================================================== A M I R A G E D I S K M E N U Documentation. ================================================== ADM V1.1a- A Public Domain Disk-Menu Selector. Written by Ian Goffe (Kryten) of AMIRAGE in 1992. What the 'eck is this Disk-Menu-Thingy? --------------------------------------- The AMIRAGE Disk-Menu was designed to give compilation disks a more professional look. Most compilations are put together relatively quickly with the use of a key-map editor, such as SETKEY; but a 'glossy' display is pretty difficult to show on ye old workbench screen, isn't it? Ok, so other menu-systems have been written, eg. Menu Master, but I think you will like the features of ADM:- - Upto 30 mouse-driven menu selections. The menu titles and associated cli line-calls are defined within a standard ASCII file. - Optional music can be played in the background; the filename/path of the module is given as a parameter to the routine. - The modules can also be in a crunched format with the use of Powerpacker, or a PP-compatible cruncher! The following module-types can be loaded directly, as ADM automatically distinguishes between the re-play routine required:- Soundtracker V2.xx/Noisetracker/Protracker. MED V2.10-V3.xx/Octamed (4 channels!) Modules. Games Music Creator. Soundmon. Jamcracker. Future Composer. - IMPORTANT NOTE:- The music must be in MODULE format, as for eg. MED SONGS are commonly used, but will not work - use MED MODULES! If the module type cannot be determined by the routine, ADM jumps automatically into GMC-replay mode; this is because I cannot find how to distinguish whether a module was written in GMC. (If you know better, please contact me!) - VU-Meter (Level indicator). Well, this is just a nicety, but a pretty one at that! - Scroller - Your own scroll text can be incorporated into the menu!!! - Optional Starfield - We wouldn't be without them, would we? - Pick from a set of pre-defined screen colour combinations. - PAUSE and PLAY music. - Saving of configured screen colours/starfield/music mode settings, as configuration file. Instructions. ------------- Follow the guidelines below, to set up a disk in order to use ADM, and all should be hunky-dorey!!! Pre-requisites -------------- - The "run" command is expected to be in the /c directory of the boot disk. - A file called 'MENU_TEXT' should be kept within the current directory; it contains the names to be displayed within the menu, and also the disk-title, along with the cli-commands, that invoke the selected program. The format of this Ascii file is... Disk Title (Max 32. characters) Selection 1 (Max 18. characters) Selection 2 " Selection 3 " etc... Last Selection name " L E A V E A B L A N K L I N E H E R E ! cli-command line to run selection 1 cli-command line to run selection 2 ...etc. The first title is the main heading for the menu, the next lines of text are the program names, that are displayed within the menu-screen. A blank line should then be inserted, which delimits the menu-text-definitions, and the cli-commands that are used to call a given program. There now should follow - again, on seperate lines - the cli-commands to invoke the respective selections, in the order that they are defined within the menu- display definitions. ADM automatically recognises how many selections are possible, and acts accordingly. If ADM cannot find the MENU_TEXT file, it will display a message, stating how naughty you have been, and exit! One final note on setting up the MENU_TEXT file, is that if you execute a program that automatically multitasks (eg. powerpacker), it may be necessary to exit directly to the CLI, once the program is called. This stops a chain-effect occuring if the script file that is handling the menu selections loops back into re-calling the menu-process after every program is called. To exit directly to the CLI from any selection, insert an asterisk (*) before the said cli-command definition. To illustrate the information given above, take a look at an example MENU_TEXT file to process 4 selections. The example is listed below. Note that each definition must be on a seperate line. The main points worth noting, are 1) the blank line after the final menu-display line, and 2) the asterisk prior to calling powerpacker, (ie. exits straight to CLI after invoking powerpacker!). of file...MENU_TEXT Main Menu Title Noisetracker MED V3 MED Main Doc. Powerpacker Utils/Noisetrack Utils/MED/MED More df1:documentation/med.doc *utils/powerpacker of file... MENU)TEXT - The file:- "Powerpacker.Library" (which should be on the same disk as this documentation!) is required in the LIBS directory of the boot-disk. - Scroll text file (Optional). To use your own scroll