From epidata-list@lists.umanitoba.ca Thu Dec 20 16:06:51 2007
From: epidata-list@lists.umanitoba.ca
To: epidata-list@lists.umanitoba.ca
Subject: [EpiData-list] Menu systems in EpiData 
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:06:30 +0100
Message-ID: <476AE766.10903@epidata.dk>
In-Reply-To: <200712201802.lBKI0uaF001869@electra.cc.umanitoba.ca>
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Regarding the issue of menu systems I think the suggestion to explore 
the "Winglue Menuing system" is a good one.

In Epidata Analysis a number of possibilities have been built in. With 
the next few months I expect to upload a short instruction in using 
these and will notify the list accordingly.

The remainder of this text is highly technical and users without insight 
in html language should be warned at this point.

The experienced user can do some experimentation with the following 
aspects a b c d :

a. Look into the html code of the start.htm, the startfont.htm files 
found where EpiData Analysis was installed.

Here you will e.g. see the following lines:
<li>When you like the size: Click on the number to save your choice <br>
<ul> <li>
  <A HREF='epi:cls;set echo=off;define fn __________________________ 
global;fn= "@sysdir";cd "@fn";copyfile "epidatastat.ini" 
"epidatastat.old" /replace;copyfile "epidatastat.10" "epidatastat.ini" 
/replace;set viewer font size=10;set echo=on;view 
"Start.htm"'>size=10</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

The special features which can be used for definition of menu systems are:
  <A HREF='epi:   ........'>size=10</a>
meaning a non-standard html tag, with which the analysis system can run 
commands. And the only thing the user sees is the part "size=10". The 
remaining parts are standard analysis commands separated by ";".

b. look at the SET commands
Issue the command "set" and you will among other things see: . set
DISPLAY COMMAND HISTORY    OFF
DISPLAY COMMAND PROMPT    ON
etc for COMMANDTREE ,DATABROWSER , MAINMENU, TOOLBAR , variables and 
woktoolbar.

With  a combination of creating your own html code with menu's and using 
these sets, the whole analysis programme can becomme a menu shell . 
(e.g. when all the display ...... are set to off).

c. A simple example:
c1 create a startfile, e.g. project.htm containing header etc and the 
two lines:
    - <a href="epidata.exe myfile.rec">Enter data in myfile</a>
    - <a href='epi: read myfile /close; cls;  boxplot age; type "See my 
boxplot" /h3; printviewer; type "Menu: F8";'>See a box plot</a>
c2 edit the ini file for epidatastat.ini to set all display "sets" to off.
c3 add a line: set START PAGE =project.htm

then when you start epidatastat.exe the project.htm file will be the new 
startfile, just containing the two lines.
With knowledge of the html principles you can add tables, background 
pictures etc.

d. look at the technical documentation available at 
www.epidata.dk/documentation.php


regards

Jens Lauritsen
EpiData Association


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