Archive Magazine CD 1995/Archive Magazine CD 1995.iso/text/hints/volume_03/issue_08

Text File | 1995-02-16 | 15.3 KB | 379 lines

•   Auto-Booting on Startup − The following tip is of particular use to
users of hard disks.
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With so many extensions to RISC-OS being avail-able, most notably the
Outline Font Manager, it can be inconvenient if your applications can’t
find them and even worse if the first !System directory that is seen is
on a floppy.
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The simplest solution to this is to put !Fonts and !System in the root
directory of your hard disk and then open the root directory as your
first action.
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However, if the same action has to be performed repeatedly, then the
computer must be able to do it for you and it can.
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First you should create a command file called !Boot in Edit. This should
contain something like:
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adfs::4.$.!System
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adfs::4.$.!Fonts
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DESKTOP
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This will then initialise the system and font paths before starting the
desktop. To make it run on startup, you must configure the system to
execute the !boot file, this is done from an operating system * prompt
by:
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*configure boot
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*configure drive 4
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*opt 4,3
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The last option sets the current drive to execute the !boot file, rather
than attempting to run it as a BASIC program.
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This is not the end of the startup. When you invoke the desktop, it is
possible have one or more applications run automatically. To run a
single application, just append the application path on the end of the
DESKTOP command, for example:
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DESKTOP adfs::4.$.!Edit
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This will startup the desktop with Edit on the menu bar. To initialise
more than one application, you specify a text file which lists all the
applications that you wish to start.
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DESKTOP -File adfs::4.$.Startup
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The file Startup might contain the following list of files:
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adfs::4.$.!Draw
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adfs::4.$.!Edit
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adfs::4.$.!Paint
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This will then enter the desktop and start Draw, Edit and Paint
automatically. One word of warning, if you are limited to 1 Mb, be
careful as it would be very easy to use up all the available memory.
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Further customisation could be had by adding RMload commands to the !Run
file of !System to automatically load modules (such as NewModes) and
Filer_OpenDir pathname to the !Run files of applications in the startup
file to automatically open directory viewers. Phil Kitching
3.8
•   BasicEdit − For users of the Data Store !Basic-Edit application:
Because this application uses the DSUtil module to alter the operation
of the mouse pointer it is not possible to run desktop programs
successfully from Edit without returning to the desktop first. This,
however, has the disadvantage that programs are more difficult to debug:
when a program ends it returns to the desktop and all the variables are
lost. A few simple changes to the !BasicEdit.!RunImage program, however,
seem to provide a satisfactory remedy. Insert near the start of the
program the following function key definitions:
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*KEY 2 *BEUtilOff|M*BASIC|MOLD|M
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RUN|M
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*KEY 3 *BEUtilOn|MEDIT .|M
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Then to run any program from the Edit screen simply press <f1> once and
<f2> once. If the prog-ram uses the Wimp, the desktop will reappear as
it was before you ran !BasicEdit with the new program running as well.
After the program ends, a “command window” will appear where you can use
LVAR or any other BASIC commands. To return to the Edit screen where you
left it, simply press <f3>. Hugh Eagle
3.8
•   Battery changing − You don’t have to bother with adding capacitors
etc as mentioned last month. All you need to do is leave the computer
switched on while changing the batteries (but mind your fingers on the
fan!). There is no danger involved, as the mains is totally enclosed,
and it will not harm the machine. Mike Harrison.
3.8
•   C programming − When writing desktop applications, put —DATE— in the
version string. So, if you forget to update the version number when
modifying the source files, it doesn’t really matter because when the
info is given from the menu, you can then find out what date the file
was compiled. R Bunnett.
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•   Closing the Edit window using <adjust> (instead of <select>) the
source directory is opened after the window has been closed. Holding the
<shift> key down simultaneously, will cause the directory viewer to be
opened without closing the Edit window (this allows you to drag-save the
file into the same directory, but with a different name). This is also
true for Draw and Paint.
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•   Double clicking problems − Double clicking on an application
installed on the icon bar by !TinyDirs can result in the application
running twice. This can have the confusing result that when you quit the
application a second copy of it immediately appears in its place.
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I have found a somewhat cumbersome solution to this problem which is to
include the following code in the WimpPoll loop:
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WHEN 17 : IF block%!4<>TaskId% AND block%!16=&400C2 THEN
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PROCInsertCR(block%+28)
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dummy$=$(block%+28)
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IF dummy$=TaskName$ THEN
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quit%=TRUE
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ENDIF
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ENDIF
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   .
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   .
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DEF PROCInsertCR(mem%)
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LOCAL I%
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I%=mem%
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REPEAT
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I%+=1
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UNTIL ?I%=0
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?I%=13
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ENDPROC
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When the first application receives the message that is broadcast when a
new application starts (i.e. it receives reason code 17 with
block%!16=&400C2) and it finds that the new task has the same name
(TaskName$) as itself, it sets quit%=TRUE which makes the application
quit at the end of the poll loop.
