Login Scripts

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. menu.cfg

1. Introduction

The loginmenu program gives system administrators an easy way to give novice users access to services through a set of simple text menus.

Administrators who wish to set up such menus for their users need to create a file named `/etc/loginmenu/menu.cfg' containing the complete menu definition, and they should include the line

HAS_LOGINMENU=YES

in their `/etc/isis.cfg' file. Users who have set a LOGINMENU=YES preference through the user-config program will see the menu when they login. Others will get their normal command shell prompt.

The system administrator also needs to make links named `loginmenu' and `menu' from a local directory in the users' $PATH to `/afs/isis/pkg/loginmenu/bin/loginmenu'. Otherwise the login scripts trying to exec loginmenu when there is no available loginmenu program may prevent users from being able to login.

If an administrator additionally sets

LOGINMENU=YES

in the `/etc/isis.cfg' file, then all users except those who have set a LOGINMENU=NO preference through the user-config program will see the menu when they login. These exceptions will still get their normal shell prompt.

The administrator may even choose to use the `/etc/prop.cfg' file to override users' default shells and run loginmenu instead. This is a pretty big hammer for a fairly small nail and can make lots of things impossible for the user. However, if that's what you want to do...

A user can run the loginmenu program from the shell prompt, and if it is invoked under a name other than loginmenu (menu for example) it will provide slightly different behaviour as described in the next section. If invoked with a parameter, that parameter will be used in place of `/etc/loginmenu/menu.cfg' as the name of the menu configuration file.

2. menu.cfg

The `/etc/loginmenu/menu.cfg' file describes one or more named text screens, each of which constitutes a menu. The description also includes pairs of action keys and program specifications. When a user enters one of the action keys, the program from corresponding program specification is run. After the program runs, the menu is printed on the screen again and the user can then select another item from the menu.

The format of lines in menu.cfg files is as follows:

• Blank lines and lines starting with a pound sign ("#") are ignored. Fields within lines are separated by double-colons ("::").
• Each menu specification in a menu.cfg file starts with a name, and menu names are always preceeded by a percent sign ("%").
• Text lines -- lines that contain text to be displayed in a menu --- start with either "b", "l", or "m". "l" indicates a line that will only be displayed when the program is invoked as loginmenu. "m" indicates a line that will only be displayed when the program is invoked as something other than loginmenu (menu for example). "b" indicates a line that will be displayed in both cases.
• A text line ending with a pound sign ("#") will be displayed without the pound sign and without returning the cursor to the left edge of the screen. This is useful for positioning the cursor for user input. (It is also almost useless anywhere except on the last line of a menu.)
• Lines starting with "xb", "xl", and "xm" contain action key fields and program specification fields.
• The string "__SHELLBASE__" will be interpreted as the basename of the users $SHELL environment variable in both displayed text and in program specifications. If $SHELL isn't set, then "ksh" is used instead.
• The string "__SHELL__" will be interpreted as the full value of the users $SHELL environment variable in both displayed text and in program specifications. If $SHELL isn't set, then "/bin/ksh" is used instead.
• As a program specification, "__EXIT__" will cause the loginmenu program to terminate.
• As a program specification, a percent sign followed by a defined menu name will cause the named menu to become the current menu. No program will be invoked.
• Program specification fields may include parameters in addition to the path to a program. These parameters are separated by spaces. If you need to include a space in a parameter, you must precede it with a backslash ("\").

Below is a very simple menu.cfg file which allows the user to either run pine or exit. Note how the text varies for item number four depending on how the program was invoked.

%main_menu
b::
b:: 0. Help
b:: 1. Read EMail.
b:: 2. Run a temporary __SHELLBASE__ session.
b:: 3. Run `uname -a'.
l:: 4. Logout.
m:: 4. Exit this menu and return to your shell.
b::
b:: Enter the number of your choice: #

xb::0::%help
xb::1::/afs/isis/pkg/pine/bin/pine
xb::2::__SHELL__
xb::3::uname -a
xb::4::__EXIT__

%help
# We could include additional commands on this menu.
b::
b:: This isn't much help, is it?
b:: Say `please' and you can go back
b:: to the Main Menu: #
xb::please::%main_menu
# A simple `return' will work as well...
xb::::%main_menu

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