Vectronix 2/VECTRONIX2.iso/FILES_09/RUNNER.ZIP/NEWSTUFF.HLP

Text File | 1992-05-25 | 23KB | 484 lines

                      Runner -- A Desktop Alternative

                                NEW STUFF
                         New Features and Changes

                        Software and Documentation
                    Copyright (C) 1993 by Dave Thorson
                    Version 1.61     November 18, 1993


        This file starts with the standard features of Runner and
        then describes any fixes or additions implemented in later
        releases.  It is mostly intended for prior users of Runner
        but will also tell you about capabilities you might be
        looking for....



$$      Standard Features of Runner:

        * Runs in ANY ST/STe resolution.

        * Programs can be run without worrying about what folder
        or disk they're physically stored in.  Runner switches to
        the program's disk and folder automatically (usually --
        see details below).

        * Tos-Takes-Parameters (.TTP) programs normally require a
        command line or parameters to be entered; Runner prompts
        you for this.  Command lines can be longer than the 20
        provided for in the desktop's dialogue box.

        * Lets you include up to 15 programs per menu; any of
        these programs can be run with the click of a mouse.
        Programs are included by simply selecting them from a file
        selector box, regardless of drive or folder.  Additional
        information may be entered about the program to customize
        how it will work and what it is called in menu lists.

        * Any of the 15 programs in a menu can be a menu itself,
        giving you access to 15 more programs or menus by clicking
        on the menu.

        * Menus can be nested up to 15 levels deep (although why
        you would ever need more than three levels I don't
        know....).

        * Programs and menus are listed using descriptions rather
        than filenames.  The default description for Degas Elite
        is "Degelite", the original program name minus the .PRG
        extension.  If you like "Degelite" as a description, fine,
        or you can change it to the more readable "Degas Elite".
        Descriptions can be up to 20 characters.  Runner tries to
        "beautify" filenames such as "CAD3D.PRG" to the
        (sometimes) more readable form of "Cad 3 D", or
        "SHOW_PIC.TTP" to "Show Pic", but you can still change the
        description Runner provides to whatever you like.

        * Programs and menus can be forced to appear only in
        certain resolutions.  You don't need to see Spectrum 512
        in the list when using a monochrome monitor, for example.

        * Runner can force the screen resolution on a color
        monitor from low to medium or from medium to low, and this
        is remembered independently for each listed program.
        While GEM does not always keep up with this trickery, it
        does allow you to run some programs successfully (or
        perhaps well enough to gain benefit) from the wrong
        resolution.  Mini-Run supports these forced resolution
        changes as well.

        * Programs and menus can be added, dropped, restored or
        changed at any time.

        * Access to a file selector is always a mouse click or
        keypress away.  If a selected file is a program, Runner
        will run it as if it were listed in a menu.  Otherwise,
        Runner will display the file on the screen.  "Funny"
        characters are stripped out, and the text is wrapped at
        the right edge of the screen, word-processor style.  The
        GEM Desktop has trouble displaying files in low res that
        are more than 40 characters wide; it breaks them at the
        40th column, usually in the middle of a word, and loses
        the line count so that up to forty half-lines may scroll
        off the screen without being read.  To make matters worse,
        a text file in the wrong format (such as from ST Writer)
        just keeps scrolling on by.  Runner's file view fixes all
        these problems, and lets you move backward through the a
        file as well.

        * Programs can be "installed" so that clicking on one of
        their document or data files in the file selector will
        cause the program to be run.  The name of the data file is
        passed to the program so it can be automatically loaded if
        the program supports this.

        * If you use an advanced file selector like Universal Item
        Selector (UIS III) from Application and Design Software or
        Little Green File Selector (from Charles F. Johnson), all
        of its capabilities will be available.  UIS III, for
        example, lets you rename, copy, delete, print and move
        files, as well as format disks.  You will not need to exit
        to the desktop for these functions.

        * Runner will use any Degas-compatible picture as a
        background display.  Pictures for the current resolution
        can be loaded on startup or after Runner is running.  If
        memory is short, a picture can be unloaded to free up
        32,000 bytes.  Template "guide" files are included to help
        you design your own background scenes.

        * Desk Accessories are also available while in Runner.
        Due to some insurmountable quirks in GFA BASIC (or is it
        GEM?), the accessory interface is a bit strange but it's
        there....

