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------------ QSP - Manual ------------ Beta V1.0 ------------ What Is QSP? ------------ Well back in 1995, when I had a real amiga and programed BlitzBasic I was rebooting to run a game(s) which needed a script to run, constantly, and also to run blitz so I had enough ram, I only had 2Megs. so eventually I got bord of this and looked about the BBS for a boot script manager, something that could handle loads of scripts easierly, came back from my 4 hours of search I believe (it's sceachy now) and found nothing, BTW: I went looking on the Internet only a few days ago on Aminet, and still found nothing, anyway, I started what was then "Quick Start", it only had FKeys, and was written in Blitz some time down the track, probably during 1996-97, I switched to another compiler, by then I had so many concepts and new ideas to put into it, it was over welming, oh SURE the copy you have now looks simple enough, but if your a programmer and you took a look under the hood of this thing you'd think anything but, anyway, going to my course we started web page design, so I was about to put all my old source code on the net for everyone to use, when I remember something, "You ain't completed QSP". So I downloaded UAE, got the roms from my old A1200 (which is in England) and started to code in c, the older versions are in e, I didn't have the E compiler available to me at the time, becuase it went missing somewhere along the way between 1997-1999, between my transition to PC, I still write in AmigaE just not for this project, I had a point to prove :). What did I set out to do?, be the king of BootManagers, did I win? yes there is no software anywhere in the world that comes close to this peace of software, sorry to blow my trumpet but it's the plane cold hard truth. Read the features list if you want to know more. P.S: When I refer to QSP, I am talking about (BootMan / JumpStart & QSPPrefs) as a whole, when I talk about BootMan / JumpStart & QSPPrefs, I am refering to them persifically. ---- Bugs ---- If you find what you think is a bug, then report it to me as soon as you can, I'll probably throw a fit at the source code, and beat the hell out of it for you, be discriptive about what exactally the problems is. EMAIL: timothyroughton@xtra.co.nz --------- Donations --------- Quick Start Professional will never be charged for or be crippled, that was one of the rules/stipulations I applyed back in 1995 and I still stand by that, but if you feel that I've done so much work that it needs payment then you are free to deposit (x) dollars in my account, please attach your name to the payment as I've never ever been paid for programming a single thing and it would be nice to know the name of the person, so I can put your name on the framed money for the first ever person. :) Account Infomation : (when it's non-beta) ------------ Installation ------------ This Currently has to be done by hand. (1) - Copy the S in your QSPBeta10.lha to S:, make sure that the directory under S: that will be made by doing this is QSPPrefs/ (2) - Make a back up copy of your Startup-sequence/User-Startup here. (3) - Open a text editor (4) - Load the S:Startup-Sequence and delete all the information within and add the following lines: ; $VER: Startup-Sequence_HardDrive 40.2 (25.2.93) ; Startup-Sequence for hard drive systems C:SetPatch QUIET C:Version >NIL: C:AddBuffers >NIL: DF0: 15 FailAt 21 C:BootMan S:QSPPrefs/qsp.cfg Execute S:Boot-Script ; This next bit is optional, it might have been done it the BootScript LoadWB EndCli (5) - Copy the file Bin/BootMan in your QSPBeta10.lha to C: (6) - With the text editor, go to the directory [S:QSPPrefs/Scripts/Default] in that directory you should find, default, and 4 #?.pref files you can leave the #?.prefs alone for now if you wish, if you wish to modify them see the section in this documentation called [Managers], you need to load in the file called default. You should see something like this: ; <ADD your defualt startup-sequence here> from the back up copy of your startup-sequence (you did make one didn't you!) remove the referances to: C:SetPatch QUIET C:Version >NIL: C:AddBuffers >NIL: DF0: 15 FailAt 21 because there already done, and add the reset of the startup-sequence to the default script. (almost done) (7) - Copy the file ConfigFile.Library into Libs: (8) - Reboot (9) - Maybe sometimes it might be need to alter the S:QSPPrefs/Default/Default script but this is up to you, remember this software is for advanced scripting users. ------------ Requierments ------------ Machine : UAE or A Real Amiga Cpu : You should find a compiled version for your cpu with the extension #?