What is in this file?

 This file  explains  what LXplore does, how to install it, and
 some other things I wanted  to tell you. It does _not_ explain
 how  to  _use_  LXplore - use the  online  help in LXPLORE.HLP 
 instead.

What is LXplore?

 LXplore  is  a  combination  of  file and application manager,
 designed exclusively for hp 100/200/700 palmtops. LXplore lets
 you create menus which can be used  to  execute  DOS  programs
 without using DOS commands.

What is the difference to similar programs?

 - LXplore has the look and feel of the applications  of the hp
   palmtops.  It makes use of the special keys (such  as  Menu)
   and uses the well readable 64*16 screen resolution.
 - LXplore was  designed  to  run DOS programs _outside_ the hp
   application manager. You usually do  this  because a program
   needs too moch  memory  to be executed inside Sysmgr. Unlike
   similar programs, LXplore requires _NO_ extra memory when an
   application is executed.
 - You  can  nest  menu  files  as deeply as you wish. However,
   LXplore does not keep track of the called files, so you  may
   wish to  insert  a "return  to  main menu" item in your menu
   files (see example files).
 - LXplore integrates  SETIT,  an  utility  which allows you to
   change  screen  type and some other setup parameters for the
   palmtop.  You  can  define  different  parameters  for  each
   application and do not have to remind the switches of SETIT.
 - LXplore   optionally   dispays   program   icons   for  your
   applications.
 - LXplore offers directory listings,  where  you can delete or
   rename files, change their  properties or start applications
   based on the file extension.
 - Finally,  LXplore is  free.  Otoh,  I can give absolutely no
   guarantee  that  LXplore does  what  it  should  and that it
   doesn't contain  errors  which  might  destroy  data on your
   computer  or even parts of the computer and other peripheral
   devices. (This is my disclaimer.)

How does LXplore work?

 The  core  of the program  are menu definition files. The main
 menu  file  is MENU.DAT and has to be in the same directory as
 the program.  You  can,  however,  specify  a filename with or
 without  drive/directory   information  as   a   command  line
 argument. Other (sub-) menu files can be in whatever directory
 you like if you provide the correct path in the definition.
 When you select a program by pressing  return  or the hot key,
 LXplore writes  a  file  LXEXE.BAT.  This  files  contains DOS
 commands  to  change  to  the  defined  directory,  start  the
 requested program, change  directories  back and start LXplore
 again.  LXplore  then  writes  the  string "LXEXE" (with <CR>)
 into the keyboard buffer and terminates.
 Your   hp   will  now  execute  the  batch  file,  start   the
 application, and  return  to  LXplore again. Tricky, isn't it?
 Things are even a bit  more complicated - LXplore also creates
 LXEX2.BAT because otherwise  it would overwrite the batch file
 it was called with.

How to install LXplore?

 It  is  recommended  that  you  keep  the  files  LXPLORE.EXE,
 LXPLORE.HLP, LX_EXT.DAT, and MENU.DAT in a separate directory.
 You should   start   LXplore  by  terminating  system  manager
 (which is not  absolutely  required),  changing  to  LXplore's
 directory  and  entering  LXPLORE.  You might try  the example
 menu files which are provided with the program. Note  however,
 that these are only example files and many menu items will not
 work on your Palmtop. If you like  LXplore, you  should  enter
 it in your  AUTOEXEC.BAT  file;  either  after  the  line  100
 (or 200) or instead of  it.  In  the  first case, LXplore will
 be  started  after  terminating system manager; in the  second
 one it  will be started after reboot. You can call the  System
 manager from within LXplore in either case. If you want to use
 SETIT, you should copy  SETIT.EXE  somewhere  in your DOS path
 or in the same direcory as LXPLORE.

How to use LXplore?

 Start  LXPLORE  with  the  MS-DOS  prompt by changing  to  its
 directory  and entering  LXPLORE. Although LXplore is intented
 to run outside  system  manager, it will also run inside after
 pressing Ctrl-123. LXplore will *NOT* work  if  you  start  it
 with filer or the built-in application manager.