        * Runner's menu lists can be saved any time, loaded on
        startup or loaded from within Runner.  You can have
        different "configuration" files (containing different menu
        lists and color selections) for different purposes, if
        desired.

        * The palette used for running programs can be selected to
        be the desktop colors, the colors last saved in
        RUNNER.CFG, colors used for viewing text files, or the
        colors of whatever picture file is loaded at the time.
        This palette selection does not affect the displayed
        picture (unless you want it to).



$$      New Features: Version 1.40

        Runner has grown by about 12K from the last release (1.3),
        but there are lots of new features and a few fixes in
        version 1.40:

        * Support for Mini-Run is main addition.  Programs can be
        set in the description dialog box to always use Mini-Run,
        or you can force a program to be run from Mini-Run as you
        select it.

        * A separate text palette is available (and remembered
        when saving a RUNNER.CFG file).  This lets you select the
        colors you like best for reading text, regardless of
        preferences for running programs or other Runner
        background colors.

        * All color palettes can now be changed from within
        Runner.

        * QuickKeys can be assigned to any program in your Runner
        menu lists to let you run that program by pressing the
        assigned QuickKey.  QuickKeys can be listed like a Runner
        menu.

        * Ability to restore a dropped program or menu to
        another place in your menu structure.

        * All Adds and Restores are now sorted alphabetically,
        with menus at the top of each list (to sort older menus,
        drop and restore any names out of order).

        * On-line help for keyboard commands is available (this is
        done by viewing a disk file to save memory, but the file
        is small and is quickly accessed by pressing the HELP
        key).

        * 12-hour time, 24-hour time or date can be displayed on
        main menu screen.  The Backspace key switches between
        them.

        * File selector can now be accessed by pressing SPACE
        (since the HELP key is now used for, would you believe it,
        Help).

        * Mouse clicks in File View now move forward/backward and
        exit.

        * Smart mouse click checking lets you consistently
        register BOTH buttons (in the few places BOTH are needed)
        by pressing the second any time before releasing the
        first.  No more need to violate of the Laws of Physics by
        trying to press both buttons at EXACTLY the same time.

        * New RUNNER.CFG file format is not usable by older
        versions of Runner, but RCONVERT.PRG is included to
        convert older .CFG files to the new format with NO loss of
        information.

        * You now stay in the file selector until you select
        Cancel, rather than exiting any time a program is run.

        * Palette checking for background/text color distinction
        has been  removed.  It is now possible to make text
        invisible if you want, but you also have easy access to
        palette changes to fix this problem.  This also fixes the
        problem where text colors were sometimes changed to be
        less readable than when they started.

        * Several routines built in to GFA BASIC 3.x now replace
        the ones I wrote in GFA BASIC 2.x, to take less memory and
        provide greater speed in places.

        * The keyboard commands for selecting color palettes have
        changed to N-iNitial, K-desKtop, G-backGround and T-Text.

        * Menu location (left and right) and menu background (type
        of space blanked out behind menu lists) are now adjustable
        and are saved for each background picture as well as for a
        single no-background setup.  Changed picture palettes are
        also saved for each picture.  These adjustments can be
        made within Runner.

        * Degas Elite color-cycling animation is now supported,
        all four channels of it.

        * H key now hides all text, leaving the background picture
        (or blank screen) in full view.  Z key hides picture AND
        text.

        * Support for remembering the color changes made by a
        program run from runner is disabled; the meaning of that
        flag in the description box has been changed to force
        Mini-Run to run the program.  Check the description dialog
        box for any programs where you enabled "Keep Colors".

        * .APP programs are now supported - maybe.  I'm not sure
        what these are (my TOS 1.0 desktop doesn't know about
        them) but have been told they are set up just like .PRG
        files.  Runner treats them as .PRG files.  If this doesn't
        work for some reason, write me and let me know.

        * RCONVERT.PRG provided to convert older configuration
        files to the current format.



$$  New Features: Version 1.50

        * Another small increase in size (about 15K).

        * Support for Regions program.

        * Support for default parameter strings for all programs
        and data files.  Name substitution is also possible based
        on selected file.  Program comments can be stored instead
        of parameter strings.  Both comments and parameter strings
        can be skipped over when program is run or displayed for
        editing (if parameters) or verification (if comments).