_000,#?_020,#?_030,#?_040 & #?_060 Sort Reply: ALL - except PPC I don't think the software needs it really, it not like is displays 50,000 polygons or anything. Os : 3.x+ (This is no current plans for 2.x, I need to be told this application is needed by 2.x users first, and there has to be enough of you) Ram : Should work right down to 1meg of ram. Knowlage: 1. A reasonable about of knowlage about scripts 2. You should have some understanding of how Startup-Sequence & User-Startup function, and what they effect. (Because I'll make no attempt at trying to teach you AmigaDos) 3. If failing the above 2, you should consider reading the AmigaDos manual, before attempting to use this software. ---------------------------------- Features I Would Have Include But! ---------------------------------- ClassAct -------- JumpStart / QSPPrefs & maybe even on request BootMan would have had a selection between MUI/ClassAct & GadTools implementations of the interface however, you may in future only select between MUI/GadTools when it if finally implemented, why has ClassAct been singled out? Well I once apon a time had the full SDK for ClassAct but I lost it, no fault of my own I might add, no problem I thought they'd have released it to Public Domain by now at least, since it was at least 2 years ago that I was talking to a Finale Development member, about the subject of it being released, he settled on at the time for just letting me download the SDK from there FTP site, but they where supposed to deside on releasing said SDK to the Public Domain, 2 things may have happen it seams during my 2 years away from AmigaOs & or ClassAct, they may have desided to not release it to Public Domain and try and make some money, or they have still not resolved this problem, in either case the following is stated now, to avoid any confusion or question later that I get in my EMail Box: 1 : I Will not support a GuiTool Kit I.E ClassAct or any GuiTool kit that does NOT have its SDK freely available on Aminet, because of the following reasons: A: If SDK ain't on Aminet then it is either beta and not releasable and therefore unstable. B: If the SDK has to be paid for, which means it'll end up on the trash heap, eventually so there is no point. C: This goes with B really, but, If the SDK has to be paid for or very dificault to obtain, then no one is going to develop for it, are they!? they'd rather download MuiDev38.lha and start using that right away, that is why MUI crushs ClassAct, from a developers point of view. 2 : Simply because of C & B is the reason I'll never support ClassAct however should the situation change and they change there additude towards the ClassAct SDK, and release it to Public Domain. then I might recant and put it in else go to void*void. 3 : I prefer Mui over any other Interface, there I've said it, I never used to, but then I never used to use Mui on a UAE machine. (Mui is faster on UAE (IMHO), than on a real amiga 020 machine) Boot Pictures ------------- Desided that AmigaShow96 was good enough for the task at hand, you should find it and it's update here. -------- Features -------- * Scripts that can be assigned to a key on your keyboard * Scripts that can be selected from a menu * Scripts that can be run from workbench to by run on the next reboot. * Scripts that can be locked into place, until unlocked by you * System Configuration (Before Datatypes/Monitors/DosDrivers/Etc.. are even ran, this of course is all due to where you start BootMan in the first place) Standard Options Are: DosDrivers Datatypes Keymaps Monitors WbStartup Printers User Custom * Startup Assigns * Startup Programs * Startup Resource * Startup Task Priority Addjustments * Startup Sound * Disable WBStartup * Skip all scripts and drop directly to cli * Supports Picasso 96 * MUI Prefs program (comming soon) * Jumpstart (comming soon) Helpful Additions ----------------- If you can think of anything else that should be added to QSP, please feel free to Email me and ask me to implement it, please be very discriptive of the (x) thing you want, if I feel that you have not been very discriptive, I can't handle what you want, in the case I do and it's not right from what you discribed. Probably by the time you actually read this, I'll have implemented all my ideas I've ever had for this Software, so I'll need your input in making it even better, look at the 'Considerations' for stuff I am thinking about doing, you never