Document revision date: 10 November 2000

When a user enters a correct user name and password in the Start Session dialog box, DECwindows runs several command and executable files. A system manager or a user with privileges can customize this startup sequence.

This chapter describes the DECwindows startup sequence and explains how to customize it.

13.1 The Startup Sequence

By default, the following events occur when a user starts a session:

1. The DECwindows DECW$LOGINOUT.EXE image modifies the security list, allowing the current user to run clients to the server.
2. The DECW$LOGINOUT.EXE image starts a process that holds a connection to the server during the startup process.
3. The DECW$LOGINOUT.EXE image exits and DCL takes control.
4. DCL takes commands from Session Manager's DCL command file. By default, this file is called SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTSM.COM.
5. The SYLOGIN.COM file executes.
6. The user's LOGIN.COM file executes. A user can redefine the DECW$USER_DEFAULTS file at this time.

7. The workstation initialization procedure executes. By default, this file is called SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$WSINIT.EXE.
8. If the user is logging in to VMS DECwindows Motif for the first time, DECwindows scans the user's DECwindows XUI resource files and creates new ones for Motif.
9. The DECW$SYLOGIN.COM file executes.
10. The DECW$LOGIN.COM file executes.
11. DCL runs the Session Manager image. By default, this file is called SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$SESSION.EXE.
12. End Session is executed. By default, there is no End Session executable file. Session Manager handles End Session in the default client setup.

To customize the system startup environment, rename the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.TEMPLATE file to SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM. You can modify SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM to customize the following client environment areas:

• Directory used by Bookreader to find online books
• Directory for FileView command files
• Directory for Keymap files
• Directory for DECwindows example programs
• Directory for XDPS example programs
• Directory for Session Manager menu bar command files
• Program that runs when DECwindows startup is complete
• Login logo
• Parameters to the SET DISPLAY command
• Command procedure that runs after user authorization is complete
• DECwindows SYLOGIN command procedure
• Command that initializes the workstation with the correct user resource values
• Command that runs a session
• Command that resets a session
• Log file for DECwindows loginout
• Use of multiple connections during loginout
• Log file for Session Manager can be turned off

The remaining sections in this chapter contain examples for customizing the DECwindows client environment.

13.3 Changing Your Logo

The default login screen, featuring the DIGITAL logo and the Start Session screen, is displayed. For an example of the login screen, see Chapter 2.

You must use the Start Session screen for logging in to DECwindows, but you can substitute your own logo for the DIGITAL logo by running an application that displays your logo.

To do this, you need to define a global symbol in the DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM file and create a DCL command file that contains the commands to display your logo. For example, to display your own logo on the login screen:

• Create a command file (like SYS$MANAGER:LOGO.COM).
• Define the global symbol DECW$LOGINLOGO in SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM, with its value set to the name of your command file. Note that this command file is run by the system account.

For example:

1. If the SYS$MANAGER directory does not contain a command file, copy the template file to a command file:

   $ COPY SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.TEMPLATE - _$ SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSMANAGER]DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM/LOG

2. Edit the file and define the symbol DECW$LOGINLOGO to point to the command file that displays your custom logo.
   Add the following line:

   $ DECW$LOGINLOGO == "SYS$MANAGER:MYLOGO.COM"

3. Create the command file that displays your logo. This needs to be the file name and directory specified in step 2. Note that the command file will run as a detached process under the SYSTEM account. Be careful not to give users access to the system through your custom logo. For example, you should not run applications like FileView or DECterm as a custom logo.
   For example, the file SYS$MANAGER:MYLOGO.COM could contain this command to display the icosahedron that is shipped as an example program:

   $ RUN DECW$EXAMPLES:ICO

4. Restart DECwindows by running DECW$STARTUP, or reboot your workstation. Ending the session does not display the logo unless you execute the DECW$STARTUP command procedure that starts DECwindows.
   To return to the DIGITAL logo, you need to remove the definition of DECW$LOGINLOGO from your DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM file and reboot.

If you are a system manager, you can set up user accounts to run only certain applications. For example, you might want users to use only the Bookreader application.

This section describes the following three methods for setting up dedicated DECwindows accounts:

• Modifying the Session Manager command procedure
• Modifying the Session Manager executable file
• Modifying the Session Manager profile file

You can define the global symbol DECW$SESSIONCOM in the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM file so that when a user logs in, LOGINOUT runs a command file other than DECW$STARTSM.COM. This action bypasses Session Manager altogether.