        * Installed applications and QuickKeys are now handled
        from within the Description Dialog Box.  20 QuickKeys can
        be defined and up to 63 applications can be installed,
        with multiple file extensions recognized for each.

        * You can now place data files in Runner menus.  When
        selected they will be viewed or run by a matching
        installed application.

        * File View has been completely rewritten to be much
        faster.  It now supports searches, screen printing, and
        very fast moves forward, back, and to top of file.  If a
        file is too large to fit in memory it will be loaded in
        one section at a time.  Also supports 40 (wide) and 80
        (narrow) characters in viewing on color monitors
        (selectable from either low or medium res).

        * Additional time/date formats (alternating time/date).
        12/24 hour time and mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy date formats are
        all available, and you can chose time, date, alternating
        or no display.

        * Shifted number keys (1,2,3...,9,0) load in picture files
        assigned within the Regions program.

        * Loading a picture file now loads a Runner configuration
        file with a matching name (in addition to the pictures
        config file).

        * Picture files can now be in compressed Degas Elite
        format (.PC1, .PC2 or .PC3).

        * A picture file such as RUNNER.PI1 can now contain
        another filename and path, allowing you to change one
        small file to point at different startup pictures rather
        than use more space to copy them or get confused by
        renaming them.  RPICNAME.PRG will help you do this.

        * Program description dialog box now lets you select which
        color palette will be used for each program.

        * Runner's menus can be turned on and off (press the "O"
        key).  With active screen regions you may not want to see
        the menus.

        * Menu names and data files can be assigned to QuickKeys.
        Even if menus are off, a QuickKey (or screen region
        assigned to it) can still display a sub-menu when needed.

        * "Color" menu for monochrome is now the same as that used
        for color monitors.  The "W" key no longer changes
        monochrome palettes (change BLUE of register 0 to alter
        monochrome palette).

        * Color palette handling revised.

        * RCONFIG.PRG updated to convert Runner 1.3x and Runner
        1.4x configuration files to 1.5x format.

        * Mini-Run program interface revised to track the Desktop
        palette, so that this palette will not be lost when
        calling Mini-Run as was done in the past.  Also, lower
        case characters can now be passed to an application intact
        without the uppercase conversion seen in prior versions.
        To accomplish these, a tradeoff was made: characters in
        the range of ASCII 225 to ASCII 250 can no longer be
        passed as parameters using Mini-Run.  This shouldn't cause
        anyone a problem since these are well outside of the range
        of normal, printable characters; but let me know if it
        won't work for you!

        * Quick escape has been added -- if you hold down either
        Shift key while Runner loads, it will exit as soon as
        possible once the program starts.



$$  New Features: Version 1.60c

        * Sorry, another (very) small increase in size (only 4K!)

        * Ability to change the filename or path referenced by a
        menu item -- no need to drop and re-add programs or data
        files because you moved them to a different disk or folder
        or because a new version of a program has a different
        name.  See DIALOG.HLP for more info.

        * Alt-letters can now be used to access a file selector to
        a specific drive.  Hold down the Alternate key and press A
        for drive A:, use Alt-B for drive B:, and so on.  This is
        the way the newer Atari systems work as well....

        Note: since Alternate plus a letter key is now used to
        access a file selector, the Alt-Save, Alt-iNitial, Alt-
        desKtop, Alt-backGround and Alt-Text menu commands no
        longer work.  The Control key must now be used (Alternate
        still works other places, but Control is recommended to
        avoid unnecessary delays).

        * Random picture selection - Runner can now randomly
        display a background picture from a list at startup, or
        any other time you load a picture list.  The program
        Rpicsel lets you create and maintain these lists, and is
        available only to registered users.

        * You can now select a background picture or list at
        startup by pressing a number or letter key corresponding
        to the picture name "RUNNERa.PIx" (or .PCx for compressed
        pics or .PLx for picture lists), where "a" represents any
        letter or number key.

        * Runner's background can now be any of the ST's built-in
        patterns instead of a picture, saving the 32K of memory
        needed by a picture and easing the monotony of a blank
        screen.  A different background can be remembered for each
        screen resolution.