know I am bring a considered feature into the software on the basis of just one user requesting it, so feel free to ask for the something in the consideration list also. ----------- BootManager ----------- Introduction ------------ This is the core of QSP, what makes everything tick, The BootMan Interface --------------------- probably when you get the BootMan running for the first time, you'll see a Intuition/Gadtools gui, I shall work on the asumption that you have not played with the supplyed configuration. Which means you should've seen a window appear with a number in the right hand side at the bottom counting down, remember most things are configurable so you don't have to have that window appear at all. This window is devided into 2 parts, (where's the second part?) its right below the start up window. first the top harf. Cli : Puts you into a cli prompt and does nothing more than that, effectively like the early startup screen say boot with no startup-sequence. Menu : Activates the second harf of the menu Note: This stops count down WBStartup On/Off [Toggle] : Turns the Sys:WBStartup Drawer off it actually just renames it and it's .info file to WBStartup_OFF; if for some reason it can't find it, this gadget will be disabled, otherwise it refects the current state of the WBStartup drawer. Quit : Will perform exactally the same as pressing the closewindow gadget which is, quit. Usally depending on your startup-sequence this will operate like Cli gadget. Reboot : Normally you shouldn't reboot your machine while it is loading this allows you to do it safely, ** BUT ONLY WHILE THE BOOTMAN IS RUNNING ** this means, that after the count down to 0 has been reached it won't react to any amount of clicking, so you have 5 seconds or your selected amount of time to deside if you want to press it or not. Config: You can disable this button see the QSPPrefs section. Abort Timer : Stop the count down to resume the count down press the menu button then press it once more and it'll restart, it makes the asumption that if your going to stop the timer your going to release the second harf of the menu or do something else. All other gadgets in the first harf of the window are purely cosmetic mumbo-jumbo that some people like to read, basically outlined its manager information like what it's currently doing, it also tells you what action it is taking for scripts like : Key Service - you activated a script bound to a key press. Etc. ** The bottom harf of the window: Ok : This activates a selected script in the script list window above it, it does not run the script at that point, it will wait until you have pressed the menu button and then continue. Cancel : Aborts the script you selected with the listview, returning you to whatever script is supposed to be executed by default. Run : Will activate the selected script second you release the mouse button from the gadget Edit : lets you edit the currently selected script System Configuration : Opens the system configuration window see the section on system configuration. -------- Managers -------- Introduction ------------ These cool things are mean't and intended to speed either of 2 things up, boot time, or application load time, however some options will have the reverse effect, of slowing down either one, these are clearly marked and outlined, so you know the risks, they are documented in order of execution, in other words A - will happen before B - happends this is also clearly marked and outlined. WARNING: If you are configuring this with a text editor you must leave the CFFT header on the #?.pref files, if you remove it, it'll not be able to load that configuration. ---------------------- ::: Assign Manager ::: ---------------------- File : Assigns.pref Existantance: Scripts/Default or Scripts/<yourscript>/#? Alertation : GUIPrefs or Text Editor Prefered : GUIPrefs Draw Backs : None Benifits : Speeds Up Boot Item ...How it works... You can if you wish have seperate assign.pref for separate scripts, I.E scripts/a/assigns.prefs * can have a completely deferent set of assigns to say: scripts/default/assign.pref To Disable it, you can either put a 0 byte file there or delete it perioud, alternatively, you can turn it off in global qsp.cfg, but that turns off the assign manager for all scripts not just one or the other. Config By Editor ---------------- It conforms to the following Assign types, ADD,REMOVE & DEFER, all assign values *** MUST *** be quoted, it operates almost exactally like the normale scripts do, so if you Assign foo: xyzzxy:, before assigning xyzzxy: