Amiga Collections: Scope/Scope Disk #060 (199x)(Scope PD)(US)[WB].zip/Scope Disk #060 (199x)(Scope PD)(US)[WB].adf/Noah/Part4

Text File | 1989-03-04 | 18KB | 348 lines

  And now, guess what?!  It's time for some more of that neat CLI stuff!!
Oh please Mr. BenchMaster, can we have Assign first??

  Sorry kids, like desert, you'll have to finish your plates before we get
to the good stuff, and that means every last byte!

  Okay, I'm just going to skip through the c directory; most of the commands
just kind of do one thing so don't need much additional comment.


AddBuffers-keep it until you get FaccII
Assign-sorry, next chapter
Break-Will stop some tasks that otherwise don't have an off command.
      SetBeep is the only one that comes to mind.
CD-sorry, next chapter too
Copy-makes a copy of a file where you specify, with a different name if you
     so further specify.  Use "all" to copy all directories and files.
Date-shows or sets date
Delete-deletes specified file unless "all" is used, then deletes specified
       directory and all files/subdirectories within.
Dir-shows specified directory's contents. Dir opt a for total Dir
DiskDoctor-for recovering deleted files or files from a damaged disk
Echo-for printing out text in a CLI window
Ed-the script editor, also called a line editor
Else, If, EndIf-next chapter
EndCLI-closes CLI window; doesn't close if you've Run certain programs still
       in operation, Runback might/will fix this.
Execute-a "Run" for scriptfiles, if I may be so bold.
FailAt-We're keeping it around as a sentimental reminder of how our our
     startup-sequence USED to look.
Fault-translates error message number into semi-English
Info-already covered.  You can get a better one off the BBS's
Install-to make a formatted disk bootable
List-lists bytes in dir, to be replaced with DL, which will go into
     directories in depth, giving you the full byteage.
LoadWB-loads up the Workbench screen
MakeDir-makes a new directory, but not the icon for it.  For the .info file
        you have to copy over (and rename) another drawer icon, or make up
        a new one in IconEd.
NewCLI-it differs from the CLI command that was in the System drawer in only
       one way, but you can play with them.  Both can have their window size
       changed with NewZap.
Path-ditto next chapter, and throughout.
Prompt-changes the ">" sign for your CLI.  But why?
Quit-will stop some programs from running
Rename-renames files as well as moves them.  Learn this guy as well as Copy.
Run-for tools/programs
SetClock-for setting the internal and/or system clocks
Stack-you won't need this until you get into animations but I left it in,
      just in case some graphics hack you've downloaded wants it.  If so,
      there'll be numbers in the STACK box in the Info window.
Status-gives you general status of CLI tasks.  Like Info, there are better
       ones around but I find this one adequate.
Type-goes into the dumper as soon as you get Less.
Version-left in just in case somebody/something wants it.
Wait-holds up CLI process for requested number of secs/mins
Why-like Fault, gives you feedback on error.  Use right after boo-boo.

  Okay, that's it for these clowns.

                                       *

  Well, I fibbed.  This is the next chapter and we're NOT going to go
over those other commands just yet.  Aw-w, gee Uncle BenchMaster, c'mon,
just one little Assign, pretty-please???

  Well, okay.  Geez, I'm such a sucker for you brats.  Now, remember when I
said we'd wipe out the fonts dir, get all the space back and still have
access to the fonts?  Here's how:  We'll make a fresh fonts dir on a blank
disk and Assign fonts over to that disk, so when Notepad or whatever goes
looking for fonts, there they'll be.  Put a freshly formatted disk in df1
and rename it FontDisk.  Type "MakeDir df1:fonts", and you should have a
fonts dir on FontDisk.  If you still have all the fonts in your Workbench
directory, type "Copy fonts df1:fonts all".  If you've already blasted them,
boot up your Workbench 1.2 and copy them over.  Now to run Notepad with
df1's fonts, somewhere before you start up Notepad you need to Assign the
fonts over to df1, which you can do a number of ways.