In the following example, DECW$SESSIONCOM is a logical name that determines the command file that starts Session Manager. The default command file is SYS$MANAGER: DECW$STARTSM.COM. You can run a private command file instead of this file by defining the global symbol DECW$SESSIONCOM in SYS$MANAGER: DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM. If this symbol is defined, SYS$MANAGER: DECW$STARTAPPS.COM defines the DECW$SESSIONCOM logical name in the system logical name table.

Because DECW$SESSIONCOM is defined in the system logical name table, it affects Session Manager startup for every user name. Your private command file must check the user name under which it is running, and run the normal DECW$STARTSM.COM procedure for nondedicated accounts.

Note that with this method, startup command procedures that normally start from DECW$STARTSM.COM are not run. These include SYLOGIN.COM, LOGIN.COM, DECW$SYLOGIN.COM, and DECW$LOGIN.COM.

To modify the session manager command procedure:

1. Create the command procedure.

   $ CREATE SYS$MANAGER:PRIVATE_SESSIONCOM.COM $! $! Check to see whether this is the dedicated DECwindows account. $! If it isn't, run the normal procedure to start the $! Session Manager. $! $ username = F$USER() $ IF F$LOCATE("BOOK_READER", username) .NE. F$LENGTH(username) - THEN GOTO dedicated $! $! Normal, nondedicated DECwindows login $! $ @SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTSM $ EXIT $! $! Dedicated DECwindows login. Run Bookreader and then exit. $! $ dedicated: $! $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$WSINIT $ display = F$LOGICAL("decw$display") $ RUN/DETACHED/OUTPUT='display' SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$MWM $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$BOOKREADER $ endsession := $DECW$ENDSESSION $ endsession -noprompt $ STOP/ID=0 ^Z

   
   The DECW$WSINIT program reads in resource files and changes the input cursor from the watch cursor to the arrow cursor. DECW$MWM is the Motif window manager. Its SYS$OUTPUT needs to be set to the translation of DECW$DISPLAY so that DECW$DISPLAY is defined correctly in the detached process. DECW$ENDSESSION resets the server and displays a Start Session dialog login box. The -noprompt qualifier prevents DECW$ENDSESSION from asking the user to confirm whether to end the session. (If the user cancels the End Session operation, the workstation will be unusable, because Bookreader will exit and the login box will not be displayed.) STOP/ID=0 logs out the process without writing an error message to SYS$OUTPUT.

2. Define the DECW$SESSIONCOM symbol in DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM.
   If SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM does not already exist, create it as follows from the template file:

   $ COPY SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.TEMPLATE - _$ SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM

   
   Then edit this command procedure as follows to define DECW$SESSIONCOM:

   $ DECW$SESSIONCOM :== SYS$MANAGER:PRIVATE_SESSIONCOM.COM

3. Restart DECwindows by entering the following command:

   $ @SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTUP RESTART

   
   This step is necessary in order for the changes to DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM to take effect.

4. Log in to the dedicated account on a DECwindows system.
   After entering the user name and password of the dedicated account, Bookreader starts and Session Manager is not displayed. When the user exits from Bookreader, the PRIVATE_SESSIONCOM.COM procedure performs an end session operation and then logs out. The End Session command displays the Start Session screen.

You can define DECW$SESSIONMAIN in the SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM file so that DECW$STARTSM.COM runs the specified command file instead of DECW$SESSION.EXE. Session Manager reads resource files and executes login command files, but does not display Session Manager's menu bar. With this method, you must also ensure that the End Session command does not prompt for confirmation.

When DECW$STARTSM.COM starts (that is, if DECW$SESSIONCOM has its default value), it starts Session Manager by executing the DCL command that is stored in the logical name DECW$SESSIONMAIN. To define this logical name, edit SYS$MANAGER:PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM so that it defines the global symbol DECW$SESSIONMAIN as the DCL command to execute.

This method is similar to the one described in the preceding section, except that with this method, DECW$STARTSM.COM executes the SYLOGIN.COM, LOGIN.COM, DECW$SYLOGIN.COM, and DECW$LOGIN.COM command procedures. Also, DECW$STARTSM.COM executes DECW$WSINIT.COM, so the private command procedure does not need to do so.

By default, DECW$STARTSM.COM executes DECW$ENDSESSION.EXE and STOP/ID=0 after the DECW$SESSIONMAIN command has exited. In this case, however, you must make sure that End Session does not prompt for confirmation. (If the user cancels an end session operation, the workstation will be unusable). The private command procedure in the following example explicitly runs DECW$ENDSESSION with the -noprompt switch.

