Copyright: Registered Copyright ® 1994 Gregory Arias


Index

Welcome To GilaMenu Version 1.10

Merçi ! Thank you for taking the time to evaluate this software. Remember, though, that you must register the software after your evaluation period has expired.

GilaMenu is a small elegant popup menu system for Microsoft ® Windows 3.1 ™. With GilaMenu, you will take control of your Windows ™ environment. GilaMenu is quite unlike any of the other Program Manager look-a-like shells which you may find on commercial markets. GilaMenu does not consume your desktop and system resources as these other shells do. GilaMenu embraces the minimalist theory of shell design -- give the user power without sacrificing screen space and system resources. What is more, GilaMenu provides you with four different visual schemas to choose from, not simply one, because tastes are variable. This program is one of a kind. No other Microsoft ® Windows 3.1 ™ menuing system which I have ever seen either commercially or through shareware combines the degree of sophistication with the ease-of-use GilaMenu delivers. Period. This is the program which I always wanted to have but could never seem to find anywhere. Enjoy your evaluation !

QUICK START : Click the right mouse button down on any window's title bar or on the desktop to activate GilaMenu.

Background

These topics discuss the legal terms of the license, registration issues, the concept of shareware, what you need in terms of equipment to run GilaMenu, and the GilaMenu project from a personal perspective.

Dedication

About The Author

About Shareware

Features

License And Disclaimer

Registration And Support

System Hardware And Software Requirements

Bugs And Unregistered Feedback

IMPORTANT TOPIC

Run Time Files Created By GilaMenu

GilaMenu Options

These topics are listed in order exactly as they appear in the GilaMenu Options popup menu.

 Resources. Keep track of your system resources.

 Active Tasks. Switch tasks using this option.

 Fast Launch. Launch applications and documents fast.

 Edit Menu. Graphical way to edit your menu.

 Association Manager. Take control of associations between files and apps.

 Add PM Groups. Add Program Manager groups to the menu.

 Menu Options. Change the visual format of GilaMenu.

 Window Options. Arrange the windows and icons on your desktop.

 System Options. All the stuff Control Panel forgot.

 Exit Options. Choose from a host of shutdown options.

 Exit Windows. Provides a no questions asked quick drop out to DOS.


Dedication

First and foremost, this work is dedicated to my mother, father and sister, whose support and love through the rough times have made my dreams a reality.

To all the Ogres (aka professors) and their Hobgoblin henchmen (aka T.A.s) who have made my visit to C.U. (aka Cash-hording University) shere hell : Here's mud in your eye guys !!! (PS don't get me wrong...there are at least 7.275 decent professors and T.A.s who are interested in the intellectual toils of undergraduates on campus, so the previous sentence should not be taken as a blanket statement).


About The Author

Gregory Arias was born in Miami, Florida, USA, sometime after the sixties but before the eighties. His sole distinction as an infant was his ability to run before he could walk and his inability to speak until age four. He has lived in Boca Raton, FL, Philadelphia, PA, Columbus, OH and Boulder, CO. He wrote his first computer program at age twelve in basic, and at age fifteeen he wrote his first substantial program -- the board game Go -- also in basic. Greg graduated high school at Fairview in 1988 and entered the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, as a major in Biology. If only he had taken his exams more seriously and his drawing less so ( he did at one point aspire to be an artist by profession ) he probably would have enjoyed university much more. He has since changed his major to Biochemistry and Computer Science Applications, but still has trouble taking exams, T.A.'s, professors, homework and lectures (the "whole catastrophe" as Zorba put it) seriously. He also has a problem taking "About The Author" bits seriously.

