MS-DOS v6.22 Help: SUBMENU

------------------------ MS-DOS v6.22 Help: SUBMENU ------------------------
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                                  SUBMENU

Defines an item on a startup menu that, when selected, displays another set
of choices. You can use this command only within a menu block in your
CONFIG.SYS file.

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

    SUBMENU=blockname[,menu_text]

Parameters

blockname
    Specifies the name of the associated menu block. The menu block must be
    defined elsewhere in the CONFIG.SYS file and can contain menu-definition
    commands. Unlike the "main" menu block, which must have the block name
    [MENU], a menu block for a submenu can have any name you want. 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
    (\) and forward slashes (/), commas, semicolons (;), equal signs (=),
    and 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 SUBMENU command is one of six special CONFIG.SYS commands for defining
startup menus. The other commands are:

*  The <MENUITEM> command, which defines an item on the menu.

*  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 <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 steps required to define multiple configurations, see
<Commands for Defining Multiple Configurations>.

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<Syntax>
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                              SUBMENU--Example

The following CONFIG.SYS file defines a main startup menu and one submenu:

    [menu]
    menuitem base_config,Base configuration only
    menuitem full_config,Normal configuration
    submenu netmenu, Normal configuration with network

    [netmenu]
    menuitem lanman, Start Microsoft LAN Manager
    menuitem vines, Start Banyan VINES

    [base_config]
    dos=high
    device=c:\dos\himem

    [full_config]
    include=base_config
    dos=umb
    device=c:\dos\emm386 ram
    device=c:\dos\ramdrive.sys 512

    [lanman]
    include=full_config
    rem Commands for Microsoft LAN Manager would go here.

    [vines]
    include=full_config
    rem Commands for Banyan VINES would go here

This CONFIG.SYS file provides a choice of four configurations: a basic
configuration (base_config), a full configuration (full_config), and two
network configurations. Both network configurations include all the commands
in the full configuration; the lanman configuration runs Microsoft LAN
Manager and the vines configuration runs Banyan VINES network software. To
choose a network configuration, the user first selects item 3, "Normal
configuration with network," from the main menu. MS-DOS then displays the
network choices on the submenu.

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

If item 3 is selected, MS-DOS displays the following menu instead:

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

    1. Start Microsoft LAN Manager
    2. Start Banyan VINES

    Enter a choice: 1

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