to some area, it'll fail just as normal. You can actually call your start veriable i.e Assign="foo","foo" anything you want *''at the moment''*. to make start up assign do the following. Config file MUST start with CFFT. CFFT Assign="MyLargeFooPlace:","Sys:Bar/Foo" . (That is your stand assign statement) . . Assign="MySmallerFoo:","Sys:Foohoo/bar","DEFER" . (The 3rd argument must also be contain in quotes) . . Assign="MySmallerFoo:","Sys:Foohoo/bar","ADD" . (The 3rd argument must also be contain in quotes) . . Assign="MySmallerFoo:","","REMOVE" (The 3rd argument must also be contain in quotes) (2nd argument is empty, anything you toss in there will be ignored) (Although why you'd want to use REMOVE while starting up your machine) (Boggels me, but I could write it, to I did it, and there it is!) Config By Gui ------------- NO PREF EDITOR YET!!! ------------------------ ::: Resource Manager ::: ------------------------ File : loadres.pref Existantance: Scripts/Default or Scripts/<yourscript>/#? Alertation : GUIPrefs or Text Editor Prefered : GUIPrefs Draw Backs : Slows down boot up, but not much, use memory lots of it if you load lots of resources. Benifits : Speeds Up Software load time. ...How it works... You can if you wish have seperate loadres.prefs for separate scripts, I.E scripts/a/loadres.pref * can have a completely deferent set of loaded resource to say: scripts/default/loadres.pref To Disable it, you can either put a 0 byte file there or delete it perioud, alternatively, you can turn it off in global qsp.cfg, but that turns off the resource manager for all scripts not just one or the other. :...** WARNING **...: If you read nothing else in this section read this: Loading random files, as resource file could crash your machine it leans agist the fact the OpenLibrary() knows what it's doing by open strange file formats as librarys, it should by rights if I pass a jpg to it, fail. however there is the slim chance that it may attempt to use it, which will with out a single doubt in my mind crash instantly. It has been tested with all of MUI's mcc,mui and they work find, it also works for classes as well, and library files, if you think the Resource Manager might not be able to handle something do the following: 1 . Don't put it in there 2 . Put it in and see, and load sysinspector to see if the library that you requested appeared if it did, it should unless something used/using it directly after the resource mannager has finshed, have an OpenCount of 0, which is exactally what it is supposed to be. 3 . Hex read it, if your that addvaced with your Amiga. You have been WARNED. Config By Editor ---------------- Basically a path to a library file, and that is all that is needed, BootMan handles the rest. Config file MUST start with CFFT. CFFT Resource="libs:foobumps.library" . . . Config By Gui ------------- NO PREF EDITOR YET!!! ----------------------- ::: Program Manager ::: ----------------------- File : programs.pref Existantance: Scripts/Default or Scripts/<yourscript>/#? Alertation : GUIPrefs or Text Editor Prefered : GUIPrefs Draw Backs : None Benifits : None - Just cleans it up so there all sitting in one place not dart harf a million miles around 40 thousand deferent script files. ...How it works... You can if you wish have seperate programs.prefs for separate scripts, I.E scripts/a/programs.pref * can have a completely deferent set of loaded resource to say: scripts/default/programs.pref To Disable it, you can either put a 0 byte file there or delete it perioud, alternatively, you can turn it off in global qsp.cfg, but that turns off the program manager for all scripts not just one or the other. :...** WARNING **...: "You should already know this but never the less" Don't attempt to load a file that does not return the cli/shell/newshell whatever you want to call the sucker back, you will LOCK the BootMan. You can test this by going to a Shell prompt type the name of the called program and see if it returns back something like this. [] = Cursor Workbench:C>FooBonk [] <---- if it stays there it doesn't return. Workbench:C>FooBonk Workbench:C>[] <---- it did return the to the shell prompt if it doesn't you can put in the follow to fix it. Run >NIL: Foobonk <--- Will report no errors. or Run Foobonk <--- Will report errors. -------------------------- ::: User Task Priority ::: -------------------------- File : utp.pref Existantance: Scripts/Default or Scripts/<yourscript>/#? Alertation : GUIPrefs or Text Editor Prefered : GUIPrefs Draw Backs : Is ** VERY ** dangerious if you don't know what your