Code sample: ksh

This particular program stores itself in memory as two shell functions, so that the system does not have to read it in line by line as it executes.

#!/bin/ksh
#
#

TTYSTATE=`stty -g`

typeset -i CNT
typeset -i i
typeset -i k
typeset -i l
typeset -i n

EXEDIR=/plugh/progdir

RPTDIR=${EXEDIR}/rpt
VIEW=${EXEDIR}/exe/viewer
USAGE="Usage: ${0} , where  is the extension of the set \
of filenames we are to look at."

EXTENS=${1:?${USAGE}}

if [ ! -x ${VIEW} ]; then
	echo "Can't use ${VIEW}"
	exit -1
fi

loadmenu() {

	i=0
	k=0
	l=1

	ls ${RPTDIR}/*.${EXTENS} 1>/dev/null 2>&1 || {
		echo "No such files in ${RPTDIR}!"
		exit -1
	}
	for FILE in `cd ${RPTDIR} 1>/dev/null; \
		ls -tr *.${EXTENS} |tail -50; cd - 1>/dev/null 2>&1`
	do
		j=`head -1 ${RPTDIR}/${FILE} | cut -c11-25`
		i=$i+1
		if [ "$i" -lt 10 ]
		then
			z='\0040'${i}
		else
			z=${i}
		fi
		SELLIST[${i}]=${FILE};
		n=`echo "$z $j\c"|wc -c`
		if [ "$n" -lt 8 ]; then j="$j\t"; fi
		if [ $k -eq 0 ]; then
			MENU[${l}]="$z $j\t"
			k=$k+1
		else
			MENU[${l}]="${MENU[$l]}\t$z $j\t"
			k=$k+1
		fi
		if [ $k -eq 3 ]; then
			k=0
			l=$l+1
		fi
	done

	CNT=${#MENU[*]}+1
	MENU[0]="\n\t\t-- SELECT FROM LIST --\n\n";
	MENU[${CNT}]="\t\t\t'X' to exit ";
}

runmenu() {

	while [ 1 -eq 1 ]
	do
		clear
		i=0
		while [ "${i}" -lt "${CNT}" ]
		do
			echo ${MENU[${i}]}
			i=${i}+1
		done
		echo
		echo ${MENU[${i}]}
		echo
		echo "\t\tEnter your selection: \c"
	
		read; case ${REPLY} in
			[Xx])
				stty ${TTYSTATE}
				exit;;
			[0-9]*)
				i=${REPLY}
				SEL=${SELLIST[${i}]}
				if [ -f "${RPTDIR}/${SEL}" ]
				then
					${VIEW} ${RPTDIR}/${SEL}
				fi;;
			*)
				echo "\0007\0007Didn't understand that!"
				sleep 3
				clear;;
		esac
	done
}

loadmenu

runmenu