  -  You can just put "Assign fonts: df1:fonts" in your st-seq but then
FontDisk always has to be in df1 when you're booting up or it's no-go.

  -  A variation on the above would be to put a

               If exists df1:fonts
               Assign fonts: df1:fonts
               endif

in the st-seq so it can see if df1:fonts is there or not.  One hitch
with this is that unless FontDisk is in df1 during boot-up you'll STILL
have to Assign them over before using the Notepad.  Also, you could have
some ol' game disk with a font dir on it in df1 by mixtake and things would
really get mixed up.

  -  You could, of course, just type "Assign fonts: df1:fonts" in a CLI
before using the Notepad every time.  Personally, I can't even imagine it.

  -  You could write a script file saying nothing but "Assign fonts: df1:
fonts", call it, say, "fo" (for fonts), and go "f fo" before firing up the
Notepad.  But then, of course, you still have to remember to do it.

  -  You could use Xicon and run that same script file from an icon,
located, say, right next to the Notepad icon and that would do it for you.

  -  Or, of course, you could do it the right way.  I've given you enough
clues in these pages to let you piece it together for yourself.  Remember
what I said about a program running from a script file:  Unless it's Run it
stops the file from continuing.  That's the deal.

                                       *

  A few mentions on the new programs you've downloaded/are downloading..

The basic gang:

Conman - Only makes the CLI about 2000% times easier to use.  Use -q -t in
         your st-seq.

Lace - It still has a few bugs.  The perfect Lace would remember where the
       window were.

Less - Allows you to Ed with "v", use "g" and "G" for top & bottom of page.
       This is the only program I can think of that uses "hot keys", meaning
       you don't have to hit the Return.  Rename it as Type.

Less - Rename this as Type.

PrefCh - Can also be used for different printer set-ups, of course.

Mackie - Must be RunBack'd in st-seq.

Runback - Always use instead of Run in a scriptfile, like st-seq.

Select - If DU-VI doesn't get Best Program, I nominate this guy.  It can be
         used in a lot of great ways.

Xicon201 - No real difference between this and older version (except size).


Others:

DL - Rename it List2, use List for JUST a directory, List2 -R -s (dir) for
     in-depth look.  Has to be capital "R".

Blitzfonts - not necessary, just one of those programs where once you get
             used to it you notice it immediately when it's gone.  Use
             Runback in st-seq.

Zoomlens - can actually be handy for inspecting icons to see how to get
           green, purple and brown from the stock four colors.  Interesting!

SetBeep - This does have a few bugs.  Get a newer or different one when you
          can.  Use Runback in st-seq.

                                       *

  Let's go over CD for a sec just to make sure you're familiar with it.  If
there's any command on the disk that's "ours", CD is it.  Basically, it means
you, meaning your fingers, meaning the keyboard, meaning where the
commands being typed on the screen are coming from.  You can CD to any
device and into any directory.  Type "CD Ram:" and you're in Ram.  How do
you know?  Type "CD" and it'll tell ya.  If you type "Dir" then you'll be
shown what's in "your" directory and/or device.  Type "CD df0:System",
then type "Dir".  Dir will show you what's in the directory you've CD'd to.
You don't have to CD to a directory to find out what's in it, of course.
Type "CD df0:", then type "CD" and it should spit the Bench's name back at
you.  Type "Dir" and there's the stuff on the "surface" of the disk. Then
type "Dir System" and there's the System stuff.  You already know this?
Great, no problem.

