TattleTale provides very complete information about your computer and its system related software. The information can be viewed on screen by category, printed, written to a standard text file in standard or a special Bug Report format, or output in database readable format. As such, it also provides a record of your system configuration that can be used for reporting problems to software and hardware manufacturers, to compare configurations across multiple computers, or to simply learn about your machine. Information categories covered are: the CPU, Volumes + Drives, Monitors, Nubus Devices, SCSI Devices, ADB Devices, Serial Ports, General System Attributes, Startup Environment, System Files (System, Finder, INITS, CDEVs, RDEVs etc.), DAs, Fonts, Drivers, Open Files, Processes, High Level Event Aware Applications, and Available/UnAvailable Named/UnNamed Traps. In addition, it enables you to Mount Volumes and Close Files that were left open. The information provided varies greatly among these categories and is best understood simply by going to the dialog window and browsing through the above categories.
NOTE: The Traps information is valuable for programmers who need to determine if a particular combination of system software and hardware implements a certain Trap.
• SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
TattleTale is compatible with the Mac+ and newer machines and requires System 4.2 or higher. It is also compatible with System 7 and takes advantage of some of its enhanced system information features as well as balloon help. Note that there is a marked difference between the information available under system 4.2 compared to the 6.X systems and higher.
TattleTale is available in two versions. This document describes the Desk Accessory version. Under most circumstances, this version operates without problems. However, under System 7 there is considerably less memory allocated to DAs than under earlier systems. This and other particulars in your system can cause TattleTale DA to fail under memory intensive operations such as printing. Because of this, there is an Application version of TattleTale available to those who experience problems with the DA version.
TattleTale.Traps expects to be found in the System Folder, but you can rename it or put it anywhere you want. However, you must describe this change for TattleTale as described under Trap Related Features below.
• GENERAL OPERATION:
TattleTale consists primarily of a menu and a modeless dialog window. When you initially run it, the dialog window is visible and the first category of information is already displayed in a scrolling list. Subsequent categories are selected from the Pop-up Menu above the list. Categories which are not available for a given computer and system software combination (e.g. Nubus on a Mac+ or Processes under Uni-Finder in System 6.X or lower) are dimmed and cannot be selected. The Close button closes the window but leaves TattleTale active. Get System Info in the Main Menu will re-open the window. You can Quit completely from the Main Menu or by using the Close Box in the TattleTale window title bar.
Printing is also controlled from the Main Menu. From here you access Page Setup and two printing choices. You may print the list which is currently displayed (Print Current) or you may select Reports, which prints the reports which you select.
Selecting Reports invokes a dialog box. To print a selection of reports in screen format, select the reports which you want to print, select the “Print Std Reports” button, and select “OK”.
Reports also provides the capability of writing the reports to a Standard Text File or a Tab-delimited Text File. Selecting “Write Std Reports to Text File” simply combines and directs chosen reports in screen format to one standard text file for subsequent editing.
Similar to this is the “Write Bug Report to Text File” option. Associated with this option is the “Basic Bug Reports” button which chooses the standard reports that would be helpful to the person to whom you are reporting a bug. Other reports can be added to the selection as conditions warrant. Another button, “Bug Explanation...” accesses a dialog which allows you to describe the problem with the program and also allows you to save and load the specific text which you have created for future reference. A third related button, “Bug Reported By”, allows you to specify standard information related to you, the reporting individual. Your personal information remains permanent across invocations to TattleTale.
“Write to Tab-Delimited Text File” is used for creating a database readable file. The default format is a Field Name line followed by a line of associated Data, all separated by tabs and ending in a carriage return. All lines are preceded by two additional columns: 1) the name of the report from which the data originated, and 2) the Chooser name of the reporting computer. In the case of reports which include multiple items which are the same (e.g. Drives, Fonts, DAs, etc.), there is a Header line and a Data line for each member of the group. Where there is preliminary information for a group (e.g. in the Serial Ports report), the name of the preliminary report has a “-H” appended to it so that you know what set of fields will be following. You may eliminate Field Name lines completely by checking the “Data Only” box and you may eliminate data interpretations (items enclosed in parentheses) by checking “Remove (Data Interpretations)”. Also note that the Screen, Printed, and normal Text File reports include only those items of data which are appropriate in a given situation as opposed to the tab-delimited Text File reports which include all possible fields for consistency in reading the data into a database. It is suggested that you experiment with the generated Tab-delimited Text File before designing any reports which might use this data.