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Note that when each application starts, it receives the message
broadcast by itself, hence the com-parison of block%!4 (which holds the
handle of the sender of the message) with TaskId% to prevent the task
from shutting itself down!
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Note also that the little procedure PROCInsertCR seems to be necessary
to convert the string at block%+28 from a zero terminated string to a
normal &0D terminated one. (Can anyone explain please RISC-OS’s
infatuation with these wretched zero-terminated strings ... and to say
that it’s because C or Unix, or whatever, uses them is no answer!) Hugh
Eagle
3.8
•   Filer_OpenDir − The command ‘Filer_Open Dir’ may be used for any
file path. This includes ‘filing systems’ created using a system
variable (e.g. System$Path) may be referred to as the filing system
‘system:’. Some ‘filing systems’ are one direction only (e.g. printer:).
The command can also use SystemDevices’ own ‘filing systems’:
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   kbd: / rawkd:   the keyboard
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   null:   the ‘null device’
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   printer:   the printer
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   serial:   the serial port
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   vdu: / rawvdu:   the screen
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   netprint:   the network printer
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Examples: dragging a file onto the view opened by:
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*Filer_OpenDir printer: will spool it to the printer
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*Filer_OpenDir vdu: will send it to the vdu driver (try it with a text
file)
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*Filer_OpenDir null: <shift> dragging will ‘move’ a file to null: i.e.
delete it
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•   FormEd Update − Users who have downloaded the !FormEd template
editor from Acorn’s SID board (also available on shareware disc 20)
might like to know how to put back the ‘sprite routines’.
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The version of !FormEd refered to has a !Help file stating a date of 16-
May-89, and a ReadMe file stating version 1.00, but shows version 1.01
and date of 23-May-89 in its Info window. The ReadMe file shows that
this is an unsupported Acorn application.
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The !Help file states ‘Some previous versions of FormEd used to provide
facilities for editing sprites. These are now provided only in the
!Paint application’, also that when a sprite file is dragged onto the
FormEd icon on the iconbar, a window will display the sprites. In the
supplied state, no window is opened and you do not know what your sprite
names are, or even if you have loaded the correct file, until you define
an icon as a named sprite which you hope is in the file!
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I was having problems with not enough memory on a 1Meg machine for
!Paint, !FormEd, the sprite files and the templates being built. (It IS
possible with very careful setting of the ’Free’ and ‘Next’ bars in the
Task Manager, but you can’t have any printer drivers etc). An examina
tion of the !FormEd reveal-ed that by removing the REM statements from
just 2 lines the sprite routines were again available.
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Load the !RunImage for !FormEd and LIST lines 2270 and 3080. Edit those
lines to remove the REM before PROCspriteinfo in each, so that the lines
are as shown below:
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2270 WHEN &FF9:PROCloadsprites (f$)
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 :PROCspriteinfo
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3080 PROCloadsprites(FNstring0(q%
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+44)):PROCspriteinfo
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Save the file back to the disk. When a sprite file is dragged to the
FormEd icon, a sprite window is shown and the sprite editing routines
appear to work OK (although !Paint is more powerful). Douglas Potter
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•   GraphBox − Maybe this is an obvious point to some users but it took
me a while to discover. Graphs imported into !Draw can be disassembled
to a remarkable degree (using ungroup) right down to facets of
individual 3D bars. This allows extensive re-orienting, re-colouring
options which can avoid some of the problems with dark colours and
overlaps when colour printing on a dot matrix printer. John Wann
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•   Hardware developer’s tool − On the monthly program disk is a utility
(‘SVCBAS’) which is very useful for hardware developers. It patches
BASIC so that memory indirection operators (? and !) operate in
supervisor mode. This allows quick ‘tweaking’ of hardware devices while
testing. Documentation is minimal, since those who are likely to need it
should not need any! Mike Harrison.
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•   Maestro − There are (I think!) several errors in the description of
the !Maestro file format on pages 1809 to 1813 of the PRM:
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a)   in the ‘Music data’ the number of bytes of gate data is given, not
the number of gates as the PRM says
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b)   the number of bytes of gate data is preceded by &40
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c)   each of the next eight words (which give the length in bytes of the
queues of note/rest data for the eight channels) is also preceded by &40
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d)   in the ‘Stave data’, the number of music staves is reduced by 1
(i.e. if there are 4 music staves this is recorded as 3)
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e)   in the descriptions of the ‘Gate Attributes’, the binary represen
tations of the bottom few bits of each byte are given with the least
significant bit first. Thus where the ‘Clef’ description says “Bits 0 −
2 : 001 binary” it means that bits 0 and 1 are 0 and bit 2 is 1.
