The Datafile PD-CD 1 Issue 2/PDCD-1 - Issue 02.iso/_utilities/utilities/004/_tiger/!Tiger/!Help

Text File | 1994-11-13 | 23KB | 589 lines

               Tiger - Version 4.10 - 11 November 1994

               Shareware (c) Graham Crow 1992,'93,'94




                            CONTENTS                          PAGE

 1. What is Tiger? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1
 2. Background and status  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1
 3. Important note for users of earlier versions of Tiger  . .  2
 4. Installing and loading Tiger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
 5. The Tiger window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
 6. Object names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
 7. Object descriptions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
 8. Main menu  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
 9. Display modes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
10. Copy/Delete object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
11. Open filer (F1)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
12. Goto parent (F2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
13. Save data (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
14. Save text (Shift F3) (NOT AVAILABLE IN DEMO VERSION) . . .  6
15. Tiger buffer (F5)    (NOT AVAILABLE IN DEMO VERSION) . . .  6
16. PtrCopy (F7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
17. Undo/Redo changes (F8/F9)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
18. Choices  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
19. Miscellaneous  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
20. Changes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9

    Registration form  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10



                                                              Page 1


 1. What is Tiger?
 -----------------

Tiger is a multi-tasking desktop utility for the Acorn Archimedes
and RISC PC range of computers running under RISC OS.  It requires
RISC OS 3.1 or later, and at least 1mb of RAM.  It will run from a
floppy disc.

Under RISC OS, an object name (file or directory) is restricted to
10 characters.  Tiger (big CATalogue!) overcomes this limitation by
providing a window in which you can enter a description of up to 110
characters for each object.  The descriptions are stored in a
datafile within the relevant directory.  In fact, Tiger looks and
behaves very much like the Filer - and is intended to complement it.

You simply drag the contents of a Filer window onto Tiger, whereupon
the object descriptions are automatically read and displayed.  Once
in Tiger, you can traverse the directory hierarchy by clicking.  Any
executable object is run by double clicking on it in the normal way.
You may add or edit descriptions at any time and save them as data
or text.  If you drag an object from Tiger to a different Filer
window, the description is automatically transferred too.  The full
features of Tiger are described in this Help file.

You will find Tiger invaluable for examining the contents of
directories on screen and also for indexing both hard and floppy
discs.  By using the Text File options you can create a printed
reference manual for all or part of your media, complete with object
descriptions.


 2. Background and status
 ------------------------

Tiger was originally published in RISC User (Vol 3 Issue 10 -
October 1990) and subsequently updated (Vol 5 Issue 9, and Vol 6
Issue 8).  Copyright is now vested in the author by agreement with
BEEBUG Limited.

It is now classified as Shareware, and anyone who continues to use
the program must by law register with the author.  To register it,
send a cheque for fifteen pounds payable to Graham Crow to the
address given at the end of this document.  Please state the name
under which you wish Tiger to be registered (e.g. your name or your
company's name).  Registration entitles you to a full version of the
program, and also support and upgrades.

No warranty, express or implied, is made about the suitability
ofáTiger for any purpose.  The author cannot be held responsible for
any damage to or loss of data which may occur whilst using this
program.

The demonstration version is complete except for saving as text
(section 14) and use of the buffer (section 15).

                                                              Page 2


 3. Important note for users of earlier versions of Tiger
 --------------------------------------------------------

From version 2.00 (9/4/92) Tiger stored its data in the Data
subdirectory of the directory !TigerData.  Whilst this approach had
some attractions, the overheads in terms of disc space were a major
disadvantage.  The current version has therefore reverted to storing
the data in a single file (type &B8D) within the relevant directory.
There is a menu option available whenever you click menu on
!TigerData to convert to the file TigerData, thus saving disc space.

From version 4.10 (11/11/94) the filetype for TigerData files
changed from &4FF (TigDat4) to &B8D (Tig) following an official
allocation from Acorn Computers Limited.  Two simple methods are
provided for changing filetypes:

 -  drag the old TigerData file from the Filer onto the Tiger's icon
    bar icon and that single file will have its type changed, or

 -  press Ctrl+F to open a dialogue window from which you can change
    the filetype of ALL TigerData files starting from the displayed
    directory.  If this is the root directory then all the TigerData
    files on the current disc will be changed in one go.


 4. Installing and loading Tiger
 -------------------------------

Install Tiger in the usual way by double clicking on the application
!Tiger to place the Tiger icon on the left-hand side of the icon
bar.  To load the Tiger window, drag any object from a Filer window
onto the Tiger icon on the icon bar.