There are times when you will want to refresh the information in your window. Obvious refreshes happen automatically, but you can do it manually simply by re-selecting the menu item from the Pop-up Menu.
Help, consisting of this text, is available either from the dialog window or the Apple menu.
• TRAP RELATED FEATURES:
TattleTale provides information regarding Traps in three different formats. Traps UnAvailable lists those "official" Apple Traps (as listed in the MPW Traps.p file) that are not available on your particular combination of computer and system software according to A-Trap Number and Name. Traps Available (Named) lists all those “official” A-Traps which are available on your computer according to A-Trap Number, Name, and Address. Traps Available (UnNamed) list all other Traps which, through testing each Trap, are shown to be "active" - that is, they do not have the _Unimplemented Trap address assigned to them. As can be seen from this list, there are many implemented “unofficial Traps”. The primary reason for this is that many of them are used by internal routines which Apple reserves the right to change in the future or they represent routines which can be accessed through more than one Trap designation. This is particularly true of Traps in the $A000-$A1FF range. You can use the actual listed addresses for comparison purposes. In reference to this, note that Apple written documentation describing Trap designations differs from those in the MPW Traps.p file.
To allow for changes in the Trap list over time, Commands to manipulate this file are located under the Main Menu . The "official" Traps are included with TattleTale as TattleTale.Traps. If you simply wish to change the name or location of TattleTale.Traps, rename it and/or put it where you want, and then select Change Database File and you will be prompted to find the file. The new name and/or location will be used until you decide to change it.
In regard to changing the contents of the file, they are originally derived from MPW's Traps.p file which TattleTale converts into it's own database format. If you want to see the format of the original file, Database to Text File will prompt you to convert the database file to a text file which you can then view and/or modify on any text editor. If you wish to merge a modified Traps text file with the database, select Merge Text File. This will incorporate any additions included in the file and ignore any duplications. If you have direct access to an up-to-date Traps list, you can use New Database File to completely regenerate the database.
• Change History:
1.1
• Printed Reports are now date and time stamped and left margin has been increased to 1”. (Requested by: Robert Seaver)
• The main dialog window will now grow and shrink vertically using the grow box (Requested by: Neil Shapiro)
• The “Missing Traps” label has been changed to “UnAvailable Traps” to better reflect that the Traps are not “missing”, but just don’t happen to be active in the combination of system version and hardware that you are using. (Lazy way out of a request by Neil Shapiro)
• Report data can now be output to a tab-delimited text file, with and without headers and data interpretations. The “Print Several” menu item has been changed to “Reports” and the text file option is available under that menu heading. Available and UnAvailable Traps lists cannot be output to the text file at this time. (Requested by: Kerry Clendinning - and many thanks for coaching me through this!)
• Fixed bug which ignored certain DA’s which do not follow correct naming rules, i.e. the first character in the name must be a null character. All DAs currently available to the system are now correctly listed.
• Worked around bug in the Gestalt Trap call which incorrectly reports that a Mac IIfx does not have a SCSI port.
• Added ability to report on MultiFinder processes on systems earlier than 7.X
1.1.1
• Fixed occasional problem with all but Title Bar of dialog window disappearing when the user attempted to adjust the grow box. (Reported by and critical debugging assistance by: Jerry Goldstein)
• Added color and active fields to the Monitors category.
1.2
• Added ability to stream reports in screen format to a text file for subsequent editing.
• Added Bug Report format which facilitates that preparation of bug reports. This report is also streamed to a text file for subsequent editing, printing, or uploading.
• Added Close Box to dialog which has same function as Quit from the menu.
• Added interpretation of Font style in Font Report.
• Added SCSI DMA, SCC IOP, and SW Power Off indicators to the CPU Report.
• Fixed several bugs in the Tab-Delimited File.
• Added addresses of principal tables and PPC Toolbox info to the System Report.
• Added additional Quickdraw info and Fixed bug in Quickdraw version number.
• Fixed Help Balloons related to dialogs.
1.3
• Fixed problem with Help Balloons flashing when the cursor was in a non-TattleTale item.