Greg got into Windows programming back in 1990. He's remained addicted since, and has written several applications for his own consumption including a DBMS program for all his class notes (neato!) and an animated electronic book. He's a C/C++/ASM chauvinist, who is furthermore a "born again" Microsoft compiler user ever since Visual C++ hit the shelves of the local computer outlet. Greg is working on the development of an OCR scanner package, and also a Windows Help Development front-end that is a little more forgiving than the old MS-Word RTF hack. (He really wishes he had it finished so he could use it now!). GilaMenu is Greg's first shareware product ever (not bad,eh?) and he plans to continue writing shareware or commercial software for quite some time. Computer science is his hobby, and also, with all the hard work, patience and ambition he can muster, his profession. Yup, Greg's a computer geek with a capital "G."

At present he may be found wandering around the Science library or in his study before the computer screen ( recent top secret video footage recovered by the CIA shows a shadowy form sitting in the back of an organic chemistry lecture hall, which appears to match Mr. Arias' description, but this video is hardly conclusive ). He is an avid Monty Python fan. He is sardonic of outlook, tall in knowledge, wide of vision and short of stature. He has trouble varying the structure of his sentences. And yes, Greg still pursues those two degrees at C.U. even to this day. Maybe if enough of you register your software, he won't have to take a position at the local bar and grill to fund his education.


About Shareware

"WHAT IS SHAREWARE, ANYWAY?" -- A NO NONSENSE BLURB

Shareware is software for which the developer retains copyrights on the source code, but which is provided to the user for a FINITE evaluation period at no expense. In short, the author has given you his program without asking you to make any financial commitment before the fact. Let's get one thing clear, though : SHAREWARE IS NOT FREE SOFTWARE. You are allowed to use the software for free during the evaluation period, but if you use it beyond the evaluation period then you are obligated to pay the registration fee ( a fraction of the prices for commercial level software ). If a user does not pay the fee yet continues to use the software, that user has broken federal copyright law and the legal terms in the license agreement. This is a VERY VERY SERIOUS matter. There is no gray area. Theft is theft, whether a person wears a ski mask and brandishes a weapon or not.

WHY DO YOU PUT NAG DIALOGS IN YOUR SOFTWARE ?

Let me tell you first off that I do trust the "better angels of our nature" as Abraham Lincoln put it. I have proven this trust in you the user by giving you my software, which has taken well over 7 and a half months of daily work on my part, with no questions asked and without even paying for it. I know that because you are now reading this little monologue, that you are a person worthy of that trust, and who wants to understand exactly what their responsiblity is regarding shareware products. The reason I put nag dialogs (those things you see when you start up an unregistered copy) is that there are certain immoral people, unlike you, who would not think twice about breaking my trust and using this software beyond the evaluation period. People who do not pay the fee of registration yet continue to use the software are stealing. Fortunately, most of the people out there are honest and fair, just like you, and they recognize quality software at a super price when they see it. But, as the case so often seems to be there is a minority of indiviuals who spoil the ride for the majority of us. This minority of law breakers are those at whom the nag dialogs are aimed. How can we together combat these people ? Mostly through education by experienced shareware users like you. Tell your friends and co-workers just what shareware is all about. If you know of someone using shareware beyond the evaluation period without registering, please tell them that they are in fact defeating the very concept which brought this software to their computer in the first place. Without support of decent and law abiding users like you, a major force for innovation in software development would wither and die. So enjoy your evaluation of GilaMenu and thank you very much for taking time to read this. You are the reason I wrote GilaMenu in the first place !


License And Disclaimer

GILAMENU VERSION 1.10 LICENSE AGREEMENT

You should carefully read this license agreement. Using GilaMenu 1.10 constitutes acceptance of ALL the terms stated hereafter.

COPYRIGHT

GilaMenu Version 1.10 is composed of these files:

GEKKO.EXE

GEKKO.DLL

GEKKO.HLP

REGISTER.WRI

LICENSE.WRI

GilaMenu Version 1.10 Registered Copyright © 1994 Gregory Patrick Arias.

All Rights Reserved.

Microsoft ® and Windows ™ are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

REGISTRATION

See the file REGISTER.WRI for the many benefits of registration and a special limited time money-saving offer.

Act now, don't delay!!!