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f)   within the ‘Clef’ attribute data, the stave number (minus 1) is
given in bits 6 and 7, not bits 5 and 6. Hugh Eagle
3.8
•   Problems with an Epson LQ1050? When printing from Impression, !Draw,
etc using the !PrinterDM application, the 360 x 360 dpi mode may cause
spurious characters to be printed, which results in a poor quality
printout. The reason for this is that the firmware in the Epson printer
does not support the [Esc]+ control sequence which is nec-essary to set
a line feed of 1/360th of an inch. In order to get this option working
you will need a new version of the printer’s ROM. This can be purch-ased
from Applied Technology Ltd. David Crofts
3.8
•   Re-inking your ink-cartridge − It is possible to re-ink an ink-
cartridge for an HP-Deskjet Plus printer and probably other inkjet
printers by buying one of the inks listed below and then using a syringe
to insert the ink through a hole on the top of the cartridge. (a)
Fountain pen ink (Pelikan), (b) Diadye ink (photo-shop), (c) Rotring
air-brush ink. Tony Hopstaken
3.8
•   Rotor passwords − Lee Thake has sent in the passwords for Rotor, but
in case you would rather not know, here they are in very simple coded
form so that once you have the first password, you will be able to work
out the others. QJU, HBH, MJQ, TMZ, NFX, BXF, UOU, FOE.
3.8
•   Sparkplug − We have a lot of questions about how to decompress
programs such as PCDir which appear on our program and Shareware discs.
Let me try to explain in more detail.
3.8
The reason the programs are compacted is that there would not be enough
room on the disc for the uncompacted version. Thus, if you are to uncom-
pact them, you need to do so onto another (prefer-ably blank) disc. If
you have two drives or a hard disc on your computer, the job is easier
then if you are trying to do it on a single drive, so I will do it the
hard way first.
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Insert a blank disc in the drive and open its filer window. Remove this
disc and insert the Program Disc (or Shareware disc, or whatever) in the
drive and open its filer window. If you have not already done so,
install !sparkplug onto the icon bar by double-clicking on it. Drag the
icon of the program to be decompacted onto the !sparkplug icon on the
icon bar. A pseudo-filer window opens. Drag the icon or icons from there
into the filer window of the blank disc. You will be prompted to insert
that disc into the drive and will probably then have to keep swapping
the discs over as prompted until all of the compacted files and folders
have been uncom-pacted and copied across onto the other disc. This may
actually require quite a number of repetitions, so it may be better to
create as large a ram disc as possible and drag the files from the
!Sparkplug filer window onto the ram disc then change discs and copy
back from the ram disc to the blank disc. This, of course, will not work
if you cannot make a ram disc big enough to accommodate the uncompacted
files.
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If you have two discs, simply put the program disc in one drive and the
blank disc in the other. Proceed as above, except that you will not be
prompted to change discs since both are accessible to the computer at
the same time.
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•   Too many fonts − If you have too many anti-aliased fonts, !Edit will
crash with a ‘Fatal internal error type=5’. So those of you who are
purchasing the new onslaught of outline fonts should not put them all
into one !Fonts directory.
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•   VIDC parameters − On the monthly program disk is a text file of all
the VIDC and VDU para-meters for the standard screen modes. This makes
life a lot easier when defining your own modes, especially without the
aid of an oscilloscope to monitor the video waveform, and a VIDC data-
sheet. It’s much easier to tweak the existing num-bers than to work them
out from scratch! Mike Harrison.
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•   Wimp programming − If you get unexpected messages such as “Too many
nested structures” when running a BASIC program in a Desktop application
it may be simply because you have failed to allocate a large enough
Wimpslot. Hugh Eagle
3.8
•   Z88 file transfer − The Z88 can save files to disc. Ranger sell a
battery powered disc drive which reads and writes 3.5“ discs in 720k
MSDOS format. The trouble is it costs as much as the Z88.
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The Z88 does not insist on sending a line feed, see Printered.
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Since the Z88 serial port uses XOn/XOff by default, a three wire serial
lead will suffice if the Archim-edes is using similar software. Be sure
to short other handshaking lines. The simplest method of sending data to
the Archimedes is to use:
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*SPOOL file
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*FX21,1
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*FX2,1
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and just print from the Z88. Make sure the last lines in the file being
printed have *SPOOL *FX 2,0.
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The next stage up is to use a communications pack-age such as Hearsay
and the Filer to send or receive files. There is a nice routine on the
Data Store utilities disc which does the job using the Filer.
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Lastly the best way of transferring data is to use the PCLink ROM and
the Z88 filer that comes with Pipedream. Unfortunately PCLink comes with
a Z88 to PC cable so some soldering is still required. Data transfer
with PCLink is unnecessarily slow, a version of Kermit would have been
more use and faster. Bruce Edelsten
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(How about using the Archimedes-Z88 link that we supply for £35? Ed.)
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