 You can access the help file LXPLORE.HLP by pressing F1 in the
 program.  This  text  will  give  you further assistance. From
 within  LXplore,  you  should  also  examine  the example menu
 files.

 LXplore  can  be  called  with several parameters, but most of
 them are meaningless to  the user. Some of them, however, will
 be described here:
 LXLORE file [item]  starts LXplore by using the specified file
                     as a menu list,  instead  of MENU.DAT. The
                     optional parameter  [item]  defines  which
                     menu item number should be  selected after
                     start  (counting  from  zero). If the last
                     character of "file  is a  backslash ("\"),
                     LXplore will  treat  this  argument  as  a
                     directory and enter directory mode.
                     Examples: LXPLORE OFFICE.DAT 2
                               LXPLORE C:\_DAT\
 LXPLORE /K key [..] pushes  keys  into  the  keyboard  buffer,
                     instead   of  starting  LXplore.  This  is
                     mainly used internally, e.g. to start hp's
                     applications.  Note  that the keys must be
                     given in hex code and can use the  extened
                     codes of hp (i.e.  include  keys  such  as
                     "Menu" or "Filer").
                     Example: LXPLORE /K A800 0D 42 0D
 LXPLORE /T          will wait for a single key stroke, display
                     the hex code of that key and terminate.

What ist SETIT?

 When  designing  LXplore, I  wanted  an  option to define some
 parameters,  such  as  screen  type,   separately   for   each 
 application.  Then  came  SETIT,  which is a small DOS program
 which  can  change  exactly  these  parameters  from  the  DOS
 prompt. Instead  of  re-inventing  the  wheel,  I  decided  to
 integrate  SETIT  into  LXplore.  SETIT  is  still  a separate
 program  but  LXplore  calls  it  before starting the selected
 application and, after that,  calls  it  again  to  reset  any
 changed parameters. SETIT  is  written  by Larry Tachna and is
 a very nice (and free) program.

How was LXplore created?

 LXplore is  written  in  Turbo  C 2.0, making heavy use of the 
 Palmtop Application Library (PAL) for hp palmtops. LXplore not
 only  was  written  _for_  hp Palmtops, it was also completely
 written,  compiled  and  tested _on_ a HP100LX. Great machine!
 Alas, PAL lets EXE files grow rapidly, and so a linked version
 has a size of more than 100kB - not much in Gigabyte ages, but
 relatively  large  for  "just"  a  menu  program on a palmtop.
 So  I  compressed  LXplore with  DIET  - look  at the results.
 Unfortunately  this  makes starting LXplore _somewhat_ slower.
 If you prefer an uncompressed version  (which could make sense
 for compressed disks), please contact me.

Version History

 0.9  September 1996 Beta  release.  Should  work  but is still
                     under test.
 0.95 October 1996   (Hopefully)  last  beta  release. SETIT is
                     now integrated. LXmenu optionally displays
                     program  icons.  Some  other enhancements,
                     thanks to Gottfried (Gogo).
 1.0 October 1996    Allows    calling   of    hp's    built-in
                     applications. Works fine, but, alas, there
                     are so many ideas for improvement, that  I
                     decided not to release LXmenu yet.
 1.1 October 1996    Some bug fixes.
 1.2 November 1996   The program now deals  with  menus as well
                     as directories, which  gives  the  program
                     not   only   some   functionality  of  the
                     application  manager, but also of the file
                     manager.  Thus  I  decided  to  rename the
                     program   to   'LXplore'.   LXplore   also
                     supports hp's zoom key and has two display
                     modes for icons.
  1.3 November 1996  Bug fixes and minor enhancements, such  as
                     the Escape key  to  change  into the upper
                     level directory.
  1.n  (future)      I still have many  ideas how LXplore could
  (n>3)              be improved. Especially in the  file  view
                     there is much which  can  be done: Marking
                     of  multiple   files,   dealing   with  an
                     unlimited number of files, integrated file
                     viewer  for  ASCII, hex and - maybe - PCX,
                     file copying and many others. Wait and see
                     or give me your suggestions.

Steffen Demuth
100736.1777@compuserve.com