SHAREWARE VERSION

You are hereby granted license to use GilaMenu Version 1.10 for an evaluation period of 30 days, after which you must pay the registration fee to continue using GilaMenu Version 1.10. However, use of GilaMenu Version 1.10 during the 30-day evaluation period is free of charge.

You may make exact copies and distribute these copies of GilaMenu Version 1.10 and its documentation so long as there is no charge applied to distribution of these unmodified copies of GilaMenu Version 1.10.

You are specifically prohibited from charging or requesting donations for ANY and ALL copies of GilaMenu Version 1.10 or its documentation. You are prohibited from distributing GilaMenu Version 1.10 or any portion of GilaMenu Version 1.10 or its documentation as part of another product (commercial or otherwise) without PRIOR expressed written consent from me personally.

NOTE TO ASP APPROVED VENDORS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND DEALERS : If you wish to distribute and charge a fee for distribution of GilaMenu Version 1.10, please contact me directly at my mailing address (see register.wri) for an approved permission-to-distribute form, or fax me for a form at 1-303-499-7087. I will be pleased to review your request.

This is copyrighted software. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyright rights. You may not sub license, rent, lease, convey, modify, translate, convert to another programming language, decompile, or disassemble the software for any purpose.

You may make as many copies of this software as you need for backup purposes. You may use this software on more than one computer, provided there is no chance it will be used simultaneously on more than one computer. If you need to use the software on more than one computer simultaneously, please contact me directly for information about site license agreements.

UNREGISTERED USE OF GILAMENU VERSION 1.10 AFTER THE 30-DAY EVALUATION PERIOD IS IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS AND THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT UNDER LAW.

WARRANTY DISCLAIMER

THIS SOFTWARE, GILAMENU VERSION 1.10, AND THE ACCOMPANYING FILES, IS SOLD "AS IS." I, GREGORY ARIAS,  DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, GILAMENU VERSION 1.10,  WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER I NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE, GILAMENU VERSION 1.10, SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF I HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL MY LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THIS SOFTWARE, GILAMENU VERSION 1.10, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE, GILAMENU VERSION 1.10.

Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado and shall inure to the benefit of Gregory Arias. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or relating to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Boulder County, Colorado. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts.


Registration And Support

REGISTRATION BENEFITS FOR VERSION 1.10

Registration of GilaMenu Version 1.10 will entitle you to MANY benefits that

unregistered users are not extended.

As a special limited time introductory offer, I am slashing registration fees by 25% . ONLY $29.95 to register. This offer is in effect until June 1, 1994. Hurry and register today!!!

[1] Registered Copy. You will receive a personalized version of the latest and

greatest version of GilaMenu without NAG DIALOGS. GilaMenu is under

virtually daily improvement and the only way to be sure you have the

latest version with all the features you need is to register. Your

personalized version will NOT have those annoying NAG DIALOGS ( I

hate 'em just as much as you do, they're a pain to program, so let's get rid

of them by registering! )

[2] Upgrades. As a registered user you will receive notification of major updates

to GilaMenu and information about new software released by

myself. I am also developing several new products at this time. As a

registered user, you will be entitled to special flyers giving you advanced

warning of any new products through E-mail or through "snail" mail (U.S.

Postal Service) at your request. Unregistered users are not offered this

courtesy. Also as a registered user of one of my products, you may be

asked to participate in free beta programs. Participation in these beta

programs will entitle you to receive upgrade discounts for the product you

registered as well as for future new products.

[3] Support. You will be given an INTERNET E-Mail address at which

you may contact me regarding technical support for GilaMenu Version

1.10. No software product is perfect, but I try to improve and expand the

features in my software according to your wishes. Windows should be

your oyster! But you can only tell me what needs improving and where

there are problems if you register. I will respond to any tech support

questions or general comments PROMPTLY. As a registered user, you

are very important to me. After all, you're the reason I wrote GilaMenu in

the first place. ( BTW If you don't have INTERNET access, you may mail

me a letter stating your problem and I will respond AS FAST AS

POSSIBLE ). Telephone support will become available in the near future

to better serve you. I always respect constructive criticism of my work, and

you as a registered user DESERVE to have a voice in the direction that

GilaMenu will take in the future. I  will strive to provide such a channel

through this support program.

