So you thought DOpus couldn't do that! -------------------------------------- Brought To You By Sigma Alpha By Dr DOpus ----------- So you've been using DOpus for a while and you've discovered that it is probably the most useful, brilliant, amazing program available for the Amiga...but are you getting the most from it? In this doc some hints and tips to get the most from DOpus will be explained but remember the beauty of DOpus is it's individuality, so be sure to think about what you want DOpus to do and adapt ideas to suit your own needs...there's not much it can't do when it comes to file management! To explain all the features and functions in DOpus would be a pointless task...that's what the manual is for, but there's a host of things that can be done or made to be more efficient that aren't in the manual, so that's where this doc comes in. One of the most important things to remember is that DOpus really shines when used in conjunction with external utilities so I'll mention the most useful ones...be sure to find them from the usual sources, PD Libraries, BBS's etc. The hints are aimed at the average Amiga user who wants to do a little bit of everything with his machine rather than experts who may wish to perform more specific tasks. I'll assume that a hard drive is in use. Q. What utilities will enhance Directory Opus? A. Here's a list of a few essential utilities that you should have, that perform functions or aid existing functions in DOpus. In no particular order... a) LhA (Stefan Boberg) - File archiving util. b) KingCON (David Larsson) - Console handler (improves Shell/CLI). c) PPShow v4 (Nico Francois) - Multi format viewer for pics/anims. d) DMS (SDS Software) - Disk archiver/cruncher. e) Virus_Checker (John Veldhuis) - Guess! f) GoldED (Dietmar Eilert) - Text editor, complex but superb. g) Edword (Martin Reddy) - Text editor, less powerful than GoldED but still very good. h) View80 (Frederico Giannici) - An alternative text viewer to Fullview (the built-in viewer), faster and more flexible when reading larger doc files. i) StatRam 3 (Nicola Salmoria) - A very robust Rad: useful for fast archiving/DMS'ing. j) DLD or XFD (Georg Hormann) - decrunch utils. k) FMS (Mat Dillon) - Create 'virtual' floppy disks' on your hard drive, speeds up all sorts of operations. NB: You'll have to follow the installation instructions supplied with the utilities and ensure they work as they should before incorporating them into use with DOpus. Q. When I load a directory into an Opus window it takes ages to display, is there anything I can do to speed this up? A. To speed up access in the DOpus windows, select the Operation menu in ConfigOpus, then select List Format. In the 'selected display items' window just have 'file name' & 'file size' this will speed up the windows enormously. Also make sure your disks/hard drives are optimized using a utility such as Re-Org 3.11 (Holger Kruse) you'll be amazed at the speed improvement. Q. When I double-click or click and drag on some files things happen, and on others nothing happens...why is this? A. These mouse operated functions are set up in the Filetype section of ConfigOpus, this is probably the most powerful feature of Opus yet it is widely ignored. You can set up loads of different functions to be performed with the mouse, for example, you can de-archive from one window to another by simply clicking on a file with a .LHA extension then clicking on the destination window. You can read docs, view pics and anims, DMS disks, copy files, list the contents of archives etc etc, all with your mouse! Details of how to set up some Filetypes are given on this disk so take a look and experiment :) Q. When I perform a function that has an output window, the workbench screen comes to the front and the output window disappears just as I'm reading the contents. I want to see what has happened and sometimes keep a record, is this possible? A. To make the 'DOpus Output' windows more friendly and useful, first you should install KingCON (1.3), this is not essential but it does give Shell/CLI windows a scroll bar which can be invaluable when dealing with lists. Select System in ConfigOpus and then select AmigaDOS. In the 'Shell' string gadget type....SYS:c/NewCli (ensuring that you have the NewCli command in your C directory!) Then in the 'Console' string gadget type the following line.... KCON:11/11/640/154/Directory Opus Output/CLOSE/SCREEN DOPUS.1 or if you don't have KingCON... CON:11/11/640/154/Directory Opus Output/CLOSE/SCREEN DOPUS.1 On a normal high res screen this will open the output window where the DOpus windows are, this is better than flicking to and from the workbench screen every time an output window is opened. If you want to suspend the closure of the output window after the function has completed so you can read what's happened (and scroll back if you've installed KingCON) then don't forget you can set the 'close delay' of the function to -1 making the output window wait for you to press the LMB before it will close. Should you wish to keep a record of what's happened you can set the 'output to file' flag of the function. Q. Is it possible to un-DMS to Ram: ? A. No. There are however, ways to speed up DMS functions using Opus. You can set up a recoverable ram disk ( Rad: ) and DMS to and from it by setting up a Filetype for DMS. There is a Rad: utility called StatRam (v3) available which is more flexible and robust than using the standard method described in the Amiga manual. Also you could use FMS (see essential utils above), this will set up "virtual floppy disks" on your hard drive ( FF0: FF1: etc ) so you can DMS to and from these also. To set up a filetype for DMS see the Filetypes directory on this disk for information. Q. Opus takes up a lot of my precious memory, how can I save some? A. Go to the System section in ConfigOpus and click on modules, then ensure that all modules have no tick beside them, this will prevent them being loaded every time you use Opus but you'll still be able to use them...they'll load when needed. Another thing you can do is regularly clear the buffers this will free up a bit of memory. Q. When I'm working with Opus I get thirsty, will it make coffee? A. No....maybe in the next update! Q. I want Opus to load my hard drive contents in the left window and Ram: contents in the right at startup, is it possible? A. Yes, just go to System/Startup in ConfigOpus and set which devices to load at startup. Come on, read the manual again! :) You can load devices into specified windows with any button/menu/filetype function if you want...when setting up the config of the button etc use the Scandir command like this... ScanDir Sys: 0 (will load your boot device into the left window) ScanDir Ram: 1 (will load Ram: into the right window) NB: Don't forget to set the cycle gadget to Command. For instance you could set up a Reset Opus button as follows... Command ScanDir Sys: 0 Command ScanDir Ram: 1 Command Clearbuffers Obviously you can rescan whatever devices/dirs you like. Q. I use Parnet to link my 1200 with my CDTV, can I mount the network from Opus? A. Yes. Make yourself a bootable disk for the CDTV with the lines... NetPNet-Server Unit 1 Mount Net: ...somewhere in the startup-sequence then set up a button in Opus with the following... AmigaDOS SYS:c/NetPNet-Server Unit 0 AmigaDOS SYS:c/Mount Net: (assuming your commands are in SYS:c) No flags ticked. Boot the CDTV with the floppy disk then after the disk activity has finished you can click on your NET: button in Opus to start the network. You can then set up Drive buttons to read the CDTV drives, for example... Drive Name CD0: Path Net:CD0 You can do the same to read Net:DF0 / Net:Ram / Net:Rad etc etc. When using Opus with Net:CD0 it's better to type the exact dir you need into the string gadget below the selected window. ie. Net:CD0/utils/misc/ If you use the mouse to click through the directories it will take ages because of the amount of information on the CD, and the CD drives are much slower than hard drives. END ---