creating menu option in Winuae for WHDload game configs

[kipper2k]

Hi All,

I am using the Winuae config files from within my Gameex front end to load in Amiga WHDLoad games. The games load fine using This method.

My question is, is some games do have manuals and other docs etc that i would like to give the user who wants to run the game the option of either loading the game, or use ppmore (or other viewer) somehow to view the docs before trying to play the game.

Here is an example of my user-startup ;


____________________________

echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo " Frenetic (HD edition)";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
cd dh1:Frenetic;
whdload Frenetic.slave PRELOAD;
________________________________

What i would like to do is to modify this startup menu so that the user has a choice of whether to run a text viewer or continue loading the game. If the user selects the viewer then on completion of exiting the viewer the game will continue to run.

Does anyone know how this can be done, i am assuming that ppmore or some other viewer has to be placed in the C directory or elsewhere(is this a free download ?), and keys may need to be mapped in order to do the specific functions

Any help would be muchly appreciated. Its been a while since i dabbled on my Amiga Dos so please keep it simple as possible to understand

Thanks in Advance.

Kipper

An example script would be perfect

[TCD]

Hi Kipper,

I use a small program called 'JMenu' for such choices. Here is the example startup-sequence :

jmenu TestMenu.jm TestVar >NIL:
cd DH1:DickTracyAdventure
if $TestVar EQ 1
    PPMore ReadMe
endif
whdload DickTracyADV.Slave PRELOAD

Here is the content of the file 'TestMenu.jm' (should be quite self explaining) :

TITLE Would you like to read the docs or continue to load the game?

MENU Read the docs
MENU Load the game

If you choose the first option the docs are displayed and after you close PPMore the game loads. If you choose the second option the game loads immediately. I've attached the JMenu program to this post. I hope this helps and if you have questions just ask

[kipper2k]

Thanks for your help, i am trying it out now. if i have any more questions. i'll holler, looks like i will need to lol


Kipper

[kipper2k]

looks like i am having problems with file paths... here is my attempt....

startup-sequence is...

C:SETPATCH quiet
C:Assign > NIL: ENV: RAM:
C:Assign > NIL: T: RAM:
FailAt 21
IF EXISTS S:User-Startup
Execute S:User-Startup
EndIF
uae-configuration SPC_QUIT 1
______________________________

my user-startup is....

echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo " Frenetic (HD edition)";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
jmenu TestMenu.jm TestVar >NIL:
cd dh1:Frenetic;
if $TestVar EQ 1
PPMore manual
endif
whdload frenetic.slave PRELOAD;

______________________________

I placed...

- ppmore in the WHD\C directory
- jmenu also in WHD\C directory
- testmenu.jm in whd\s (and also whd\C directory
- the txt file "manual" is in the frenetic folder


the contents of testmenu.jm is...

TITLE Would you like to read the docs or continue to load the game?

MENU Read the docs
MENU Load the game

_______________________________________________________

I also tried placing the files in other directories too.

When i run the original frenetic.uae config file without any changes the game runs fine, as soon as i tried applying these changes Winuae shuts down, i can see an error message about unable to open redirection file or something before Winuae closes

Any pointers ?

Thanks

[TCD]

I think the problem is the path of the 'TestMenu.jm' file. Change the JMenu line to this :

jmenu S:TestMenu.jm TestVar >NIL:

and place the file in the WHD\S folder. If that still doesn't work, try if it works when you comment that line out with placing an ';' in front of it.

[kipper2k]

hmmm, still get the error ...
jmenu: unable to open redirection file even though we are tellinh it the testmenu.jm file is located in the s: dir

[kipper2k]

when i comment out the jmenu command line Winuae still shuts down

[TCD]

Just to sort things out, edit your user-startup back to :

echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "                   Frenetic     (HD edition)";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
cd dh1:Frenetic;
whdload frenetic.slave PRELOAD;

Does this work?

I tested it here (with JMenu) and it's working, so we got to get it working for you too

[kipper2k]

yup, perfect

[TCD]

Okay then put only the line with JMenu back in after the last echo. Does it crash?

[kipper2k]

k,
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo " Frenetic (HD edition)";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
jmenu S:TestMenu.jm TestVar >NIL:
cd dh1:Frenetic;
whdload frenetic.slave PRELOAD;

now i still get same error, but game will load

[TCD]

Okay remove the '>NIL:' at the end of the line (it's there to remove the JMenu output on the CLI). If the error disappears put the 'if' part back in.

Edit : Does a menu like this show up?

[kipper2k]

k, so far so good, that change brings up the options.. i readding lines now

[kipper2k]

k, options still come up... option 1 read docs says...

unable to open file (tough to read b4 window close then einuae crashes

[kipper2k]

option 2 same message...
heres the file

echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo " Frenetic (HD edition)";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
echo "";
jmenu S:TestMenu.jm TestVar
cd dh1:Frenetic;
if $TestVar EQ 1
PPMore manual
endif

whdload frenetic.slave PRELOAD;

[kipper2k]

heres the s dir contents

10/11/2008 02:00 PM <DIR> .
10/11/2008 02:00 PM <DIR> ..
03/26/2005 08:26 AM 9,696 JMenu
12/27/1992 09:16 PM 7,208 ppmore
08/10/2002 05:22 PM 2,979 ReadMe
01/10/2007 11:45 PM 1,396 ReadMe.info
10/11/2008 01:29 PM 159 startup-sequence
10/11/2008 12:19 PM 109 TestMenu.jm
10/11/2008 02:05 PM 274 user-startup
01/27/2008 06:04 PM 888 WHDLoad.key
09/16/2008 10:54 PM 1,171 WHDLoad.prefs
9 File(s) 23,880 bytes
2 Dir(s) 29,752,356,864 bytes free

Z:\Frenetic\WHD\S>

[kipper2k]

i also have ppmore, jmenu and the script in the c dir too

[TCD]

Comment the 'uae-configuration SPC_QUIT 1' line in the startup-sequence so you can read the error and post what it says.

[kipper2k]

thats better,

the message says unable to open file 'testmenu.jm' for option 1
and returns to command prompt

option 2 gives identical error

[TCD]

I had the same problem. It's caused by the windows line breaks (CR + LF) while AmigaOS wants only 'LF'. Try the attached User-Startup.