MY POLICY ON PRINTED MANUALS

I do not offer printed manuals for GilaMenu. The reason for this policy is both practical and philosophical. From the practical standpoint, everything you need in the way of documentation is online. This is part of the reason GilaMenu is so inexpensive to register. I pass the savings in manuals directly on to you. From a philosophical perspective, it seems illogical to me to kill five trees for one printed manual which you already have an electronic copy of. GilaMenu is GREEN SOFTWARE. During the entire development of GilaMenu, only 50 pages of recycled paper were used (for a source listing to be sent to the Library of Congress). I also ship all my diskettes in 100% Recycled and Recyclable mailers. I am commited to preservation of our global environment.

SEE REGISTER.WRI FOR REGISTRATION FORM


System Hardware And Software Requirements

To run GilaMenu Version 1.10 you must have the following computer system :

80286 CPU or higher

VGA with resolutions of 640x480 or better (800x600 resolution recommended)

Hard drive with at least 2MB free (5MB recommended)

Microsoft ® Windows™ 3.1


Bugs And Unregistered Feedback

Unregistered users do have a channel through which they may contact me regarding GilaMenu technical support. Keep in mind though that registered users ALWAYS receive priority when it comes to a response to any particular question. So long as there are ANY registered users who have questions, unregistered users will have to wait. So depending on how many registered users are in the queue before you, a response to your query may be delayed. If you have not registered GilaMenu but wish to report a bug or need technical support, you may contact at the following INTERNET e-mail address :

ariasg@ucsu.colorado.edu


Run Time Files Created By Chameleon
Run Time Files Created By GilaMenu

As GilaMenu executes, several different file types are created by the program within the directory to which you installed GilaMenu. IT IS VITAL THAT YOU DO NOT DELETE OR MOVE THESE FILES. GILAMENU WILL GET VERY ANGRY AND SAY THINGS LIKE GENERAL PROTECTION FAULT OR ABNORMAL PROGRAM TERMINATION.

Files You Should Not Touch :

1.	Any files with the .BIN extension in GilaMenu's home directory

2.	Any files with the .DAT extension in GilaMenu's home directory

These files form the basis of the GilaMenu menuing system. DO NOT TRY TO EDIT OR MODIFY THEM DIRECTLY, OR GILAMENU WILL STICK HIS TONGUE OUT AT YOU. If you have to move GilaMenu at some point in time, just make ABSOLUTELY certain that all these files end up in the same directory as GilaMenu. Otherwise it will be bad.


Features

This program is one of a kind. No other menuing system which I have ever seen either commercially or through shareware has the degree of sophistication that GilaMenu does. Period. This is the program which I always wanted to have but could never seem to find anywhere.

GilaMenu Version 1.10 major features:

A popup menu interface which allows you very fast access to program launching facilities from any application in Windows 3.1, even MAXIMIZED applications, without hogging your desktop. All this power is ONE mouse click away. No more double clicking to open a group. No more sifting through open group folders to find that one program item. No more ALT TABing to find the elusive program launcher. All you do is POINT and SHOOT mahn ! Less mouse clicks = greater productivity.

Open ended group tree structure. Infinitely nest your groups. Add as many items and groups as you please. The only limit is your computer system's memory.

A complete, graphical Menu Editor with bitmapped toolbar and helpful status line, to facilitate configuration of your launchable items. No clumsy and cumbersome text files or INI files to edit with Notepad (This is not for us!) The editor also has a fully functional internal clipboard which allows such actions as "cut," "copy," "paste," and "append." The menu tree structure is displayed in a visually pleasing hierarchical format much like File Manager's interface for displaying your disks' directory tree. In a word, the editor is COMPLETE.

Drag and Drop addition of items to your menu makes configuration a breeze.