To modify Session Manager's executable file:

1. Create the command procedure.

   $ CREATE SYS$MANAGER:PRIVATE_SESSIONMAIN.COM $! $! Check to see whether this is the dedicated DECwindows account. $! If it isn't, run the normal procedure to start the $! Session Manager. $! $ username = F$USER() $ IF F$LOCATE("BOOK_READER", USERNAME) .NE. F$LENGTH(USERNAME) - THEN GOTO dedicated $! $! Normal, nondedicated DECwindows login $! $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$SESSION $ EXIT $! $! Dedicated DECwindows login. Run Bookreader and then exit. $! $ dedicated: $! $ display = F$LOGICAL("decw$display") $ RUN/DETACHED/OUTPUT='display' SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$MWM $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$BOOKREADER $ endsession := $DECW$ENDSESSION $ endsession -noprompt $ STOP/ID=0 ^Z

   
   DECW$MWM is the Motif Window Manager. Its SYS$OUTPUT needs to be set to the translation of DECW$DISPLAY so that DECW$DISPLAY is defined correctly in the detached process. DECW$ENDSESSION resets the server and displays a new Start Session screen. The -noprompt qualifier prevents DECW$ENDSESSION from displaying the End Session prompt. (If the user cancels the End Session prompt, the workstation will be unusable because Bookreader will exit and the Start Session screen will not be displayed.) STOP/ID=0 logs out the process without writing a message to SYS$OUTPUT.

2. Define the DECW$SESSIONMAIN symbol in DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM.
   If SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM doesn't already exist, create it as follows from the template file:

   $ COPY SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.TEMPLATE - _$ SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM

   
   Then edit this command procedure to define DECW$SESSIONMAIN. Note that the symbol must be defined as a DCL command (unlike DECW$SESSIONCOM, which is defined as the name of a command procedure).

   $ DECW$SESSIONMAIN :== @SYS$MANAGER:PRIVATE_SESSIONMAIN.COM

3. Restart DECwindows by entering the following command:

   $ @SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTUP RESTART

   
   This step is necessary in order for the changes to DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM to take effect.

4. Log in to the dedicated account on a DECwindows system.
   After entering the user name and password of the dedicated account, Bookreader starts and Session Manager's menu bar is displayed. When the user exits Bookreader, the PRIVATE_SESSIONMAIN.COM procedure performs an End Session operation and then logs out. The End Session command displays a DECwindows Start Session screen.

This method starts Session Manager normally, but the system manager customizes its menus to remove any applications that are not started automatically. By removing certain applications, a system manager can limit user access to applications.

With this method, Session Manager's menu bar is displayed, and the user can interact with whatever dialog boxes the system manager does not disable.

To modify the Session Manager profile file:

1. Log in to the dedicated account on a DECwindows system.
   When you enter the user name and password of the dedicated account, Session Manager starts.
2. Add the applications to the automatic startup list that you want to be displayed when a user logs in.
   Choose Automatic Startup... from Session Manager's Options menu. Session Manager displays the Automatic Startup dialog box.
   Use this dialog box to remove any undesired applications, such as FileView, from the automatic startup list. (For more information about using the Automatic Startup dialog box, see Chapter 7.) Do not remove Window Manager or Session Events from the automatic startup list.
   Add Bookreader (for this example) to the list and click on OK.
3. Remove Applications from Session Manager's menu bar.
   Choose Menu Bar... from Session Manager's Options menu. Session Manager displays the Menu Bar dialog box.
   Use this dialog box to remove the applications you don't want to be displayed. (For more information about using the Menus dialog box, see Chapter 8.)
   Click on OK to save your changes and to dismiss the dialog box.
4. Choose Save Session Manager from Session Manager's Options menu to save your menu bar settings.

5. Remove any menu items that you don't want to be displayed on the Options menu.
   Choose Menus... from Session Manager's Options menu and remove the following menu items from Session Manager's Options menu:

   Automatic Startup...
   Menus...
   Menu Bar...
   Save Session Manager

   
   You should also remove any other menu items that you don't want users to have access to in the dedicated account, such as Security.
   After removing the items, click on OK to dismiss the dialog box and to save your menu settings.
6. Choose End Session from Session Manager's Session menu.
   Session Manager logs you out of the dedicated account and displays the DECwindows login box.
7. Log back in to the dedicated account.
   To test your changes, log in to the dedicated account from the DECwindows login box. Bookreader and Session Manager should start up by default, and you should not be able to start any other application. To log out, choose End Session from the Session menu.
   If you decide to make the account nondedicated again, or if you want to make changes in a dialog box that you have removed from the system menu bar, you must delete or rename the file VUE$PROFILE.VUE$DAT in the dedicated account's SYS$LOGIN directory.