Alternatively, double click on any TigerData icon.  Note, however,
that as with other applications which use data files, if the Filer
has not 'seen' the application (ie. the directory containing !Tiger
has not been opened) then the data file icons appear as white
squares and double-clicking on them produces the message 'No run
action specified for this file type'.  Once !Tiger has been seen by
the Filer, however, the data file icons have the Tiger stripes and
double-clicking on them (or dragging them to the icon bar) loads
Tiger with the contents of the directory, launching the application
if necessary.  It is recommended that you include Tiger in your Boot
sequence so that it loads automatically each time you switch on.

You can choose the start-up conditions from the Choices option,
available from the icon bar menu, and described in section 18.

Once the Tiger window is present, you may drag any object from a
Filer window onto the Tiger main window or the icon bar icon to load
the relevant directory.  Note that if you drag a directory with
Shift held down, then the contents of the dragged directory are
loaded into Tiger.

                                                              Page 3


 5. The Tiger window
 -------------------

At the top left is a slabbed icon.  Provided Tiger is not already
displaying the root directory, this icon contains an up arrow and
the name of the parent directory.  Clicking on it with select or
adjust loads the parent directory.  Shift-clicking loads the root
directory.

To the right is a status line giving the name of the directory
currently displayed.  This may also show a description of the
directory (which you add/edit in the parent directory).  If the
current display mode is other than Descriptions (see section 9) then
relevant information is provided on this status line.

Underneath are two columns - object name and object data.


 6. Object names
 ---------------

Object names may be clicked or dragged in much the same way as with
the Filer.

A single click with select selects an object.  Clicking with adjust
allows you to select more than one object.  Alternatively, use drag
with select or adjust on the background (left/right edge of
filename) to select/deselect a group of objects.   Double-clicking
on an object has the following effects:

 -  if the object is executable (a file or application) then it is
    run;

 -  if the object is a directory, then its contents are loaded into
    Tiger, replacing the original contents.

The contents of an Application are loaded by double clicking with
the Shift key depressed.

A single object or a selection of objects may be dragged:

 -  to a Filer window
    (contents are copied between directories, or moved if Shift is
    held down)
 -  to a compatible Application (window or icon bar icon)
    (eg. a Sprite file could be loaded into Paint)
 -  to the Pinboard
    (objects stick to the background)
 -  to the Icon bar
    (objects are executed)

If an object with a description is dragged to another Filer window,
then the description is copied too.

Dragging with Shift held down deletes the source after copying.
Dragging with adjust closes the Tiger window when the operation is
complete.

                                                              Page 4


Note that copying/moving is interactive if this is configured (use
!Configure), and that the options (Confirm etc.) will be according
to your settings.  Also note that solid sprite dragging applies if
your CMOS is appropriately configured (ie. bit 1 of byte 28 is set);
otherwise 'rotating boxes' apply.  A separate utility SolidDrag is
included in the !Tiger directory to simplify the setting/unsetting
of solid sprite dragging.

Pressing Tab when Tiger has the input focus sizes the window so that
only the object names are showing.


 7. Object descriptions
 ----------------------

Clicking select or adjust in the description column moves the caret
to the pointer position.  The cursor keys, Return, and Home are all
functional.  As you type, text is inserted at the caret position,
with left and right scrolling if necessary.

A descriptions may be copied by dragging with select or adjust and
dropping it in the destination slot.  It is possible to turn off
draggable descriptions in the Choices dialogue box available from
the icon bar menu (see section 18).

Normally, dragging a description replaces the contents of the
destination slot. However, it is possible to change this effect in
the Tiger buffer window to insert the dragged description at the
position of the pointer on completion of the drag (see section 15).


 8. Main menu
 ------------

         Display
         File ''
         Select all
         Clear selection
         Options
         New directory
         ----------------
         Open filer   F1
         Goto parent  F2
         Save data    F3
         Save text    F3 +Shift
         Open buffer  F5
         PtrCopy      F7
         Undo changes F8

The six options above the dotted line replicate those in the Filer,
and are described in the RISC OS 3 User Guide, except that Display
governs the Tiger display modes.  In addition, if you click menu
over a Directory name, there is an extra item on the submeu - 'Open
Filer'.  If the directory is !TigerData (created by an earlier
version of Tiger) there is an extra submenu item 'Convert' which
provides automatic conversion to the new data file, TigerData (see
also section 2).

                                                              Page 5


The seven options below the dotted line are all specific to Tiger
and each has an F key short-cut.  Short-cut keys only work if Tiger
has the input focus: this may be gained by clicking select on the
icon bar icon.