What You Don't See...Quality engineered internal data structures. Copyrighted system of indexed binary initialization files by a hash table and associative arrays means less memory consumption without sacrificing speed.

What You Do See...Ingenious system for changing the interface format of the menu on the fly. This is object oriented programming at its finest. You may choose from four different menu types, according to your preferences. Choose from an industrial standard menu that's light on system resources, to a 3-D icon based menu with titles. The point is you decide how much or how little resources you care to spend on the utility, and you decide which visual format you prefer (Your menus never looked so good).

Rich launching features that allow you to specify the executable's working directory, arguments to be passed to the executable, and files to be passed to the executable via the Common Dialog Box Library. Specify multiple file extensions to look for when launching an application.

System Options allows you to specify such system attributes as Windows Help Colors, Load and Run lines, Windows Shell, Windows System Font, Icon Title Font and Windows Task Manager.

Resource items give you a great visualization of your system's resource usage, including your default hard drive.

Built-in Task Switching. Forget about <CTRL>+<ESC> just hit the right mouse button, select GilaMenu Options | Active Tasks you and have a list of all tasks running. Select from the list and GilaMenu switches to that task.

Association Manager applet allows you to add and remove file associations to increase the flexibilty of program launching.

Window Options gives you power over the desktop. Tile active windows horizontally or vertically, cascade active windows, and arrange desktop icons all with Window Options.

Exit Options affords choices of different ways to exit Windows. Perform a safe reboot from inside Windows 3.1. Exit the Windows 3.1 environment, execute an MS-DOS command like "chkdsk /f" and restart Windows all with one command. You can't do that with a plain vanilla MS-DOS prompt under Windows. Do a fast restart of Windows after changing elements of "system.ini" or "win.ini."

Quick exit from Windows, no questions asked.

Add new Program Manager groups to your menu as you install new software packages. Edit and change these new PM groups to your taste using the graphical Menu Editor.


 Resources

This GilaMenu Options submenu displays a graphical readout of your system resources.

User Heap. This meter displays your free USER heap memory. The USER heap is used for storing items that Windows creates dynamically. Everything from windows to menus are stored on this heap.

GDI Heap. This meter displays your free GDI heap memory. The GDI heap is used by Windows to store the items that help it paint the screen.

Memory. This meter displays the amount of free kilobytes of RAM available to your Windows applications. This figure will also include virtual address space created by Windows if you have anytype of swap file set up.

Drive C. This meter displays the amount of free space on your default hard disk in megabytes.


 Active Tasks

This GilaMenu Options submenu allows you to switch quickly and painlessly to any active task in Windows. Simply click an item in the menu and GilaMenu will switch to that task.


 Fast Launch

This GilaMenu Options submenu allows you to launch applications or the documents owned by applications using a Microsoft Common Dialog Box. You use the List Files Of Type drop-down combo box to change the types of files which you may launch. By default, the Fast Launch dialog lists all your program files with the extension *.exe *.com *.pif *.bat. You may also launch documents which are associated with an executable by selecting the Associated Files option in the List Files Of Type drop-down combo box.

See Also

Association Manager


 Edit Menu

This GilaMenu Options menu item launches the Menu Editor. Using the editor, you may add or delete items and groups, change the settings of an item or group, and move items or groups up or down in the menu. The Menu Editor also features its own internal clipboard so that you can cut, copy, append or paste items to and from other groups. If you have used File Manager before, and understand how to display subdirectories in the Tree Listbox of File Manager, then you should take to the listboxes included in the editor very quickly.

TIP : DRAG-AND-DROP additions to the menu are supported. Simply drag your file(s) over the GilaMenu desktop icon and drop. The Menu Editor will be launched with your dropped files help in the internal clipboard. Select the group to which you wish to add your dropped files from the Group Listbox and press the Paste button which looks like this :

Your new items will appear in the Item Listbox.

Interacting with the editor involves using three elements :

1.	Toolbar Buttons

2.	Listboxes

3.	Status Line


Toolbar Buttons

The toolbar buttons and their functions are listed as they appear in the editor from left to right.