As described in Part II, you can customize Session Manager and FileView and save views you use frequently. When you customize Session Manager and FileView, you create a private customization file that your system reads every time you start an application.

You can share your custom file with other users. For example, you might want to share a custom pull-down menu with other coworkers. When several users share a public customization file, they have access to a common custom file that can include custom menu items or pull-down menus.

This chapter describes how to create and manage private, public, and system customization files.

14.1 Using Shared Customization Files

When you start Session Manager or FileView, these applications read and merge the contents of the customization files to create your environment. First, they read the system customization file. The system customization file shipped with DECwindows, contains definitions that produce the menu bar, menu items, and saved views you saw when you first started Session Manager or FileView. Next, they read the public customization files, if any exist. The public customization file contains any definitions that you share with other users, for example, a shared pull-down menu. Finally, they read your private customization file, which contains your personal definitions.

When Session Manager and FileView try to find the system customization file, they look first in the location defined by the logical name VUE$SYSTEM_PROFILE. If no translation is found, they use the file specification DECW$SYSTEM_DEFAULTS:VUE$SYSTEM_PROFILE.VUE$DAT to locate the system customization file. (The system customization file is placed in the DECW$SYSTEM_DEFAULTS directory when you install DECwindows.)

When Session Manager and FileView try to locate the public customization file, they look first in the location defined by the logical name VUE$PUBLIC_PROFILE. You can equate this logical name with a file specification to point to directories containing public customization files. (VUE$PUBLIC_PROFILE can be a search list that points to a list of directories containing customization files that you share with other users.) If no translation is found, Session Manager and FileView read all the files that match the file specification VUE$LIBRARY:*.VUE$DAT. As the files are read, their specifications are added to a list in memory. This ensures that no two files with the same name are loaded.

Finally, Session Manager and FileView find your private customization file by using the logical name VUE$PROFILE. You can equate this logical name with a file specification to point to your private customization file. If no translation is found, Session Manager and FileView use the file specification DECW$USER_DEFAULTS:VUE$PROFILE.VUE$DAT. This normally translates to your SYS$LOGIN directory, but you can redefine it to translate to any other directory.

When you rearrange the order of menu items on a menu in a public customization file or remove a built-in menu item from it, you create a copy of that menu in your private customization file. Because Session Manager and FileView read your private customization file last, any subsequent changes made to the public customization file will not be reflected in your private customization file. For example, if new menu items are added to a menu in the public customization file, you will not see those additions. Your private customization file will override the public file. Adding additional menu items to a sorted menu does not make a private copy of the public menu definition.

14.2 Creating Shared Customization Files

Session Manager and FileView read your private customization file by translating the logical name VUE$PROFILE and reading all files with the extension VUE$DAT. You can use the Create Public Profile File command to create a file that contains customized Session Manager or FileView components.

To build a public customization file that you can share with other users:

1. Add the Create Public Profile File command to a menu.
   The Create Public Profile File menu item does not appear on any of the Session Manager or FileView menus by default. For more information about adding menu items to pull-down menus, see Chapter 8.
2. Choose Create Public Profile File from the menu.
   When you choose Create Public Profile File, you are prompted for a name for the profile file. By default, the file extension is VUE$DAT. The profile file that is created is placed in the directory pointed to by the logical VUE$LIBRARY_WRITE. By default, VUE$LIBRARY_WRITE points to SYS$COMMON:[VUE$LIBRARY.USER].
   This default allows Session Manager or FileView to merge your profile file automatically with the system and user profile files. When Session Manager and FileView start, they read all files with the extension VUE$DAT from the directory pointed to by the logical VUE$PUBLIC_PROFILE. By default, the logical name VUE$PUBLIC_PROFILE points to the same directories as VUE$LIBRARY_WRITE.
3. After you fill in the profile file name, a new Fileview is created. This FileView uses only the system definitions and does not have any of your private definitions.
4. Add any items you want to appear in the public profile file.
   For more information about defining menu items or adding items to menus, see Chapter 8. For more information about working with file types and views, see Chapter 9.

   Note Any changes you make are saved in the new profile, so do not move the FileView or Session Manager window or save settings in any built-in dialog boxes. These settings will be saved in the public profile you are creating.

   
   If you are adding items to existing pull-down or pop-up menus, using the Sort & Merge setting automatically merges your changes. For more information about using the Sort & Merge setting, see Chapter 8.
5. When you finish making changes, exit the new FileView. The new profile file is ready for you to use the next time you use Session Manager or FileView. To see the new profile file, look in the directory pointed to by VUE$LIBRARY_WRITE.

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