The functions available from the menu are described below.


 9. Display modes
 ----------------

There are three display modes:

(1) Descriptions (see section 7).

(2) Object Info - shows the type, length, access and datestamp of
each object.  Similar to 'Full info' in Filer.

(4) Nested size - calculates and displays the size of each object
recursively. Thus, if the object is a directory, then the length of
its contents and that of all its subdirectories is accumulated.  The
result is presented numerically and graphically.  Very useful for
finding out what is consuming all that precious disc space, and not
available in Filer.  Note that Escape is enabled to allow you to
abort this process if you become impatient!

Clicking on 'Display' in the main menu redraws the Tiger window.
This is useful if you have renamed objects in the Filer window.
(Note that if you increase or decrease the number of objects in the
Filer window, Tiger detects this and automatically adjusts its
display).


 10. Copy/Delete object
 ----------------------

The second menu choice relates to an individual object (which must
either be selected or clicked upon with the menu button) or a group
of selected objects.  If, by means of this option, an object with a
description is copied or deleted, then the description is
copied/deleted too.  An additional item at the end of the menu
allows you to open the Filer if the object is an application or a
directory.


 11. Open filer (F1)
 -------------------

This opens the Filer window for the displayed directory.


 12. Goto parent (F2)
 --------------------

This loads Tiger with the parent of the displayed directory.  It has
the same effect as clicking on the slabbed icon.

                                                              Page 6

 13. Save data (F3)
 ------------------

This saves the current descriptions in the relevant directory.
Descriptions are saved in a file called TigerData (type &B8D).


 14. Save text (Shift F3)     (NOT AVAILABLE IN THE DEMO VERSION)
 ------------------------

This saves data for the current display mode as a text file.  If the
display mode is Descriptions or Nested Size you can choose which
data items you wish to include (filetype, length, etc,).  With all
display modes you can decide whether or not to save the data
recursively.  If this option is set then every object in every
subdirectory is included, working downwards from the current
directory.  With Recurse set, you can choose whether to exclude
particular directories by setting the Prompt options - either for
all directories or for top-level directories only (ie. those in the
current directory).  At each prompt you can elect to save, abort the
whole operation, cancel future prompts, or skip to the next
directory.

Save text by dragging the text file icon, clicking on Save or
pressing Return in the normal way.  Drags may be to a Filer window,
Application or Printer Driver.

To create a disc catalogue complete with descriptions, for a hard or
floppy disc, simply do a recursive save of the root directory.  Note
that Escape is enabled to allow you to end this process prematurely
if you wish.  To create a catalogue of several floppy discs, just
combine all the text files into one, and then you can use the
facilities of a text editor to search for the item(s) you require.

Clicking on 'Save text' in the main menu allows the dialogue box to
remain open.


 15. Tiger buffer (F5)        (NOT AVAILABLE IN THE DEMO VERSION)
 ---------------------

This opens the Tiger buffer - a separate window for data transfer.
The main purpose is to allow you to grab text from outside Tiger in
order to use it as descriptions.  To do so, click on Input so that a
tick appears.  Now click with adjust on any writable icon or window
title bar.  If successful, a beep sounds, the text appears in the
buffer window, and the tick changes to a cross.  Alternatively, drag
a description from the Tiger window to the buffer.

To transfer the text from the buffer to a description slot simply
drag and drop.  The text will be either replace the existing
description or be inserted, according to the setting of the relevant
buttons in the buffer.  Insertions occur at the position of the
pointer when the drop occurs.  Alternatively, you can set the caret
at the point of insertion and click on 'Output' in the buffer.  If
the resulting description would be longer than 110 characters an
error message is given.

                                                              Page 7


There are two other ways you can input text to the buffer.   Drag a
file from a Filer window (Text, Obey, Command types only) or save to
the buffer from an editor or word processor, using its 'Save
selection' feature.  In these cases, the first 100 characters are
entered into the buffer.  For example, you might use this method to
grab the start of an application's Help file and use this as a
description.

The buffer may be emptied by clicking on 'Clear'.


 16. PtrCopy (F7)
 ----------------

Ran Mokardy's excellent PD utility - PtrCopy - is bundled with
Tiger, and provides the means of copying any characters in the
system font from the screen to the cursor.  It makes it very easy to
transfer text direct to Tiger's description icons.  This is achieved
by placing the pointer on the first character to be copied, then
pressing Ctrl and Alt simultaneously.  By dragging the pointer you
can copy a whole string of text, and the pointer is confined
horizontally to simplify this operation.  Choosing this menu option
or pressing F7 toggles the utility on and off.  When it is loaded a
beep sounds and the menu item is ticked.  You can use the Choices
window to configure PtrCopy to be automatically loaded on start-up.