TIP: To get a quick summary of the functionality of a button, click the left mouse button over it and drag the mouse outside the button's border, then release the left mouse button. A description of what the button does appears in the status line at the bottom of the editor window.

 Save Changes And Exit

Commit all changes to disk and reload the menu to reflect your editing.

 Add Item To Group

Adds an item to the group selected in the Group Listbox. For example, if you wish to add an item to the Root Menu, then select the first line in the Group Listbox, entitled "Root Menu" and click this button. The Item Properties Dialog will appear. After filling out the settings for your new executable item, your new item will appear at the bottom of the Item Listbox.

 Add Group To Group

Add a group to the group selected in Group Listbox. Clicking this button brings up the Group Settings Dialog. After filling out the title of the new group, and clicking OK to dismiss the Group Properties Dialog, your new group will appear at the bottom of the Item Listbox.

 Edit Selection in Item Listbox

Edit the previously entered settings for either and item or a group, depending on which type is selected in the Item Listbox. Clicking this button will bring up either the Item Settings Dialog or the Group Settings Dialog.

 Move Selection in Item Listbox Up

Move the selection (group or item) in Item Listbox up.

 Move Selection in Item Listbox Down

Move the selection (group or item) in the Item Listbox down.

 Destroy Selection in Item Listbox

Destroys all items and groups selected in the Item Listbox. WARNING : You cannot recover the information once you have deleted it.

 Cut Selection in Item Listbox

Removes the items (groups cannot be cut) which are selected in the Item Listbox and places them in the internal clipboard. You may subsequently select paste to put the cut items back into a group.

 Copy Selection in Item Listbox

Copies the selected items (no groups) into the internal clipboard. Any items previously in the clipboard are truncated.

 Paste Clipboard Items To Group Selected In Group Listbox

Pastes all the items in the clipboard into the group selected in the Group Listbox.

 Append Selection in Item Listbox To Clipboard

Copies all items selected in the Item Listbox and adds them to the internal clipboard. All previously entered items on the clipboard are saved.

 Clear The Internal Clipboard

Clears the contents of the internal clipboard. WARNING : You cannot recover from this operation.


Item Properties Dialog

This dialog displays all the salient information for a GilaMenu executable item.

ITEM TITLE

The title of the item as it will appear in the menu. The limit is 254 characters.

EXECUTABLE FILENAME

The name of the file which will be launched when this item is selected from the menu. Use the Browse button to the right of this field to browse for valid executable file names. The length limit is 254 characters.

WORKING DIRECTORY

The directory which GilaMenu will switch to before the file specified in EXECUTABLE FILENAME is run. The length limit is 254 characters.

ARGUMENTS PASSED

The list of arguments passed to the item when it is run. This list may contain file names or command line switches depending on the file you specify in EXECUTABLE FILENAME.

ICON FILENAME

The name of the icon file to use for this item. Use the Browse button to the left of this field to find a suitable icon file. The length limit of this field is 254 characters.

ITEM ICON

This area displays the icon which will be used for the item. Use the "<" and ">" buttons to scroll left and right through the icons found in ICON FILENAME.

ITEM LAUNCH OPTIONS

No Prompts On Launch. Specifies that no prompts will be made when this item is run.

Prompt For Arguments. Specifies that GilaMenu will ask you for an argument line whenever this item is run.

Prompt For File. Specifies that GilaMenu should display a file browser dialog box and fill it with all the files which match the extension which you specify in the field "File Mask Used." You may specify MORE than one extension by separating each extension in the "File Mask Used" by a semicolon. For example :

Say you have set up an item for the Windows Notepad application and you want to load it with a file which ends in the .TXT, .INI, .BAT or .SYS extension. Just select the "Prompt For File" radio button and specify this file mask :

*.txt;*.ini;*.bat;*.sys


Group Properties Dialog

This dialog displays all the salient information for a group.

TITLE

The title for this group as it will appear in the GilaMenu menu.

