[826] in linux-announce channel archive
Flin version 0.4 (final beta) released
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lars Wirzenius)
Sun Jul 23 04:15:57 1995
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 1995 14:45:58 +0300
From: Lars Wirzenius <wirzeniu@cc.helsinki.fi>
To: linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi, linux-announce@vger.rutgers.edu
X-Mn-Key: announce
From: Bobby Shmit <shmit@meathook.intac.com>
Subject: Flin version 0.4 (final beta) released
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
Approved: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov (Lars Wirzenius)
Organization: ?
Followup-to: comp.os.linux.misc
Keywords: flin, guest, menu, fvwm, dialog
if all goes well with this version, the next one will be 1.0. PLEASE send
me bug bug reports, i would like 1.0 to be very stable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brief summary of changes:
Flin 0.4 contains many enhancements/features over 0.3 (ChangeLog is
included below), including a MUCH better interface (now color, on
terminals capable), which looks quite a bit like `dialog'. It has a
couple new tokens, including `Args' which lets a user input arguments
on the command line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From the README:
NOTE: Flin used to be called `guest', however, I recieved a variety of
responses, and this one was the only clever acronym. Thanks to
flin@ix.netcom.com.
What does `Flin' stand for?
Flin means `Flin's a Learners Interface to 'Nix Systems'.
What is `Flin'?
Flin is a Un*x/ncurses menu interface. I originally wrote
it when I tried to make a shell script to add some security to my
guest account. I found that shell scripts are completely impossible to
write in a decent way and just plain ugly to look at. So I had my hand
at writing my own. Besides, I wanted to try out my gnu-ELF build
environment on something other than one module programs.
How do I write menus?
This is a short primer, please see the file Manual for further details.
Flin menus are very simple to write and read. They are laid out in a
very logical way much like the menus to `fvwm' (1.xx anyway).
Unfortunately, at this point the parser is a bit crude, but it has
nice verbose output so you can trace down the problem in the menu file
really easily.
A menu starts with the word `Menu' followed by the menu name (not the
title), and ends with the word `EndMenu'. Each menu consists of a
variety of tokens and their respective arguments, tokens and arguments
are split by the character `:'. At this point there is no escape
character, so you cannot use `:' in menu text. Every token has at
least one argument, which is what will appear on the screen.
The tokens currently recognized by Flin are as follows:
* `Title': denotes the title of the menu (you can have as many
as you like).
Title:Main Menu:
* `Exec': denotes an executable item and has two arguments,
the second is the command line to execute.
Exec:Read Mail:pine:
* `Args': denotes an executable with user-inputed command line
arguments. USE WITH CARE, this could be a whopping security
whole when used improperly.
Args:Send a file (ZMODEM):sz:
* `SubMenu': denotes a link to another menu and has two
arguments, the second is the name of the Menu to link to.
SubMenu:File Utilities:File-Util:
* `Exit': quits the current menu, if the current menu is the
first menu, you will be logged out.
Exit:Back to Main Menu:
* `Quit': Log out of Flin.
Quit:Logout:
* `Nop': is for comments
Nop:This is a comment:
Putting it together:
To execute the menu, you can either put the line `#!/usr/local/bin/flin'
at the first line in the menu, or type `flin <menu-name>'.
A sample menu is provided with this distribution, please examine it.
HOW TO GET HELP:
If you find a bug PLEASE send me a report describing it, or fix it
yourself and send me a patch with description.
Send all patches/advice/questions/flames to
`shmit@meathook.intac.com' I hope you find this software useful, and
please: hack away at the code, add new screen modules, take some items
off the TODO list, add some items to the TODO list. The only thing I
ask is that you send me patches (with comments) when you have done
something.
Or just talk to a good shrink.
WHERE TO GET UPDATES:
Major and minor version revisions will be posted to
comp.os.linux.annouce. They will be released as a full distribution in
the primary/secondary sites as listed in the lsm entry.
Notes on patchlevel revisions:
I revise the patchlevel when bugs are fixed or small features added, I
bump up the minor version when the bug reports stop coming for a while.
Patchlevel revisions will not be posted to comp.os.linux.announce.
They will be released in unified diff form ONLY. Apply with
`patch -p1 < flin-x.x.x.patch'.
Alternately, if you wish to be informed of updates automagically, send
me mail at `shmit@meathook.intac.com' saying so. If a lot of you guys
want to know I could set up a mailing list.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ChangeLog:
-- 0.4
Thu 12-Jul-95
* can put args on the command line with `Args' token
* can have blank lines in menus
* Status bars added
* Can hit `H' for help
* Can hit `G' to display the GPL
Wed 12-Jul-95
* `configure' should detect ncurses now.
* Menus are centered on the screen
* Color support added
* Clears screen on exit
Tue 11-Jul-95
* `Windows' started, looks more like `dialog'
Mod 10-Jul-95
* `Quit' token added
Fri 23-Jun-95
* spelling error
-- 0.3.2
Sun 18-Jun-95
* whoops, autoconf error
* more autoconf cleanups
-- 0.3.1
Tue 13-Jun-95
* Code cleanup finished (for the time), I really should
have used c++.
* GNU autoconf used to generate Makefiles and the like
Mon 30-May-95
* Code cleanup started
* Whoops, acronym error in README
* Error in misc.h
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LSM entry follows:
Begin3
Title: flin
Version: 0.4
Entered-date: 12-Jul-95
Description: A text menuing system with fvwm-1.xx like syntax.
Used to be called `guest'.
Keywords: menu, guest, flin
Author: shmit@meathook.intac.com (Brian Cully)
Primary-site: sunsite.unc.edu /pub/Linux/system/Shells
45kB flin-0.4.tar.gz
Alternate-site: ftp.intac.com /pub/intac/users/cully
Platform: ncurses-1.9 or greater
Copying-policy: GPL
End
Brian Cully <shmit@meathook.intac.com> | Yes, I will still accept your Atogs
----------------------------------------+ into my `Home for Neglected Atogs'
crazy overcast/ash grey wording | at NO CHARGE TO YOU! (housed: 416)
- Nature's Revenge | Email me for more information.
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