The Datafile PD-CD 5/DATAFILE_PDCD5.iso/utilities/c/cassette/!Cassette/!Help

Text File | 1996-03-04 | 15.8 KB | 363 lines

!Cassette

If in any doubt about what to do or how, use the Interactive Help facility
(!Help), however here are some of the keys that !Cassette uses:

Function Keys:
<f3> - Save
<f5> - Side A
<f6> - Side B
<f8> - Undo
<f9> or <Shift><f9> - New Inlay \
<f10> - Swap Case                > Same as Basic Editor
<f11> - Delete to end of line   /
Also responds to CONTROL S to Swap Case as Impression DTP
Other Keys :
<Home>   Return to Track 1
<Tab>    Toggle between Side A and Side B
<Print>  Print inlay
<Insert> Open a gap

If the main window is opened with Adjust all the Icons will be filled
with suitable text to act as a quick reference guide of what goes where.
Note that this ONLY happens when the program is first run.

History : (Pre 1994 history eliminated)

Version 1.24 2nd April 1994
First attempt at correcting a problem in the file transfer via WimpScrap
mechanism. It has never been a problem until now because no-one has ever
needed to transfer by this method Application To Application. It has
now been discovered that there is at least one other program out there
that wishes to be able to pass off the task of printing the labels it
creates to another application. This other program is a CD database
program, which at this time I have not seen, but the author has agreed
to send me a copy for testing....

Version 1.25 4th April 1994
Hopefully this is now fully working on app to app transfers via the scrap
file mechanism. It works between Edit/DeskEdit and Cassette in both
directions. I am convinced that I am now following the data transfer
protocol as set down in the PRMs fully, and that any problems must be down
to the other program! (That is unless you know better!) For example Edit
changes the title bar and save box name after saving this way to
<Wimp$Scrap> and it does not delete the scrapfile on loading.

The CD database has now been seen and it does a good job of exporting
directly to my program (but politely refuses to do so to versions before
1.25.)  It can import CSV files and those of the much inferior program CDindex
(published by Archimedes World) so you should use it if you catalogue CDs.
It needs OS3 and ideally a hard disc but can keep unlimited data on a 1mb
machine.

The CD database is a very comprehensive facility for interrogating CD data
and can be obtained for the price of a disc and a stamp from

Malcolm Knight
5 Coptefield Drive
Belvedere
Kent
DA17 5RJ

NB. This applies only to the database program version 2.XX. The CD playing
version 3.XX is available commercially from Werewolf Software or via the
address above. £14.95 fully inclusive.

Werewolf Software
23 The Spinneys
BROMLEY
Kent
BR1 2NT

Further upgrades to Cassette are by Malcolm Knight

Version 1.26 6th May 1994
Stop Cassette attempting to load files it should not recognise.

Version 1.27 12th May 1994
Stop auto format routine making characters after brackets etc. lower case.
No longer turns things like 'Part III' into 'Part Iii'.

Fatal crash after 16 (if Wimpslot 96K) successive data loads fixed.

Ability to make a second import without deleting previous import introduced.
To make a second import directly to Side B of the tape, the first line of
Side A must be completed and the first line of Side B must be empty. When
these conditions are both satisfied and the imported data is dropped on Side
B from an application (probably CDtracker) and not from the filer, then the
second import is added to Side B without disturbing Side A. All other
methods will follow the old system. Ie. They will wipe the existing data and
fill Side A followed by Side B only if the number of tracks exceed 17.

Saved files will display as originally saved irrespective of where the file
icon is dropped.

After import of data, Caret returns to Side A or B as appropriate and to the
end of the string instead of always to Side A and beginning of string as in
earlier versions.

After wipe of data, Caret returns to 'Home' position.

Note that the complementary program CDtracker has more sophisticated
routines to print Cassette inlays which can account for track durations and
tape length. However it does not allow a choice of font and does not allow
recordings in track sequences other than that on the source CD. (NB. version
3.00+ of CDtracker allows any sequence of tracks to be output to Cassette on
systems fitted with a CD-ROM drive.)

Version 1.28 12th October 1994

TAB now swaps caret from Side A to B and vice-versa. Earlier versions failed
due to typo in PROC call.

Minor Template revisions to allow for proportional fonts on Risc PC.

Corrections to some Interactive Help messages.

Use Radio buttons rather than Option in Print dialogue.

Eliminate bug which caused Sprites22 file to always be ignored.

Export failed if to another copy of Cassette, failing at the point the file
type was set. This was traced to failure to use the existing (good) FN to
read a string from the block and the substitute code was inadequate.
Program's main FN now used and export works OK.