        * If you really need to create a parameter line for a
        program which contains a "~" character, you can now do it!
        Simply use two of them in a row for every "~" you need.  A
        single "~" is still replaced by the filename of a data
        file or is removed from the parameter line if the program
        itself is run by selecting it from a menu.

        * It is now possible to use Regions without a background
        pic!  If no pic is in memory and you use a Save command
        (or Control/S) then the name "NO_PIC.CFx" is used, where x
        is 1, 2 or 3 depending on current screen resolution.  You
        can also load a .CFx file instead of a .PIx or .PCx
        background pic.  This works whether or not you have a
        background pic in memory, and gives you a way to copy .CFx
        settings from one pic to another.  If a .CFx file is
        loaded and changed using Regions, then a Save will write
        to the same .CFx filename instead of NO_PIC.Cfx.  You can
        also rename a .CFx file to RUNNER.CFx even if you don't
        have a RUNNER.PIx or RUNNER.PCx file, and the .CFx file
        will be loaded on startup.  This gives you access to the
        Autorun capability and all the other Regions stuff even if
        you prefer not to use a background picture.

        * Added "key reminder" help for File View; access it by
        pressing ? or Help keys.  It's not pretty but it should
        help jog your memory....


$$  Fixes: Version 1.60c/1.60d

        * Fixed all known problems with sending command lines
        (parameters) using Min-Run, and with re-use of the prior
        command line when the same program (and data file, if
        used) is run a second time.

        * Removed "early exit" check at program startup -- if this
        causes any problems, let me know.

        * Mouse is now hidden when viewing text files

        * Bug in viewing large files was found (apparently it
        hasn't been possible to view files over 128,000 bytes for
        some time, but nobody complained so far....) and fixed.

        * Other minor fixes and enhancements

        * Fixes to Regions program include dropping the "W"
        function (which hasn't been available in Runner for a
        long while), hiding comments and parameters from
        descriptions displayed for files assigned to QuickKeys,
        and changing File Selector access key assignments from 1,
        2, 3... to Alt-a, Alt-b, etc.


$$  More Fixes: Version 1.61 (November 1993)

        * "Fix" command is now Control/F instead of just F, so
        it's harder to hit by accident.

        * Fixed background pic "Load/Def Fill/Cancel" dialog box for
        low res; fixed some file selector bugs; fixed tabs in File
        View (they're at least handled a bit better now); and
        fixed problem with changing & saving the Initial palette.

        * Added help reminder dialog box to File View -- just
        press the Help key for a list of key and mouse click
        options.

        * Disabled use of Alt from File Selector as a way to
        trigger Mini-Run.  You can still use Control when
        selecting a program from the file selector to run it from
        Mini-Run, or for non-programs, to force them into File
        View instead of any installed application that would
        otherwise get loaded.  Use of the Alternate key caused
        problems for users of G+Plus (a GDOS replacement from the
        great guys at Codehead Software).

        * Pressing Esc key on menu screen now cycles through the
        following options:

          MINI-RUN  - next program will be run using Mini-Run
          HOLD SCR  - when next program exits, the screen will be
                    held until you press a key or mouse button
          MRUN/HLD  - combination of Mini-Run and Hold Screen
          (none)    - either blank, or time/date display

        * Runner can now remember which background pic is in use
        across calls to Mini-Run and even when you use Fix to
        reload Runner.  All you need to do is put a file called
        "SAVE_PIC.RUN" in Runner's home directory/folder.  Runner
        stores the picture name and path in the file, but clears
        it after a normal exit from Runner so if you like your
        pictures randomly selected at startup, it all still works.
        Create SAVE_RUN.PIC by copying any small file to Runner's
        home directory and rename it.

        * Added "H" - Half Page Down option in File View.  It's
        not perfect but very helpful when you want to see a group
        of lines split across two screens.  Just press the H key.

        * Added warning when you try to Exit or Fix (reload)
        Runner without saving changes to your setup.  You can
        exit if you want to lose any changes, but this may keep
        you from losing work if you liked the changes!

        * BIGGEST CHANGE: The programs that you only got by
        registering (Regions, Mini-Run, and Rpicsel) are now
        included in the shareware version.  Don't get too happy
        yet, because they've all been sabotaged one way or another
        to keep you from getting full use -- but you can still try
        them, read the on-line help, and so on.  See the
        OTHERS.HLP file for details!