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!Help file for !AntUtils v1.24 (29th Sep 1999)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please read (or at least scan through) all these instructions because I may
have added some new features since the last version - namely Plugins.
Copyright and Application Status
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by Paul Vigay, Jan 1997. This program is freeware, on the condition
that it is copied in it's entirety without any files being changed.
However, any donations will be gratefully accepted and will help inspire me
to do further development and support the RISC OS/Acorn software market.
A fiver would be nice, to cover some of the electricity used whilst coding
and to buy more packets of tea or Hobnobs, for all those late nights.
The copyright remains with the author (Paul Vigay) at all times.
Purpose
~~~~~~~
To add various utilities to the Ant Internet Suite. Firstly, I wanted a way
to automatically check mail every so often whilst I'm online surfing the
world wide web. Other than Ant's suggestion of setting up a repeating task
alarm in !Alarm, there doesn't seem to be an easy way of fetching mail
automatically, and only if the Ant Suite is online (!Alarm doesn't like it if
!InetSuite is not running)
I also wanted a way of adding a random 'fortune cookie' or 'quote' onto the
end of signature lines.
AntUtils performs both of these tasks with each having it's own configurable
time delay.
Over time, I have also added a number of other features, described below.
Use/Choices
~~~~~~~~~~~
To open the choices/configuration window, simply select 'Choices...' from the
icon bar menu. This will open the choices window.
To change a value simply enter a new value. If you want the feature turned
on, simply toggle the icons on the left.
Clicking on 'Save' will permanently (until the next time you click on 'Save')
save the choices back to disc. OK will simply change them for this session
only.
'Check online mail and news' will allow you to automatically fetch either/or
mail/news every so many minutes if you are online. This saves keep selecting
the relevant menu option from the AntSuite icon menu.
'Use random sig', if on, will automatically append a random cookie to your
signature file. The master signatures are stored within AntUtils.Files.Users
and the relevant username directory.
'Auto status', if on, will automatically open the status window when you go
nline and then close it again when you disconnect.
'Quit with InetSuite' will make !AntUtils quit automatically when you quit
!InetSuite.
'Lan connection' tells AntUtils to think it is permanently online, for people
who use AntUtils via a local area network.
'Multi-users' allows AntUtils to keep an eye on multiple user accounts and to
automatically update phone logs, hotlists, signatures etc for more than one
user.
'News reader' allows you to tell AntUtils whether you are using Marcel or
Jon Duddington's Pluto newsreader. This ensures that AntUtils knows where the
relevant files and signatures are stored etc.
Clicking on Paths.... opens a small window which allows you to set the file
paths for both Marcel and Pluto. This allows AntUtils to be run even if
other applications have not been 'seen' yet. This allows you to install
AntUtils as part of a !Boot sequence before the AntSuite has been loaded.
To set the filepaths, simply locate your copy of !InetSuite and drag into the
InetSuite icon in the path window.
If you are using !Pluto, do the same to Pluto (but into the 'Pluto' icon).
Remember to save the choices if you wish to keep these filepaths.
From version 1.16 onwards you can also set a 'Downloads' path. Simply drag any
directory from your disc onto this icon and AntUtils will save any files
dragged onto its icon into this directory. This is handy if Fresco suddenly
pops up a save dialogue box and you haven't opened a directory window.
'Auto Debatch' will only be available if you have selected Pluto as your
preferred newsreader. If then toggled to 'on', AntUtils will tell Pluto to
debatch new email messages one minute after the online newsfetch. eg. If your
mail fetch is set to five minutes, and debatch is on, then AntUtils will tell
Pluto to debatch email messages after six minutes. Hopefully one minute after
fetching mail will be enough, but advanced users can edit the AntUtils messages
file to allow longer times.
News debatches will occur in the same fashion, but two minutes after the news
fetch command. (Again, advanced users may edit the messages file)
N.B. Pluto will normally bring it's boxes window to the front when it performs
a debatch, even if no messages are debatched. This effect can be toggled on
and off by clicking on the small 'plus sign' to the right of the debatch icon.
If a small 'plus sign' is visible, Pluto will bring its window to the front.
'Log cron events' will store each cron event in a log file, so that if you
leave AntUtils to run automatic scripts you can come back later to check if
the various commands have executed successfully.