text, copy a standard ASCII file called "SCROLL_TEXT" into the current directory. The first 8K (8192 bytes) is loaded of any scroll-text, which should be more than enough!!! Any text editor can be used to enter the text, as ADM reads over a line feed character, without displaying it! There are some additonal character codes that can be added to your scroll text..... ^ (Shift and 6 - power) - Loop to start _ (Underscore) - Freeze text \ (Key to right of "+") - Fast scroll | (Shift and key to right of "+") - Slow scroll Program Control --------------- - Program selection - This couldn't be simpler; just click on the red marker, adjacent to the required selection. To load the selection, click on the load gadget (as detailed below). - On-Screen gadgets - To the left of the display are four gadgets, that are, in order of screen display:- STARFIELD ON/OFF CONTROL - Toggles between starfield and normal background mode. COLOUR SELECTION - Allows selection of one of the 16 pre-set colour combinations. ABOUT - Some info... LOAD - Loads the current selection. - Redefining the default display - To enter ADM with a different combination of colours/starfield/music pause mode; click on the save gadget (top right of display). This quits from ADM, but in the process, saves out a file to the current directory, called ADM.CFG. The file is read from disk, each time the menu is called, and reverts to the previously saved display parameters. - If music was requested, two control "buttons" are available to play, and pause the music, from left to right, respectively. The current mode, as defined by these two gadgets, is saved as part of the menu configuration file. These gadgets will be out of the NTSC display-area, but are not of prime importance for the ADM to operate! Invoking ADM ------------ - The ADM routine is invoked from the CLI with the following call:- ADM [drive:Name of Music Module] eg. ADM df1:music/modules/mod.sounds_good. - If there is not enough chip-memory for a music module, the music will not be loaded, but the menu will still be entered. This is useful if you have a wicked piece of music, but it needs more memory than a humble 512K can afford. Therefore, it would be fine to request the same module from a 512K machine, or an Amiga with >512K chip-mem, the only difference is that it will load into >512K, but not, with no adverse effect into 512K. Note that if you don't require any aural ambience, and a QUIET life is all that you are looking for, then just call ADM with no parameter! Control of selections. ---------------------- - The easiest method of controlling the menu selections, is with the use of a startup-sequence script file. All that is required is to call the executable file:- ADM, followed by ADM_CALL. ie. s/startup-sequence should take the form:- ADM df1:music_filename ; obtain selection ADM_CALL ; execute selection Summary of Requirements. ------------------------ RUN - Copy from your workbench disk (in C directory), to the C directory of the bootdisk. POWERPACKER.LIBRARY - In /LIBS directory of bootdisk MENU_TEXT - In current directory - holds text display for menu, and cli-command calls. ADM - Call to obtain selections ADM_CALL - Call after ADM, to execute progs! Optional files -------------- SCROLL_TEXT - Ascii file in current directory. ADM.CFG - Configuration file, containing pre-set colours/music/starfield settings, as saved from ADM. Distribution. ------------- This program is Public Domain, and can be freely distributed. However, it is appreciated if ALL of the files are included for distribution, as outlined below:- ADM - ADM - Main program ADM_CALL - Execution routine ADM.DOC - (This .doc file - IMPORTANT!!!) POWERPACKER.LIBRARY - A copy of Nico Francois's Powerpacker library. Thanks/Additional Credits. -------------------------- Nico Francois for Powerpacker.Library. Kaktus & Mahoney for the Noisetracker Replay Source. Teijo Kinnunen for the MED replay source. M. Gemmel for the Jamcracker replay source. Generally, all original authors of the music-replay routines! Metallion - Kefrens, for the 16x16 fonts. Mark Dow (Xylyon/Amirage) (for comments in the development of this program). Developed with:- ---------------- * Code - Hisoft's DEVPAC V2.15/V3.01 Assembler. * Graphics - Deluxe Paint III - Kefrens IFF Converter * Packed - Titanics Cruncher & Powerpacker V2.2a (Turbo Version) Finally.... ----------- This is V1.1a; the first release, so if you have a query, recommendations or additional features (ANY SOURCE FOR EXTRA MUSIC REPLAY ROUTINES????), or even bug-reports (perish at the thought!), etc. then write to... Ian Goffe (Kryten) AMIRAGE 60 Ravenhill Drive Codsall Staffs WV8 1BL ENGLAND. Bye for now... IJG (Kryten), 10th March, 1992.