• Added item to Driver list to reflect not only the original status of flags but the status as of the time that the report is generated. (Idea courtesy of Miles Waldron)
• Changed the Serial Port report to better reflect situations when AppleTalk is connected. (Suggestion courtesy of Don Paul)
• Improved ability to more accurately reflect the status of the Nubus/PDS Slots.
• Changed method and report format for identifying devices connected to the ADB port.
• Fixed bug in the SCSI report which sometimes duplicated device information from one device to the next. The SCSI report also now reports the SCSI #0 drive as internal. (Bugs reported by Don Paul)
• Updated the Traps file to reflect Traps missing from MPW's Traps.p file. (Information courtesy of Allan Muluf)
• Updated information to correctly identify PowerBooks, Quadras, and Mac Classic II.
• Fixed bug in Font report by gathered both BitMap and TrueType fonts into a combined family and altered the format to accommodate this change.
• Created Application version of TattleTale for System 7 users.
1.3.1
• Minor bug fixes
1.3.2
• Fixed bug related to more than 20-25 members of a font family freezing program. (Bug reported by Dave Lamkins)
1.4
• Added report of Applications which are High Level Event Aware that are located on any mounted volumes.
• Changed method of reporting Traps to both supply actual addresses and better differentiate between official and unofficial Traps. (Based upon query related to Trap discrepancies from Bruce Hobson)
• Fixed Nubus listing related to the reporting of slots in the IIci. Also changed method of reporting slot designations. (Bug reported by numerous people)
• Updated machine recognition to include the LC II and Quadra 950. Also fixed bug related to reporting the IIsi and LC.
• Clarified the SCSI attributes portion of the Miscellaneous Attributes section in the CPU Related report to better describe the type of SCSI which is implemented. Also clarified the SCC attribute in this same section.
• Expanded Volume and Drive report to include various Volume Specific attributes available under System 7.
• Updated TattleTale.Traps file.
1.4.1
• Fixed bug which caused crash in 32bit mode. (Bug reported by Frank Braun, Fixed (with much appreciation from me) via keen eye of Bill Monk!)
Remaining Requests
• Add definitions to reported information explaining what they mean. This is a good idea and I am working on a way to do this. (Requested by Ulf Wostner)
• Add a listing of all Applications and version numbers on all mounted volumes. I have resisted doing this but will probably change my mind if I get enough requests. (Requested by Jørn Jenssen)
• Remove “◊” markers as they are distracting. The listing started out without the markers and was confusing. I guess you’ll have to trust me on this one.
• Remove form feeds when multiple reports are printed as it wastes paper. This has been addressed by allowing any selected reports to be streamed to one text file for editing and continuous printing.
Miscellaneous
• I have had several reports of TT not running on Mac SE with a Mobius ‘030 accelerator. The problem is identified by an unimplemented trap error. Since this problem has not been reported under any other configuration, I suspect that it is related to a problem with the Mobius INIT. Unfortunately, I have been unable to address this problem directly and calls to Mobius have gone unanswered.
• I have had one report that the “Max Open Files” information under the System Startup listing is incorrect. Actually, all values in this listing are read directly from the Boot Blocks on your boot drive and are meant to reflect what is recorded there. This is the information used to configure your machine on startup, and in most cases will not change during the current startup of your machine. There are, however, some INITs like “Up Your FCB’s” which dynamically change the number of file control blocks as you use your machine. If you want a current reading of the maximum files currently allocated you must refer to the CDEV controlling that INIT.
• NOTICE:
This software is ECO-Ware. If you use it, please go a little further out of your way to do something environmentally sensitive whenever you can. If you want to do even more, please make a contribution to the World Wildlife Fund, The Sierra Club or any other non-profit organization which supports ecologically sound programs.
The program and the TattleTale name are copyrighted and credits and all documentation must be kept with the program. TattleTale may be freely distributed at no charge to the user except media costs or normal downloading charges. Any inclusion on media greater in capacity than 1.4 MB must be approved in advance. If any modifications are made to TattleTale, the resulting program may not be distributed in any manner whatsoever. TattleTale is distributed with no warranties, implied or expressed.
• A special thanks to Dick Hodges for his help in the original beta testing.
Please send questions, comments, suggestions, problems, etc. to:
