Program: visualSelect - Shell Script Menu / Menuing and Data Interface System

Shell Script Menu / Menuing and data interface system written in KornShell93/Bash (Download)

The purpose of this program is to provide a visual interface into an array of values presented to the user as a menu of selection items. This interface, written in Korn Shell, provides the user with the ability to use single key presses to peform cursor movement using the PC keyboard arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys. It also provides single key press execution for the PC Keyboard function keys.

This program uses a Korn Shell array of values and displays the menu of selection items in single or multi column format. The display look-and-feel is user configurable and allows the user to specify the number of rows and columns to display on the screen. The user can then navigate through the array values dislayed on one or more screens using the PC keyboard cursor movement keys. Items from the menu array can be selected by the user to perform further processing.

Features:

• Single key press response for Function Keys within Shell Script.
• Single key press response for Cursor Movement Keys within Shell Script.
• Unlimited number of selection items can be presented to user.
• User programmable menu interface.
• User programmable function keys.
• User programmable cursor movement keys.
• User programmable command keys.
• User programmable HELP text.
• User programmable screen geometry.
• Cascading menus supported.
• PC Keyboard, Emacs style keys, VI style keys supported.
• Supports dynamic resizing of windows and screens.
• Built-in HELP display.
• Built-in support for text content viewing of selected items.
• Built-in SEARCH capabilities for menu items as well as content.
• Runs as KornShell93 or Bash Shell Script.
• Cursor movment capabilities based on "Shell Curses".

AIX: Download the current release of Korn Shell 93 if you want to run this script under the IBM AIX operating system. Even on the latest Versions of AIX (5.3 and 6.1), the Korn Shell 93 instance is about 7 years old and is full of bugs. When you download the current release of Korn Shell 93, copy it to your system as "/usr/bin/ksh93.att" and give it "r-xr-xr-x" (555) permissions.

The following image shows visualSelect displaying an array of values that contains a list of all files in the "/dev" directory. It is displaying this list in multi-column output and allows the user to navigate through the list of files using single key press cursor movement keys.

The next image shows visualSelect displaying the HELP screen, which consists of an array of text lines. It is displaying these text lines in single column output and allows the user to navigate through the text lines using single key press cursor movement keys.

The next image shows visualSelect displaying a list of files ending with a ".conf" extension from the "/etc". It is displaying these files in single column output and allows the user to navigate through the list of files using single key press cursor movement keys.

The next image shows visualSelect displaying the content of a file selected from a list of files in the previous image. It is displaying the content of this file in single column output and allows the user to navigate through the file content using single key press cursor movement keys.

#!/usr/bin/ksh93.att
################################################################
####
#### What is /usr/bin/ksh93.att?
####
#### Answer: The latest release of Korn Shell 93 from www.kornshell.com
####         You need it to run this script.
####
################################################################
####
#### Program: visualSelect - Menu / Menuing and Data Interface System
####
#### Author: Dana French, Mt Xia Inc, dfrench@mtxia.com
####         Copyright 2010 by Dana French, All Rights Reserved
####
#### Date: 20100519
####
#### Description:
#### 
#### Menu / Menuing and data interface system written in Korn Shell 93.
#### 
#### To begin modifying and using this script, search for the sections
#### labeled "USER MODIFY".
#### 
#### The purpose of this program is to provide a visual interface into an
#### array of values.  This interface, written in Korn Shell, provides the
#### user with the ability to use single key presses to peform cursor
#### movement using the PC keyboard arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End
#### keys.  It also provides single key press execution for the PC Keyboard
#### function keys.
#### 
#### This program uses a Korn Shell array of values and displays that array
#### in single or multi column format.  The display look-and-feel is user
#### configurable and allows the user to specify the number of rows and
#### columns to display on the screen.  The user can then navigate through
#### the array values dislayed on one or more screens using the PC keyboard
#### cursor movement keys.  Items from the array can be selected by the
#### user to perform further processing.
#### 
#### AIX README: Download the current release of Korn Shell 93 from
#### "http://www.kornshell.com" if you want to run this script under the IBM
#### AIX operating system.  Even on the latest Versions of AIX (5.3 and 6.1),
#### the Korn Shell 93 instance is about 7 years old and is full of bugs. 
#### When you download the current release of Korn Shell 93, copy it to your
#### system as "/usr/bin/ksh93.att" and give it "r-xr-xr-x" (555)
#### permissions.
#### 
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