  CD can save us a bunch of keystrokes if we're writing a script file and
have to copy or rename or whatever a bunch of files buried deep in some
directory.  Let's say we've got a disk with nothing but IFF pictures on
it, a whole bunch of them, all in separate directories.  We want to write a
file that when we Execute it it will copy just certain pics to Ram.  So first
we "Ed s/pics1", which will create a new script file called "pics1" located
in the directory s.  The pics we want to copy to Ram are in a directory, on
df1, called Modern, inside a directory called Art, inside a directory called
Pics, inside a directory called Graphics.  Since this is already confusing
enough, we'll just call the pics 1,2,3,4 and 5.  Using Ed, we'd write

                     copy df1:Graphics/Pics/Art/Modern/1 Ram:
                     copy df1:Graphics/Pics/Art/Modern/2 Ram:
                     copy df1:Graphics/Pics/Art/Modern/3 Ram:
                     copy df1:Graphics/Pics/Art/Modern/4 Ram:
                     copy df1:Graphics/Pics/Art/Modern/5 Ram:

             Whew!  With the CD command, we can do this:

                     cd df1:Graphics/Pics/Art/Modern
                     copy 1 Ram:
                     copy 2 Ram:
                     copy 3 Ram:
                     copy 4 Ram:
                     copy 5 Ram:

  See that?  It put us into the Modern dir and then when we said to Copy
(or Rename or whatever) a file, the computer knew just where to find it, as
it was right there "alongside".

  As you've noticed, I've been playing pretty fast and loose with the words
"directory" and "drawer", and not by accident.  You might as well get used
to them meaning (approximately) the same thing, kind of like that program/
tool/utility business.  I'm tending to just use them as the occasion fits;
you put things into drawers but you dir a directory, assuming that makes
sense.

  If you haven't downloaded Conman yet, you're really missing the boat.  I
guarantee it'll be one of your best buddies forever.  I give it my highest
praise:  It should have been included with the original software.  I'd even
settle for that tool dir on the Extras/Basic disk.  Which, yes, we'll get to
eventually.  Don't hold your breath, there's not much on it for the likes of
us.

                                       *

  Figured out that deal with Notepad and the fonts yet?

                                       *

  There are two great keyboard commands that as far as I know aren't
documented anywhere, probably a 1.2 upgrade.  I read about them in a
letter to AmigaWorld..what can I say?  They're Commodore-N and Commodore-M.
They flip you back and forth between screens, two much-used commands.  If a
program, like gShow, mentions "toggle", that's what it means.

                                       *

  You're probably getting a handle on Path, that elusive rascal.  Path shows
the computer where directories are so it can find tools when you command it
to.  One thing you have to remember about Path is that it only leads to the
one you name, even if it has to go through a couple of directories to do it.
The directories it goes through to get to yours are not in the path until
specifically named.  I'm not sure if this makes sense or not; I haven't been
in a situation where I wanted to make sure something DIDN'T have a path for
it or to it.  Now that I've said that I'm sure one will arise.  Just Path
everything that has a tool in it during the st-seq and be done with it.

                                       *

  Okay...NOW we'll do Assign.  Nothing to it, really.  Simply Assign any
directory to what and where you want and that's it.

                                       *

  Now I'd like to say a few words about the program Xicon.  It's one of the
more integral programs on your download list, meaning that it touches a lot
of areas of the computer.  I'm not going to call it a subroutine, though,
as it only works when called upon, like any tool, whereas Mackie and
FaccII and the like are "always" running in the background, and that's
easily proved by quitting the programs and watching the memory they were
using come back.  Some subroutines, like Conman and Newfont, don't have off
switches, so once they're run the memory's gone.  That, again, is where
Select comes into play, which we'll get to by and by.  What's that?  You
thought the section on Assign was kind of skimpy?  Are you sure??  Look,
I'll make you a deal:  YOU solve the Notepad/fonts puzzle and I'll give you
another whole paragraph on Assign..fair enough?  Now put this down and get
busy, gol'dang it!

