PUBLIC MENU SOFTWARE

   This software system has two parts.  The first part brings up a menu
of software available in SYS:PUBLIC;.  From this menu the user can load
the software of his choice.  The list of software that is available in
this directory must be maintained separately, using the second part of
this software system.  This file discusses each part separately.


The Public Software Menu

   This is set up as a system in SYS:SITE; and is therefore eligible for
the System Menu and/or system-keys.  Its default system-key is #\O (for
Other Software) and its default menu column is PROGRAMS.
   A menu of the names of the software packages available is displayed.
For each software package there are three possible choices:
	LEFT   -- load the software
	MIDDLE -- launch the software (if that makes sense)
	RIGHT  -- display the package's -READ-ME- file (if it exists).
LEFT is almost always available, MIDDLE is available only if it makes
sense to launch the software and if it can be done without arguments,
and RIGHT is only available if the package has a documentation file.  
The mouse documentation line in any case displays the possible choices.
   When you first bring up this menu the software reads the contents
file on SYS:PUBLIC;.  Successive entries to this menu will not re-read
the contents file since the contents should not change too quickly.
However, if it has been a long time since the first time you launched
the Public Menu (or you just want to make sure you have the most recent
contents), you can click middle on the second item in the menu, which
will cause a re-read of the contents file.


The Public Menu Manager

   The topmost item in the Public Software Menu is the Public Menu Manager,
which is a friendly interface to the functions that maintain the contents
file of the Public directory.  If you wish to add an item to the Public
Software Menu, remove an item, or edit an item, you should click middle
on this.
   Another menu will appear, asking you whether you want to add, remove,
or edit an item.  If you select remove or edit, a menu (that will look
strangely familiar) will appear asking for the item you wish to remove
or edit.  If you select add or edit (followed by the item you wish to
edit), then a CVV window will appear that will allow you to enter or edit
all of the data concerning that item.
   Beware -- this will change the Public Menu for everyone on that site.

   The contents file itself should NOT be edited manually.  The
following functions are provided by this system:
  NEW-PUBLIC-CONTENTS         -- starts a contents file, initializing it
			         with NIL.
  MAKE-PUBLIC-CONTENTS        -- if there is no contents file, it makes
				 one via NEW-PUBLIC-CONTENTS.
  LOAD-PUBLIC-CONTENTS        -- reads in the contents file
  ADD-TO-PUBLIC-CONTENTS      -- adds a new software package to the
				 contents file.
  REMOVE-FROM-PUBLIC-CONTENTS -- removes a software package from the
                                 contents file.
All are resident in the Window (W:) package.  Documentation is provided
for each function, explaining its use.


Known problems, desired improvements, and usage suggestions

   Occasionally, when in Zmacs or trying to go into Zmacs (to read
documentation), the Public Menu appears to fall into "No Selected
Window" state.  It has not happened often enough for me to find and
debug it.  However, the work-around has been trivial (so far, anyway):
press [SYSTEM] [L] and then [SYSTEM] [E].
   It would be nice if the "Read Documentation" option would return
you when done to the Public Menu.  I have not found a clean way to do
this.
   If you are writing Public Software, and you are providing a "launchable"
function that takes arguments, then write another function that takes 
no arguments and instead asks for the arguments from the user, and then
calls the original function with the arguments.  This new function can
then be consistently launched with ease from the Public Menu.
   So that brand new software is easy to see, when you add new software
to the menu, use a hyphen as the first character in its name.  It will
then appear at the top of the menu preceded by a hyphen.  A week or
two later, when the software is no longer new, the item can be edited
and the hyphen removed from the name.

For more information or to make suggestions contact Brian Kennedy
<Kennedy@DSG>.