home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Turnbull China Bikeride
/
Turnbull China Bikeride - Disc 1.iso
/
ARGONET
/
PD
/
SOUND
/
CDPLAY.ZIP
/
!CDPlay
/
!Help
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1997-06-18
|
14KB
|
436 lines
Help file for !CDPlay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Application : CDPlay
Purpose : Filer Like CD Player
Version : 1.13
Author : Leo White
Date : Wed 18th June 1997
© Leo White, 1996/97
CDFilter Module © Phillip Camp 1996
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CDPlay is a small program to be used for playing Audio CD's. It
was written by me when I got a CD-ROM drive for my 4MB A5000 and
found out that the supplied CD Player took up 160K of memory. After
looking around and not finding any other player with decent features
that used less then 96K of memory, I decided to write my own.
CDPlay attempts to display the track information in a style similar
to the 'Fill info' option on a Filer Window. I.e. it displays track
number, name and size in the same sort of layout.
CDPlay can support multiply CDROM drives, enabling you to use just
one program to control them all, and can store CD details on to disk
and recall them next time you use that CD.
It also has function for random and program play, and the usual
time display option.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Instructions
~~~~~~~~~~~~
CDPlay does not use an icon on the icon bar. Instead you can
open and close the main window in two ways. First is by adjust
clicking on the CD Drive icon on the iconbar. The second way is
by a user configurable hotkey. By default this is CTRL-SHIFT-TAB.
The main window consists of the CD Title, current track name,
the CD controls, current track number, time, and a volume bar.
CD Controls
~~~~~~~~~~~
The control icons are, from left to right:
R - When depressed, selects Random play.
M - When depressed, selects memory play
Pause - Pause
Previous - When 'Select' clicked, jumps to start of current track,
or begining of next track.
When 'Adjust' click, acts as rewind.
Next - When 'Select' clicked, jumps to start of Next track.
When 'Adjust' clicked, acts as fast forwards.
Stop - Stop
Eject - When 'Select' clicked, attempts to eject or close the
CD drawer depending on current status.
When 'Adjust' clicked, forces the drive to eject, as
CDFS can't tell the difference between an empty drive,
and an open drawer drive.
Play - Play
Time
~~~~
The time format can be toggled by clicking on the time part of the
icon.
Volume
~~~~~~
The volume can be changed by clicking on the appropiate part of
the bar, or by dragging the slider left and right.
This option will only work on drives that support it, and with
a version of CDFS that supports it.
Track Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Track Number - Plays the appropiate track
Track Name - Displays track name. Click on the icon to edit it.
Time - Shows the tracks total length.
Menu
~~~~
Apart from the standard Info and Quit options, you also have,
Program - Opens the program window.
Choices - Loads up the configuration program
Save - Saves the current CD Details to disc.
The Program Window
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First off, you CANNOT edit the list of tracks manually. The only
reason the icon is writeable, is so that you can scroll the list
left and right.
To create a program, either select Random, which will generate a random
program made up of all the tracks. Or select 'Program' and then
click on the track numbers in the main window to add them to the
list.
The Choices Program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most of these options are self explainatery. But I list here a
few that may need explaining.
CD matching offset
Different CDROM drives can report different unique numbers for
the same CD. This option enables you to configure the boundaries
for matching CD's. CDPlay will look for a CD in the range of
'Reported number +- offset'
This option is only useful if you have more than one CDROM drive,
or you have got a list of CD Details from someone else.
Autodetect CD Change
CDPlay normally checks at regular intervals if the current CD that is
in the drive is the one that it thinks it is playing. This does
not work with some CDFS drivers, and causes the CDPlay to rescan
the Listings file to match the CD. If you have this problem, then
turn this option off. The only problem you should then get is if
you change the CD whilst single tasking, as CDPlay will not spot the
change.
Check if track is audio
Some CDFS drivers do not support this. So if you find that CDPlay
refuses to plau audio tracks, then try turning this option off.
Hotkey code
This is the hotkey code that opens and closes the main window.
To change, click in the icon, and press the desired hotkey, and the
code should then change.
Save current window position
When selected, the current location of the main window AT THE TIME
THAT YOU SAVE THE CONFIGURATION will be saved, and the window
will be opened at that location next time that you run CDPlay.
The Listing File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is where CDPlay stores its information on CDs.
To merge the current Listing file with a new one. Drag the new
Listing file onto CDPlay's main window. The new Lising file
must be either set to text, or data.
SMART CD+ users. CDPlay can convert and use the Smart CD Version 2
listing files. Just drag the Smart CD listing file onto CDPlay's main
window as mentioned above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Things To Do
~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Expand the memory play routines. Allow saving of playlists etc.
-Add interactive help.
-Rewrite at last part of the program as a module, so it works
even whilst outside of the desktop. i.e When playing games.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Program History
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 0.01
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Created Template And Sprite files, And Copied Basic Code From
My First Attempt At A CD Player
Version 0.02 Thu 12th September 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added Code To Make The Main Window Adjust Size And Create The Icons Needed
To Hold The Track Names Etc.