Managed to stop exports to Edit putting Wimp$Scrap in its Title bar.

Addition of the Close gaps facility to shuffle up the data when
there are gaps. If the SELECT button is used Sides A and B are treated
separately. Side B data will not shuffle into Side A - even if Sides A and B
are a single recording. However if the menu choice is made with the ADJUST
button or with SHIFT depressed then the gaps will be closed and the two
sides combined.

Addition of an Open a gap facility which will insert a blank line at the
Caret position and shuffle the other data downwards. Use the ADJUST button
for multiple line inserts. The facility only works while a blank line exists
at the bottom of the appropriate Side of the inlay. Data will not shuffle
from Side A to Side B. Facility also available using the Insert key.

An Undo facility introduced using F8. Existing data is stored when files are
imported, formatted, gaps closed or wiped and may be restored by use of F8.
If no data is stored F8 does nothing.

Wipe all, previously available on SHIFT F9 is now available on F9 also.

Version 1.29 19th October 1994
Bug fixes in printer routines. (The Inlay width was incorrectly specified).

Resource file 'PrintY' controls Y position of printout. Defaults to 1 inch.
Previously always top of page.

Titles etc. too long when printed are truncated and a message is given to
the user if this happens.

Program now defaults to printing via Drivers rather than draft mode.

Version 1.30 26th October 1994
Bug fix : Open a gap could sometimes work unpredictably if another
application had Input focus.

Versions since 1.25 (the first to accept import) can import their own data
if it was dumped on the menu structure - but not windows. This is now fixed.

When Formatting, the Caret could end up bisecting a character. Fixed.

Draft printing mode no longer supported.

Allows longer strings in the Tape title part of the window. Note the extra
characters may not all print if they are wide letters. Try to avoid upper
case characters as they are wider than lower case.

Trim to fit is added to the Menu so that the effect of printing (which
automatically truncates as necessary) can be previewed. Because the new
version handles longer strings, its files will upset earlier versions if
loaded to them. This is not easily remedied without allocating a new file
type which seems an unnecessary waste on a simple program. Old files will
load to version 1.30+ without problem.

Side A and Side B buttons introduced which will automatically insert "Side A"
or "Side B" into the first icon on each side if there is room to fit any
existing titles on the inlay and if "Side A" etc. isn't already there.

Memory requirements for the Templates file is now calculated by the program.
The WimpSlot will grow as required.

The first double clicked file name (path) now appears in the Save box
instead of an 'invented' name. Which allows...

Click on Save on the Main menu has exactly the same effect as clicking OK on
the Save dialogue.

RISC OS 2 compatibility abandoned.

Version 1.31 4th November 1994
Correction of bug introduced on V1.30 which failed to pass on key presses to
other applications.

Capitalisation of tape title now occurs only when Format option is chosen
with Adjust. Select only gives capitals for initial letters.
RAM transfer introduced (to Edit etc. and other copies of Cassette).
NB. RAM transfer inwards to Cassette not yet implemented.

Version 1.32 22nd January 1995

Recent versions of Cassette have been responding oddly to attempts to print
to non-existent printers or with no driver etc. Quite a common failing of
simple programs! A major problem is that most of us have only one printer to
test things on. I have a direct drive laser - not exactly the most common
arrangement. Then old computers have the printer modules in ROM and first
generation RiscPCs don't!

This version now correctly reports that a printer is switched off or a
driver is not loaded but still cannot handle a driver being loaded with the
printer switched off. If you do this, hit the Escape key (maybe more than
once) to get out of trouble. Better still don't try printing without a
printer on line. In connection with these amendments there are several
changes to error handling and some messages.

Having made these excuses I note that most commercial applications including
Impression Publisher Plus don't do any better! Perhaps there are some
idiotic practices from which the programmer can't save users.

If you have a direct drive Calligraph printer running on a pre-Risc PC
machine then make sure the Epson emulator is switched on. See Calligraph
!Run file. (The emulator switch doesn't seem to work on a RiscPC.)

Version 1.33 20 February 1995

By request of a user, the Inlay number is no longer printed because it is
sometimes overprinted by the Performer's name now that these may be up to 45
characters. Code REMed out.

An extra menu item to force a split of data on Side A. Ie. force it to Side
B. The main reason for this is that CDtracker (the CD player and database
program) can export selected (in any order) tracks or a whole CD direct to
Cassette but does not attempt to decide what can fit on a tape so just fills
the Cassette inlay Side A then Side B. CDtracker has its own inbuilt Inlay
routines which do intelligently divide tracks between Sides A and B
depending on the length of the tracks and the length of the tape.