PARENT TITLE

The title of the parent of this group. You cannot edit this field.

ITEM COUNT

The count of items currently in this group.


Listboxes

The structure of your GilaMenu menu is very much like that of your hard disk's directory system -- it is a tree with one ultimate Root. Keeping this in mind helps you to use the Menu Editor. The responses of both listboxes are consistent with those of File Manager. One listbox shows only the groups it finds in your menu structure, with the Root Menu group always present; while another listbox displays the items and subgroups found in a particular group. This is the same as File Manager's paradigm of Directory Tree with adjoining list of files and subdirectories.

IMPORTANT : It is worth noting here that to take any sort of editing actions, you must use the Item Listbox for these tasks. The Group Listbox simply provides you with a way to easily navigate through your menu tree structure without getting lost. All the real work is performed by the Item Listbox. You'll notice that certain buttons are disabled until you make a selection in the Item Listbox.

GROUP LIST BOX

This list box shows the hierarchical structure of your menu. When you single click with the left mouse button on a group in this list box, the Item List box is filled with everything which your selected group contains. Double-clicking with the left mouse button on a closed group in this list box will display all the subgroups owned by that group; otherwise left mouse button double clicks will close the opened group. These responses to left button clicks are exactly the same as File Manager's behavior.

ITEM LIST BOX

This list box displays all the items AND subgroups which are contained in the group selected in Group List box. Double-clicking an element of this list box will display the Item Properties or the Group Properties Dialog depending on the element which is clicked on.


Status Line

This is a region at the bottom of the Menu Editor which displays information about what you click on.

HOW TO USE STATUS LINE

1. Click the left mouse button and hold it down over a button.

2. Drag the mouse outside the button and release.

3. The description of the button's command will appear in the bottom region.


 Association Manager

The Association Manager makes launching an application loaded with a document easy. Association Manager builds a link between your document (a data file with a specific extension which cannot normally be executed alone) and the application which created that document. So when you add a menu item to GilaMenu, all you have to do is type in the filename of your particular document, complete with extension, and GilaMenu will automatically launch the application for which your document is associated, with document all ready to go. Association Manager also allows you to use the Fast Launch utility more effectively, because Fast Launch will list all the associated files in a given directory. All you need to do is point and shoot, and your document is loaded in its associated application.

Extension Box

This drop-down box lists all the currently available extensions for which associations have been assigned. Remember that a given extension may only have ONE executable file associated with it at a time. If you scroll through the list of extensions, the executable is displayed in the adjacent edit control titled, Associated Executable.

Associated Executable

Shows the executable which is associated to the file extension currently selected in the Extension Box. You may change the executable file given by typing in a path to an executable, or you may use the Browse button to search for a file (recommended method).

Add Button

Click the Add button to bring up a dialog prompting you for an extension and an executable file name to associate with that extension. Use the Browse button for easy searching through your disk volumes.

Remove Button

Clicking the Remove button will destroy the association between the currently selected extension in the Extension Box and the executable in the Associated Executable edit control. WARNING: This operation will permanently destroy your association. No recovery is possible.


 Add PM Groups

Use this option to maintain GilaMenu as you add new software to your system.

Groups Found

Lists the groups by filename which GilaMenu found in your Windows directory. Select individual groups from this list and click "Add->" to add them to your Root Menu.

Groups To Install

Lists the groups by filename which you have selected for installation. Use the "Add All" button for a fast install of all available groups.


 Menu Options

Use this dialog to change the interface format for GilaMenu. You may also set various menu attributes for the Framed Simple, Framed Icon, and Framed Icon with Titles formats.

Menu Interface Format

SIMPLE MENU

This is the plain vanilla Windows standard menu. It's not very exciting graphically, but has the virtue of consuming next nothing in system resources. If you run Windows on a system which does not have a lot of RAM, this interace format may be your best bet. Squeeze out every last byte of free RAM for all you memory misers!

FRAMED SIMPLE MENU

This menu format has a 3-D chiseled steel look. Each menu item is framed by a 3-D box. Spices up Windows menus.