Version 0.03 Fri 13th September 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Code Added To Detect Data CD's
If You Try And Play A Data Track, CDPlay Performs A Filer_OpenDir On
The Root Of The CD-ROM To Open The Filer Window
Link List Finished To Hold All The Track Information
Added Code To Generate The Playing Time Of The Track
Version 0.04 Tue 17th September 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added Memory Routines
Change Merge File Procedure So It Works With Native Files Properly
Version 0.05 Sun 22nd September 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tidied Up The Code
Made Linked List Accessing More Memory Efficient And Faster
Version 0.06 Sat 5th October 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edited The Template Files To Make Them Conform To The RISC OS 3 Style
Guide To A Greater Degree
Version 0.07 Mon 7th October 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added Choices Window And Saving And Loading Of Choices File
Added Routines To Check If The Listing And Choices Files Exist
Version 0.08 Sat 12th October 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fixed Bug, If The CD Was Stopped By CDPlay, And Started By Another Method,
CDPlay Didn't Register The Fact That It Had Restarted
Added Routines To Set The 'Listing' File To Protected So That It Can't
Be Overwritten Or Deleted By Accident
Version 0.09 Sun 3rd November 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fixed Bug Which Stopped CDPlay Being Used On Multiple Drives
Added Code To Detect Return And Escape Keypresses In The Choices
Window, And Perform The Appropriate Action
Version 1.00 Mon 04th November 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Release Version, Finally Decided The Program Was In A Fit
State To Be Released
Version 1.01 Mon 22nd November 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fixed Bug In Saving CD Listing Which Could Mess Up The Listing File
Version 1.02 12 December 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Different CDFS drivers (e.g. ATAPI, PSLCD) return different CD ID
numbers. Added hack to enable CDs entered into the listing under
one driver, to be used by the other driver.
Tidied up some of the code
Version 1.03 4 January 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rewrote CD Play routines, and window creation/handling routines,
edited the sprite files and template files, resulting in a 25%
reduction in memory usage. CDPlay now only requires 48k of
memory to run in, instead of 64k.
Also changed the 'memory' mode. Can now handle having the same
track more than once in the Program. Making it far more useful.
Removed Listing Merge routines out of main program and into a
separate application, which is called by CDPlay when needed.
Version 1.04 Wed 15th January 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fixed problem with wrong Sprites file being loaded for the current
mode.
Added code to listing save routines to reduce chance of corrupted
listing files.
Add check to make sure Random play doesn't play the same track
twice in a row.
Version 1.05 Sun 19th January 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added Menu, removed Info, Choices etc. buttons from main window
to the menu.
Added volume bar.
Added Auto Repeat CD option in the Choices Window.
Tidied up the code slightly.
Hopefully fixed problem which resulted in CDPlay crashing when using
the Alsystems CDFS drivers.
Version 1.06 Tue 11th February 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Changed Track Playing routines.
Altered the code which generated track time and CD playing time.
Made sure the menu closed if the window was closed, unless adjust used.
Added changing of icon background colour when got input focus.
Added scrolling of window to keep caret in view.
Changed the Volume bar code, so it doesn't mess up as much on a system
which doesn't support it.
Version 1.07 Sat 1st March 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Removed configuration code and turned it into a separate application.
Added new configuration options :
Disable CD Scanning
Warn If Track listings Not Saved
CDMatching Offset Number
Show Track Lengths
Added 2 new Time Formats
Save Volume On Exit
Auto Save CD Listing
Changing of the Hotkey Code
Wimpslot was increased to 52K :(
Version 1.08 Tue 11th March 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reduced the wimpslot back down to 48k again :)
Added better support for the auto save CD listings.
Changed the volume support detection routines. Hopefully
will work slightly better now.
Rewrote the Help file to cover the new Choices application
Changed the layout of the Choices file so I could remove some
code.
Version 1.09 Tue 18th March 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added two new configuration options to handle problems with
some CDFS drivers.
Fixed a bug that was causing CDPlay to crash occasionally when
redrawing the volume bar.
Changed code so it displays 'CD Scanning Disabled' instead of
'Unknown' for the CD Title when that option is turned on.
Version 1.10 Thu 20th March 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Changed code so track names are empty if they are unknown
Rewrote the Listings file merging program so it is more memory
based processing. Speeding it up considerable on larger files.
Added a proper sprite for the Misc icon in the Choices program.
Decided to release it if no bugs had crept in :)
Version 1.11 Tue 20th May 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fixed bug. If U saved when the drive was empty, the listing
file got corrupted. Now only saves if drive is not empty.
Got the greying out of the 'Save' option in the menu working
properly.
Version 1.12 Sun 25th May 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added Cue And rewind functions when U adjust click on the
'Next' 'Last' icons.
Version 1.13 Tue 27th May 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fixed bug where the CD Title was being overwritten when a
program was created.
Fixed bug in the configure program, which was causing the
machine to get stuck in an endless loop.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer
~~~~~~~~~~
This software is provided as is. The author cannot take responsibility
for any loss of data or any other problems consequent upon the use of
this program.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Conditions of Use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This software is freeware. It may be freely distributed as long as no
money is exchanged, apart from cost of distribution i.e. cost of discs,
and that all the file are included with the possible exception
of the Choices and Listing files.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks go to my beta testers for helping to find bugs,
suggesting improvements and generally forcing me to make
it into a releasable product, rather than the underdeveloped
version that I was quite happy with at the time ;)
Thanks also go to Acorn's !CDPlayer whose large memory usage
and lack of functions compelled me into writing this
program in the first place.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Updates and Listing Files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can get the latest version of CDPlay from my web page
at
http://www.ukc.ac.uk/php/lptw1
there is also a large Listing file here which contains > 1000 CD
Details
----------------------------------------------------------------
Contacting The Author
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you wish to contact me, e.g. to tell me about any bugs,
improvements etc. Or if you just want to send me large amounts of
money :) (Well you never know), then you can use the following
methods.
email : lptw1@ukc.ac.uk (Should be valid for a few more years yet)
or send mail to
L P T White
208 New Road
West Parley
Ferndown
Dorset
BH22 8EN
Any mail arriving here will be sent on to me at University. So could take
quite some time to reach me.