1. Introduction
2. Mastering a CD
3. Using the Console
   1. Special Keys
4. Boot Scripts
   1. Startup Scripts
   2. Line Format
      1. Labels
      2. Commands
      3. Comments
5. Displaying Images
   1. Image Formats
   2. Splash Screen
6. Command Reference
   1. Parameter Types
      1. Keywords
      2. Filenames and Paths
      3. Numbers
   2. Syntax Definitions
   3. Command List

Mastering the CD involves putting together all the files you need on the disk, along with all the files Boot Scriptor requires, and then configuring the disk to load Boot Scriptor when booted. The technique varies slightly depending on which program is used to make the ISO-9660 disk image.

Using the Boot Scriptor Console is fairly straightforward. A quick read through this section is all you should need to get started, however you'll need to become familiar with the Command Reference to become an expert.

Boot Scripts are what Boot Scriptor is all about. They provide the ability to create simple user interfaces, as well as grouping commands to make custom boot routines. The scripting language not very difficult to learn, but a thorough understanding of Boot Scriptor is required to harness everything the program has to offer.

You will also probably want to place any other scripts or boot images you need in the /bscript folder as well.

You can omit modules (.bsm files) if you don't want them, but as a result their commands will not be available in Boot Scriptor.

Once you have all the files in place, you can build the iso image. Most programs will ask for the following options to make the disc bootable:
 

For those using mkisofs, you can create the iso file by using the command:

After you've read through this section of the documentation and you want to begin making scripts, the best way to get started is to use the script debugger "bscriptw.com" (included in the release package). Most console and script commands will work in the debugger, so it's much easier to test your scripts from within DOS or Windows (the debugger only works in a DOS-compatible environment) instead of burning them to a CD. Commands such as boot, reboot, etc. will not follow through with their actions in the script debugger, so you don't have to worry about them causing problems. They will terminate the currently running script, however. When everything seems to be working right in the debugger, I suggest burning a CD-RW to make sure the script works as intended. Then if you have errors you can always erase the disc and try again. After you have all the kinks worked out, go ahead and produce your final CD.

You can also prevent Boot Scriptor from executing bscript.ini by turning on Caps-Lock or holding down the Control key as the program starts up.

label: command [param1] [param2]...[paramN] ; comment

Labels:
If you include a label on the line, it doesn't have to be at the very beginning of the line, but it must begin at the first non-whitespace on the line. A label definition must be followed by a colon; when you refer to a label in a call or goto command, you don't include the trailing colon. Labels can consist of any combination of characters except ':' (colon) and ';' (semicolon).

To use labels effectively, it's important to realize how they are searched for by the script interpreter. When you specify a label in a call or goto command, the interpreter begins searching for the label at the next line, and continues to the end of the file. If the label it's searching for is not found by the time the end of the file is reached, then the search resumes at the beginning of the file. If by the time the search reaches the original call/goto statement the label is not found, an error is generated reporting the unresolved label and the line number it was referenced on, and script processing is terminated. Note that there is no detection of duplicate label definitions. The first label found that matches the one referenced is the one used for the destination of the call/goto command.

Commands:
A command is any console or script command, including its parameters. You type them just as you would at the command prompt. Consult the Command Reference for information on the proper use of each command. Note that in Boot Scripts the entire command set is available for use.

Comments:
A comment begins with a semicolon, and continues to the end of the line. In other words, the script processor interprets a semicolon as an end-of-line character; upon finding one the rest of the line is ignored and script processing continues with the following line. All comments are single-line comments (there is no such thing as a multi-line comment in Boot Scriptor).

Bitmap (BMP) images can be displayed on any hardware that is 100% VGA compatible. They must be 320 by 240 pixels in size, with an 8-bit color depth (i.e., 256 colors). Also, they must be saved in Windows BMP format using run-length encoding (RLE). Bitmap image files must have the extension '.bmp'.

Boot Scriptor Images (BSI) can only be displayed on hardware that is compatible with VESA BIOS Extensions v1.2 or above. They are 640 by 480 pixels in size, and true-color (i.e., 24-bit; approximately 16.7 million colors), so compatible hardware must also be capable of true-color 640x480 mode, and have enough memory for two video pages at that resolution. Fortunately most PC's manufactured in recent years possess this capability.

BSI files are produced using an image conversion tool called 'convert', located in the /tools folder of the Boot Scriptor distribution archive . Convert can either transform a 640x480x24 BMP file into its BSI equivalent, or vice-versa. Boot Scriptor Image files must have the extension '.bsi'.

When Boot Scriptor starts, it will look for a file called 'bscript.bsi' in the /bscript directory of the CD/DVD. If the file is found, then Boot Scriptor will attempt to display the image. If there is an error displaying the image (e.g., hardware doesn't meet the compatiblity requirements specified above, corrupted data in the image file, etc.) or if there is no bscript.bsi file present, then Boot Scriptor will then look for a file called 'bscript.bmp' in the /bscript directory. If that file is found then it will be displayed as the splash screen.

Splash screens are optional. If there is neither a bscript.bsi nor a bscript.bmp file present in the /bscript folder, then the user will just see a blank screen while Boot Scriptor initializes.