                                       *

  Generally, the proper proceedure for using Xicon is this:  (I elaborate on
this program because the doc is kinda hefty)

  Let's say we want to run a program, any program, say, Notepad for
instance.  The only hitch is that on the Bench we've only got some lonesome
ol' Topaz 11 kickin' around the fonts drawer, all the good stuff's on
FontDisk.  We haul out Ed and write up a script file for Xicon to run.  We
type "Ed Utilities/Notepad!", note that the exclamation mark differs it from
the program "Notepad".  You can use any name, "Note.Pad" for all I care,
just so long as it's not the actual program's name.  So our script file
looks like this:

                          Assign fonts: df1:fonts
                          CD df0:Utilities
                          Notepad
                          Assign fonts: df0:fonts


  First we assigned the fonts directory over to the one on df1, so when
Notepad went looking for fonts, it was re-directed to the fonts dir on df1.
Then we ran the Notepad program, but we didn't Run it, that's the deal.  If
we'd Run it the script file would have continued, the fonts dir would have
been reassigned to df0 and Notepad wouldn't have found them.  This way they
stay on df1 until the Notepad program is ended, allowing the script file to
continue.  This is an elemental part of the whole Amiga scheme so make sure
you understand it.  Did I call it a "puzzle"?  Excuse me.

  So you've got your file written, Esc-X, Return to save it.  By the way, I
CD'd into the Utilities directory before running the Notepad because Xicon
likes you to CD into the directory.  It wasn't essential; you'll use Xicon a
lot and discover its workings.  The next step is to change the Notepad
icon from a tool to a project, as Xicon need a project icon to run from.  If
you don't have IconType or IconLab yet (where have you BEEN?), haul out good
ol' IconEd, load up a project icon and the Notepad icon and do the switch.
Save it as "df0:Utilities/Notepad!" (the .info is added automatically) to
match our (!) scriptfile.

  Close IconEd, open the Utilities drawer and there our icon should be.
Double-click it just to watch the error message and make a fool of yourself,
then activate the icon and pull down the Info menu.  Activate the Default
Tool box with the mouse then type in "df0:c/Xicon", hit Return, then SAVE
the Info.  Ready for the big moment?  Double-click the icon, things should
scratch around for a while then up Notepad should pop.  Check the fonts to
make sure they're loaded.  Quit the program, the fonts should re-assign
themselves to df0, and that's that.  The box Xicon popped up is VERY valuable
when getting a scriptfile running as that's your feedback window, which,
hopefully, will tell you if something's screwing up.  Like if you didn't have
FontDisk in df1 and the Assign failed, it'll tell you.  After the program's
running smooth, re-open the Info window for the icon, click the ADD box and
enter in the Tool Types box:  MODE=nowindow    That'll keep the window from
opening.  It also one of the few times capitals count; any command in the
Tool Types box is ALWAYS capitalized, far as I know.  If you have the older
version of Xicon you'll type   MODE=closewindow.

  An improvement in the scriptfile would be to say

                           Assign fonts: FontDisk:fonts

to make sure the Assign seeks out the disk by name, in which case you'll get
a requester if Fontdisk isn't in df1.

  Xicon, remember, is only for running scriptfiles from the Workbench.  You
could always rename that Notepad! script to "n", put it in the s dir, and as
fast as your fingers could type "f n", you'd be on your way.  Given how
small, byte-wise, a script file is, you could have both.  Yes, but I hear
you say, as long as you have to open Utilities to get to the CLI icon, why
not just punch Notepad! as long as you're there?  Well, that, my friend,
is because you don't have a handy little CLI window or two pop open down at
the bottom of your Bench during boot-up for just such an occasion.  But you
will, you will...

                                       *

  A few words on If, EndIf and Else.  Unless you want to get cute and start
using all the sub-commands that go along with these three, things are pretty
straightforward.  Take a glance in one of the DOS books if you forget the
correct format.  Basically, it just checks to see if a file or directory (or
device, I suppose) is there, and then does something or not.  The something
it does can be a whole string of commands or nothing.  Ditto if the file
isn't there.  The reason that mess is in the startup-sequence is just
in case some fool renames either the System or Utilities directories, in
which case the Path command would fail.  That's not so bad; the scriptfile
(in this case the st-seq) would continue to execute.  In a case like Assign,
however, it would grind to a halt..so the commands CAN be important.

                                       *