bob58

Hello......I am new to this forum and also new to scripting. I am very familiar with DOS batch files and would like to do some similar things in Linux. I am using Knoppix 3.7. I have been reading alot of websites offering help and tutorials on scripting but cannot find exactly what i want to do. I understand the basic idea of creating the script in editor and then making it executable. Basically I want to do is not too complicated i hope.

For example, I have a directory that contains roughly 50 text files on various subjects of interest.
I would like to make a menu showing maybe 20 choices of those text files. I want to assign a letter to each choice and have the file that is chosen to be displayed on screen and then a provision to exit the displayed file and return to menu.....

Is there a basic scripting routine that will let me do this??? I have done this extensivly in DOS using colors and graphics. I also want to be able to do this using a command line only computer eventually. Well for now I will use the Konsole. After using Linux now for 8 months, I realize the power of scripting and i think its fun.

I just need some help getting started....I do not need to "test conditions" or do any of that "if" business because I know the files i have are where they belong and do not need to test if they are or are not existing.

The next thing i would like to learn is how to use colors in my menus and so on......if anyone has the time to help me a little at a time that would be great! thank you...bob