MS-DOS v6.22 Help: MENUITEM

----------------------- MS-DOS v6.22 Help: MENUITEM ------------------------
<Notes> <Examples>                                               <Index>
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                                  MENUITEM

Defines an item on the startup menu. You can use this command only within a
menu block in your CONFIG.SYS file. You can have up to nine menu items per
menu.

The startup menu is a list of choices that appears when you start your
computer. You define a startup menu by using special CONFIG.SYS commands.
Each item on the menu corresponds to a set of CONFIG.SYS commands called a
"configuration block." A startup menu makes it possible to start your
computer with a variety of configurations. For more information about
defining multiple configurations, see the chapter "Configuring Your System"
in the MS-DOS User's Guide.

Syntax

    MENUITEM=blockname[,menu_text]

Parameters

blockname
    Specifies the name of the associated configuration block. The block must
    be defined elsewhere in the CONFIG.SYS file. If the menu item is
    selected from the startup menu, MS-DOS carries out the commands in the
    associated configuration block, as well as any commands at the beginning
    of the CONFIG.SYS file and any commands in configuration blocks with the
    [common] header.

    If MS-DOS cannot find a block with the specified name, the item does not
    appear on the startup menu. The block name can be up to 70 characters
    long and can contain most printable characters. It cannot include
    spaces, backslashes (\), forward slashes (/), commas, semicolons (;),
    equal signs (=), or square brackets ([ and ]).

menu_text
    Specifies the text you want MS-DOS to display for this menu item. If you
    don't specify any menu text, MS-DOS displays the block name as the menu
    item. The menu text can be up to 70 characters long and can contain any
    characters you want.

Related Commands

The MENUITEM command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining
startup menus and multiple configurations. The other menu-definition
commands are:

*  The <MENUDEFAULT> command, which specifies the default menu item.

*  The <MENUCOLOR> command, which defines the color of the menu's text and
   screen background.

*  The <SUBMENU> command, which defines a submenu.

*  The <NUMLOCK> command, which specifies the state of the NUM LOCK key when
   the startup menu appears. (Although NUMLOCK can be used anywhere in the
   CONFIG.SYS file, it is especially useful when defining a startup menu.)

*  The <INCLUDE> command, which includes the contents of one configuration
   block in another. This command cannot be included in a menu block.

For an overview of the procedure for defining multiple configurations, see
the topic <Commands for Defining Multiple Configurations>

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<Syntax> <Examples>
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                              MENUITEM--Notes

Defining menu blocks

A menu block is a set of menu-definition commands that begins with a block
header--the name of the block enclosed in square brackets. To have a startup
menu, your CONFIG.SYS file must contain a menu block that has the [menu]
block header.

You can use the <SUBMENU> command to define submenus. Each submenu has its
own menu block, which can be named anything you want.

A menu block must contain at least one MENUITEM or SUBMENU command.

Number of items on the startup menu

MS-DOS displays the menu items in the order they appear in the menu block
and numbers them automatically. The first menu item is always number 1 on
the menu; there can be up to nine items. If you need to define more than
nine menu items, use the SUBMENU command.

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<Syntax> <Notes>
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                             MENUITEM--Examples

The following [menu] block defines a startup menu with two items, Apples and
Oranges:

    [menu]
    menuitem=Apples
    menuitem=Oranges

When MS-DOS starts, the menu will appear as follows:

    MS-DOS Startup Menu
    ===================

       1. Apples
       2. Oranges

    Enter a choice: 1

The following [MENU] block defines a startup menu with three items and
specifies menu text for each item:

    [menu]
    menuitem=base_config,Base configuration only
    menuitem=full_config,Normal configuration
    menuitem=net_config,Normal configuration with network

In this example, the first item corresponds to the [base_config]
configuration block, the second to the [full_config] block, and the third to
the [net_config] block. When MS-DOS starts, it displays the following menu:

    MS-DOS Startup Menu
    ===================

       1. Base configuration only
       2. Normal configuration
       3. Normal configuration with network

    Enter a choice: 1

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