FRAMED ICON MENU

This menu format has a 3-D chiseled steel look and each item is represented by an icon which you specify. This format is reminiscent of a toolbar.

FRAMED ICON MENU WITH TITLES

This is the most Program Manager-like of all the interfaces. Still costs less system resources than Program Manager without sacrificing visual appeal. This is a 3-D chiseled frame look with icons and titles.

Menu Frame Type

You may specify the type of frame which all items in a framed menu will receive.

FLAT. Do not draw any frame at all.

LOWERED. Draw a recessed frame which pops up when depressed.

RAISED. Draw a raised frame which is lowered when depressed.

LOWERED BORDER. Draw a bordered frame which is lowered. Bas relief type.

RAISED BORDER. Draw a bordered frame which is raised. Bas relief type.

Menu Fill Type

You may specify the fill pattern to be used as a background for menu items with frames.

NONE. Do not use any pattern.

DOTS. Use a dot pattern.

VERTICAL LINES. Use a vertical 3-D line pattern.

RIVETS. Use a 3-D rivet pattern.

SQUARES. Use 3-D square pattern.


 Window Options

This dialog lets you arrange your desktop windows to your taste. The button commands are detailed from left to right as they appear in the dialog.

 CASCADE ACTIVE WINDOWS

Cascades all your active windows.

 TILE ACTIVE WINDOWS VERTICAL

Tiles all your active windows vertically.

 TILE ACTIVE WINDOWS HORIZONTAL

Tiles all your active windows horizontally.

 ARRANGE DESKTOP ICONS

Arrange all your icons on the desktop.

 CANCEL

Dismiss this dialog without taking an action.


 System Options

This dialog lets you alter certain attributes of the Windows Operating Environment. You can't find these settings in Control Panel.

SYSTEM FONT

This field lets you specify a new font to use as the "System Font" with Windows. See your windows system directory for a list of files with the .FON extension. These are the only valid font files which Windows will accept as the System Font.

ICON FONT

Click the button to bring up a Choose Font dialog. This will allow you to change the font Windows uses for the caption text of an icon. The field displays a sample of the current icon font.

LOAD LINE

Use this field to specify which applications to run minimized on startup of Windows 3.1.

RUN LINE

Use this field to specify which applications to run on startup of Windows 3.1.

TASK MANAGER

Use this field to specify the task manager which Windows 3.1 should use. The task manager is activated whenever you double click on the Windows desktop, or whenever you press Ctrl+Esc.

WINDOWS SHELL

Use this field to specify the shell which Windows will use. Do not use this field to set GilaMenu as the shell. Use the "USE GILAMENU AS SHELL" check box to use GilaMenu as the shell.

COMPACT

Use this button to make more memory available to all your Windows applications. The global memory heap, like a hard disk, becomes fragmented after long usage. Clicking this button will compact the global heap.

WINDOWS HELP COLORS

These are a series of buttons which run along the bottom of the window. Pressing any one of these buttons will give you a Color Dialog Box which you may use to select a color.

Jump. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext jump to another topic.

Popup. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext popup topic.

Macro. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext macro command.

If Jump. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext conditional jump to another topic.

If Popup. This is the color which is used by the Windows Help Engine to display a hypertext conditional popup topic.


 Exit Options

Use this dialog to select from a number of exit options. The options are discussed from left to right as they appear in the Exit Options dialog.

 REMOVE GILAMENU

Click here to remove the GilaMenu program from Windows. This button is disabled if the GilaMenu program is currently the shell.

 RESTART

Click here to restart Windows.

 REBOOT

Click here to reboot the system. This is NOT the same as pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL. It is safe and will ask you to save all your opened work.

 EXIT EXECUTE RESTART

Click here to exit Windows, execute an MS-DOS executable and then restart Windows. Helpful for running "chkdsk /f" command and disk de fragmentation programs.

 CANCEL

Click here to dismiss the dialog and take no action.