The routine to check a printer is on line is now circumvented because users
with CC TurboDrivers who use (or don't use) some module or other complain it
causes Cassette to report 'No printer' erronoeously. Isn't non-standard
software a bloody pain? Be careful the printer is on line before printing
because you could now hang things up.

Version 1.34 3 April 1995
Tidying of error handling including putting the !Cassette icon in the Error
box as allowed by OS3.5+. Program now responds correctly to attempts to save
without a full path name. (Used to Save to root directory!)

Eliminated redundant code and sprite file.

No longer gives error if an attempt is made to save the Help data given when
opening window for first time with Adjust.

Version 1.35 3rd October 1995

By request of Tony Broadbent the printing of the Tape Inlay number (removed
by request of another user on v1.33) is restored. This means that long
Performer's names can overwrite the tape number and there just isn't room to
put the Inlay number anywhere else. For those who don't want the Inlay
number, go to Resources.PrintNo and change the number in the file to 0. For
those who cannot make up their mind, using the Adjust button on the Print
icon toggles the Default state so you can get the Inlay or not quite
simply.

Another request from Tony is to have incrementing numbered file names. To
achieve this a big chunk of the program has been scrapped and rewritten. It
now works like this:

The program will start with a Tape Number of 'No 001' (unless it was started
by double clicking a file or an export from CDtracker). If the Tape Number
is 'No XXX' the Save box will use the number XXX and every time data is
saved XXX will increment by 1. You can reset the save number by changing the
Tape Inlay number. When the number gets to 999 it will reset to 001.

Tape numbers not of the form 'No XXX' and file names not of the form
'CassNo XXX' will each cause the incremental process to cease.

Incrementing file names are restored fully only if the tape number is
restored to the form 'No XXX' and the Save box to the form 'CassNo XXX'.
Note the hard space (ALT Space) in the file name.

Interactive Help messages have been extensively revised with some
corrections.

People with large numbers of Cassette files are now beginning to see the
benefit of having CDtracker too but re-inputting the data is a bit of a
pain. Now this is solved.

An empty CDtracker file is provided within Cassette. If this is copied to
another more accessible place on the disc and it is then dragged to Cassette
it will 'suck out' the data in CDtracker format. So all you have to do to
convert your Cassette files to CDtracker files is:

Load Cassette file, drag CDtracker file to it. Load another Cassette file,
drag CDtracker file again. Ad infinitum. The CDtracker file will just grow.
When you have finished, double click the CDtracker file and it loads into
the program. In practice you will probably want to Move the CDtracker file
inside CDtracker's CDdata directory which will be more convenient.

To get the best from this facility the Cassette files should either contain
the data of just one CD or if two CDs must be neatly divided on Side A or
Side B in the recommended fashion. Files in alternative format will still
load to CDtracker but will probably require some editing within CDtracker.
If the Cassette files contain other than complete CDs, CDtracker will not be
able to play those CDs without some editing of the files to include all the
tracks on the CD.

For completeness the same facility is provided for making CSV files. CSV
files dragged to Cassette will also be filled with data. This is in the
CSV format required by CDtracker.

Version 1.35a (29th November)

Small modification to avoid entry of the Pipe: filing system into the Save
box, 'cos you cannot save to/from, Pipe FS.

*********

CDtracker has been reviewed in Archive magazine and was rated like this:

Absolutely first class CD player.
Extremely well thought out, programmed and put together.
Quite simply unbelievable.
Must rank as one of the best value for money applications available for any
platform.
Everyone who has a CD drive fitted to an Acorn computer should buy
CDtracker.
Money well spent.

It is as you will gather, a much more professional and capable program than
Cassette.

Cassette unfortunately is becoming rather messy internally because of the
extras bolted on since I took over the code from Mark Bright. Sorry Mark but
I am going to ditch your code whenever I think it necessary in future. It
wasn't written with so many extra facilities in mind.

Making a small start in this direction, this version has a message file.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The program, Cassette has been placed into the public domain by Mark
Bright. It may be freely copied and distributed so long as this text file
remains present. Routines from this program may be used if they are of any
use to you, but please credit Cassette.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this program, and find it useful, if you have any
suggestions to improve the functionality or any bug reports, I am very
sorry, but by the time you read this, I will have sold my Old Trusty and
much loved Arc, and will only have a PC on which to try to write Cassette
again from scratch as a windows application....    Mark Bright

NB. As Mark Bright has gone down-market, all enquiries to Malcolm Knight,
address as above.

A year on from the purchase of his IBM clone, Mark told me he had given up
trying to convert Cassette to PC. He says "the machine is a bitch and they
keep moving the goal posts by changing the OS". Yes Mark, we know, that is
why the sensible folk use Acorns.  MK.