 17. Undo/Redo changes (F8/F9)
 -----------------------------

Initially, the Undo changes option is greyed out. As soon as a
change has been made to a description, the option becomes available
and clicking on it restores the descriptions to their state
immediately after the last save.  The menu changes to Redo changes
(F9) to allow you to reinstate the changes made since the last save.
After a save, the option is again greyed out.


 18. Choices
 -----------

Several features of Tiger may be configured to suit your preference.
The Choices option on the icon bar menu gives rise to a dialogue box
in which these options are set.  Note that this item is greyed-out
if Tiger has not been loaded with data.

The upper part of the window affects the start-up configuration.
The directory may be either the Root (default), User (ie. the
directory currently displayed), or None (ie. you will have to drag a
directory onto Tiger to create a display).  The initial display mode
(whose default is Descriptions) may also be chosen.  The Tiger
window may be opened automatically on start-up (default) and if so
the Buffer window may also be opened (default is closed).  Finally
you can specify that the PtrCopy utility should be auto-loaded.
These settings need to be saved, and only take effect on installing
Tiger.

                                                              Page 8


The remaining three options may be put into effect at any time by
clicking on Set.  They are:

Prompt to save changes.  If you have added or edited a description,
and then attempt any operation which would replace the contents of
the Tiger window without having first saved the data, a prompt is
issued allowing you to save or discard the changes.  This is the
default.  If the option is turned off, any changes are automatically
saved before such an operation.

Auto-run IconSprites.  If you load Tiger with a directory which has
not been 'seen' by the Filer, this option (which is the default)
causes the Boot files of applications to be run, thus displaying the
correct icon.  The alternative is to deselect this option which
allows directories to be scanned rather more quickly, but at the
expense of displaying the default application icon.

Draggable descriptions.  The default is to allow descriptions to be
dragged.  However you may find that a wayward movement of the mouse
causes you unintentionally to copy descriptions, in which case you
may prefer to keep this option disabled until you require it.

Note that clicking on 'Choices' in the menu allows the dialogue box
to remain open.


 19. Miscellaneous
 -----------------

If you change mode, Tiger will automatically adjust its window
extent, if necessary, to fill the screen width whilst allowing you
to view the full 110 characters of the description.

Clicking adjust on the icon bar icon loses the input focus.  This is
useful if you want to use some default 'hot keys' and Tiger (or any
other application) is claiming them.

The error/message window may be dragged with select or adjust when
the pointer is on the body of the window.  This is sometimes
necessary to see the error which is frequently obscured beneath the
window!

Tiger only polls the 'null event' when its window is open.
Therefore, if you find that the Desktop has slowed down, try closing
Tiger's window.

Should you for some reason have a forced exit from Tiger it is
possible that you may get a 'Tiger is already running' message when
you try to re-launch Tiger.  If this occurs, open the !Tiger
directiory, click on the Obey file 'Unset' and try again.

                                                              Page 9


 20. Changes
 -----------

Version 4.02 (19 July 1994)

Set Tiger$Running in !RunImage instead of in !Run to prevent
'already running' error if no room to launch Tiger.

Version 4.03 (10 August 1994)

Provided access to Ran Mokardy's PtrCopy utility.  Issued error
message if run with OS below 3.1.  Ensured that descriptions are
copied when an object is dragged or copied from Tiger to Filer in
other than Descriptions mode.

Version 4.04 (5 October 1994)

Corrected object dragging when solid sprites not set in CMOS RAM
Prevented hanging if saved to copy-protected floppy.

Version 4.10 (11 November 1994)

(This version put on general release to PD libraries).  Changed
filetye of TigerData files from &4FF (TigerDat) to &B8D (Tig) on
official allocation from Acorn (JC/CS/19035 - 29/9/94).  Provided
routines to simplify re-typing of TigerData files.

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

I hope you find Tiger useful and satisfying, and shall be pleased to
receive any comments, criticisms or suggestions.



                          Graham Crow
 Crow Associates, Manor Lodge, Llangattock, Monmouth, Gwent NP5 4NG
             Telephone and Fax:  Monmouth [phone]


                                                             Page 10


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

TIGER REGISTRATION DOCUMENT

Name:


Address:





Postcode:                       Telephone:


Register as:  (e.g. your name or your company's name)




I enclose fifteen pounds

(No credit cards: cheques payable to Graham Crow)


Signed:



Date:
--------------------------------------------------------------------