doing Benifits : Speeds up machine (IMHO), by the following means; * -127 will stop a task running freeing up cpu time for something else * 127 will stop your machine dead in its tracks, unrecoverably. reboot time in other words. * Giving graphics.library a higher priority will make things update faster I've found etc. * is wounderful under UAE, as DF0-DF3 don't get used that much, at least I don't use them that much, if at all, so you can kill things you don't use, and hopefully speed up the emulation a little, but what is good for the gander is good for the goose, so the same thory should work for real Amigas too, except not an emulation haha :). Config By Editor ---------------- If you listen to nothing else in this document, listen to this, I mean it I am not just trying to kid you around, if you have no idea about task prioritys then leave this thing turned off, I have not limited the prioritys in anyway shape or form, you can set something to 127 or -127 or whatever as I found somethings do, they limit you to somewhere around -20 to 20, this software doesn't if you set something to low or to high you will stop the machine and nothing will work, esp. if you put something above input.device. It is set as this, TaskName,Pri .. it goes without saying that the Task must exist first, the TaskName is case senitive, so before complaining to me that UTP can't find (x) check that it is case correct. How do you find a task name?, use Sysinspector or Scout, they are brillant at finding them, but besure they'll exist before UTP fires up see Manager execution times for more details. Config file MUST start with CFFT. CFFT UTP="RexxMast",0 . . . Config By Gui ------------- NO PREF EDITOR YET!!! ----------------------- Manager Execution Times ----------------------- Each mannager completes its lists of things it must do before another may start, there execution order is this. 1st - Assign Manager 2nd - Program Manager 3rd - Load Resource Manager 4th - User Task Priority Manager ------------------------------------- The Script Drawer Directory Structure ------------------------------------- The script drawer have a structure which should be followed out here is a basic over view of the directory structure. [] = Optional File S:QSPPrefs/ qsp.cfg - main configuration file for the bootman /scripts/default/ - this is the only directory that MUST exist. /scripts/F1 /scripts/F2 .. /scripts/default/default - this is the only script that MUST exist /scripts/F1 /scripts/F2 .. [/scripts/default/*.pref] - the .pref files for the managers. ---------------------------------- qsp.cfg what all those options doo ---------------------------------- Note: Include the quotes (") ScriptsPath - The Directory of the scripts i.e : "s:qspprefs/scripts" Editor - The Directory+Execute of a text editor, comes default with "C:ED" i.e : "Sys:Tools/Ced" 24HourClock - ON/OFF - 24hourclock display, when you maximize the window MemPhysicalWarn - ON/OFF - Turns of memory low warnings at boot up NoTotalMemLower - Numeric Value Of Kbytes of total memory that it will warn you about if it is lower. NoFastMemLower - Numeric Value Of Kbytes of fast memory that it will warn you about if it is lower. NoChipMemLower - Numeric Value Of Kbytes of chip memory that it will warn you about if it is lower. WinYPosition - Numeric Value 0-256 vertical position Requesters - ON/OFF turn the requesters on or off. Shadow - ON/OFF disables the start up window WaitSeconds - Number of Seconds to wait before quiting and using the default script Sound - ON/OFF turns it on or off SoundPlayer - The Directory+Execute of the sound player i.e C:Play16 SoundSample - The Directory+Execute of the sound sample i.e sys:samples/foo.wav RebootButton - ON/OFF Disables Reboot Button Keyboard - ON/OFF - disables keyboard input AssignManager - ON/OFF - disables it - OFF by default new installation configuration. LoadResManager - ON/OFF - disables it - OFF by default new installation configuration. ProgramManager - ON/OFF - disables it - OFF by default new installation configuration. UserTaskPriManager - ON/OFF - disables it - OFF by default new installation configuration. GraphicsCard - PICASSO96 Keyword AMIAGOS Keyword WORKBENCH Keyword UseCustomScreen - ON/OFF CustomPath - Add A customised path to the System Configuration Manager i.e - "<LABEL>","<SourceDirectory>","<DestinationDirectory>" example: CustomPath="MyLibsDir","Libs:","Sys:Storage/Libs" CustomPath="MyDevsDir","Devs:","Sys:Storage/Devs" MenuOpen - ON/OFF opens the menu on start up BlackBench - ON/OFF turns wb to black at start up