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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Alan sinking on October 05, 2005, 01:24:27 pm

Title: Mame / Doscab
Post by: Alan sinking on October 05, 2005, 01:24:27 pm

Hi,
I have installed a computer into an arcade cabinet to run either GAMES or JUKEBOX via the joysticks and buttons
I am running the "choice command" to give me two options when I boot up, both run fine, but to exit the programs I press the esc button, this brings me back to the command prompt.
Is there any way that when I press esc it will automatically go back to the choice menu as when the drive is in the arcade cabinet I have no keyboard so to get the choice menu I have to reboot.
IE:- if command prompt=choice.bat
Thanks in Advance.
Alan.

Title: Re: Mame / Doscab
Post by: Tiger-Heli on October 05, 2005, 02:36:12 pm

Not familiar with the choice command, but  . . .

Assuming you can launch a batch file from the choice command, you might be able to have instead of choice.bat launching

games.exe or jukebox.exe,

have choice.bat launch

games.bat or jukebox.bat and have

games.bat read

games.exe
choice.bat

??

Alternately, when I was using DOS, I ran a simple program called MenuWorks that cost about $10.00 at the time.  I'm sure you could probably find a simple freeware or abandonware DOS program if you needed one.

I might still have that one, PM me if interested.

Should be in the software forum, BTW.

Title: Re: Mame / Doscab
Post by: pmc on October 05, 2005, 02:43:36 pm

Are you sure that's what's happening? I'd think that you are using  START to actually run the external program. If that's the case, control comes back to the command script after the external program exits. Perhaps your BAT file simply ends at that point and dumps you to the C:\ prompt? If so, use GOTO or something like that loop the batch file back to the beginning.

Alternately, use another utility instead of a batch file to accomplish the same goal.

-pmc

Title: Re: Mame / Doscab
Post by: Alan sinking on October 05, 2005, 04:18:56 pm

Hi,
Thanks pmc
I did'nt do exactly as you said but it gave me food for thought, I wrote another batch file the same as the first with a new name and ended them to start each other, I have just tried it out and it works every time.
thanks again.
Best Regards.
Alan

Title: Re: Mame / Doscab
Post by: pmc on October 05, 2005, 06:02:52 pm

Interesting approach. I don't think it's best programming practice, but if it works for you then it's fine! If it were me, I think I'd go for something more elegant than a simple batch script -- maybe a GUI or something.

-pmc

Title: Re: Mame / Doscab
Post by: mahuti on October 05, 2005, 06:11:22 pm

I usually say... less is more. Best programming practices for PROGRAMMERS is to do something elegant and scaleable...

for everybody else... not so much.