 4. "No Menu File Found" - The program could not locate a 
    .MCF file.  User should copy the "DEMO.MCF" file from 
    the INSTALL disk.

 5. "<Filename> Not Found" - This particular file could not 
    be located.

 6. "Necessary internal files were not found" - There are 
    necessary internal file(s) missing.  User should contact 
    IST to find out how to address this problem.
 
 7. Necessary internal files could not be opened" - The 
    necessary internal file(s) are either missing or are 
    corrupted.  The user should contact Serial Solutions to 
    determine how to address this problem.

 8. "<Filename> Was not found" - This particular file could 
    not be found.  It does not exist, at least in the path 
    that the user felt it resided.

 9. "<Filename> has no Description" - The description of an 
    internal file(s) does not exist.

10. "Argument List Exceeds 128 Bytes" - The command line 
    cannot exceed 128 bytes.  The user must shorten the 
    command line.

11. "Invalid Mode Flag" - An invalid mode flag was passed to 
    the program.  User should see the Command Line Arguments 
    section.

12. "File or Path Not Found" - The specified file or path 
    could not be located.  User should verify the file and 
    path.  Most likely, the module will need to be edited.

13. "Invalid Executable File Format" - User tried to execute 
    a file which is not executable, or corruption has 
    occurred within the executable file itself.  User should 
    verify the file.

14. "Not Enough Memory Available" - There is an internal 
    lack of memory.  The user should remove any TSR's 
    (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) that may be in 
    memory.

15. "Invalid Menu Definition File" - The desired .MCF file 
    has been corrupted.  The user should reload the 
    "DEMO.MCF" file from the Menu disk or the user can look 
    at the Menu Definition section and correct the problem 
    through the editor of your choice.

16. "Access denied to internal files" - The system has 
    denied you access to some internal file(s).

17. "System Incorrectly installed" - The menu was not 
    installed properly.  You should try to re-install it.  
    If it still fails, contact Serial Solutions.

18. "<Filename> could not be opened" - Specified file either 
    does not exist or is corrupted.

19. "Could not write to file <filename>" - The system would 
    not allow the program to write to the specified program.

20. "Could not run external program" - External file either 
    does not exist, does not exist in specified path, or is 
    corrupted.

21. "Duplicate Program: Menu is Already in Memory" - The 
    user is not allowed to call the Menu within the Menu.