'Quick mail send' will tell AntUtils to check the Ant outgoing mail queue every
five seconds (editable within the AntUtils.Resources.Messages file) for any
mail messages waiting to be sent. If there are any, AntUtils will instruct the
Ant Suite to send them immediately rather than wait until the next mail check.
This option actually overrides the 'Check online mail' option because it will
still activate even if the auto mail timer is turned off.
'Check RMA' allows AntUtils to ensure that a minimum amount of RMA space is
always available, hence fixing the fabled DLL crashing that the Ant Suite
sometimes suffers from. The actual value of RMA space is defined within the
AntUtils.Resources.Messages file and it's default value is 128k.
This is only scanned if you are using a dialup connection. If using a LAN it
is ignored.
'Cancel' will restore the settings to the previously saved ones.
'Save' will save the settings for future use.
'OK' will ok the settings for this session only, but next time you load
AntUtils, the settings will be their original values.
Status Window
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A status window can be opened by selecting 'Status' from the icon bar menu or
just clicking SELECT on the AntUtils icon.
This simply opens a small window giving you the current modem/INetSuite
status along with the time delay until the next mail check or signature
change.
Auxillary Applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you click Adjust over the icon bar icon, AntUtils will open an auxillary
utilities window. This operates very much like a mini pinboard and allows
you to drag up to 8 applications into it, so you can launch them by double-
clicking on the one you want. Apps are automatically saved within AntUtils
so they are available next time you load AntUtils.
LAN connection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you use InetSuite over a Local Area Network (LAN) you can toggle the LAN
option on. This will tell !AntUtils that you have a permanent connection and
will ignore the automatic on/offline detection.
Multi-users
~~~~~~~~~~~
v1.03 and above of AntUtils will automatically provide some multi-user support
for more than one user wanting to have settings within !InetSuite - for example
multiple Fresco Hotlist files and call logging files.
Simply select the user you require from the 'Users' menu and !AntUtils will
manage the individual files for you. This allows different people using the
same copy of !InetSuite to have their own hotlists and telephone logs. This
feature was added after noticing various requests for this on the AntChat
mailing list.
When you quit !AntUtils, the original files will be restored (ie. the files
active when !AntUtils was loaded in the first place).
N.B. Please let me know of any bugs in this code, as obviously there are
numerous different combinations of files. Please don't blame me if your hotlist
file(s) get lost or corrupted. Although I've tested it as thoroughly as
possible, it is still possible that certain combinations may confuse AntUtils.
Search
~~~~~~
The Search sub-menu from the main icon bar menu allows you to search the web
for a specified string, using a variety of 'Search Engines'. By clicking on
the required engine name, it will set that one for future searches - simply
enter the string you wish to search for in the writable icon at the top.
If you wish to search multiple engines simultaneously, hold SHIFT down whilst
you click on a new engine.
The engines currently ticked are also saved within the choices when you save
choices.
Fresco Control
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first option in the Fresco sub-menu provides a simple way to delete various
Fresco control files.
The 'Delete' sub-menu has the following 5 options;
Delete Cache: This will erase Fresco's local cache. If Fresco is
already loaded, then just the files will be deleted
and the directory structure will be left intact. This
is to stop Fresco throwing a wobbly when it suddenly
finds that its cache has disappeared!
If Fresco is NOT loaded when you select this option,
then the entire Fresco cache directory will be
deleted. This won't cause any harm because Fresco
will recreate it next time you load it.
Delete Cookies: This will erase Fresco's cookies file. The cookie
file is where some web sites can customise the look
you get depending upon your own profile.
Delete History: This will erase Fresco's history list, but won't
come into operation until you next load Fresco.
You may also find that it's not completely erased,
because Fresco saves it's current history when quit,
so if Fresco is already running when you select this
option, then it will write a new history when you do
quit Fresco.
Delete Users: This will delete Fresco's Users file. This is the file
in which usernames and passwords are stored for some
sites requiring a password entry. Be careful of deleting
this file in case you can no longer remember what your
passwords are.
Delete All: This will perform the four operations above in one
single operation. Read the notes for each option before
you use this option.
Back to the main Fresco sub-menu, and the following options are available:-
Open cache: This will merely open Fresco's cache directory from
inside the scrap directory. This may be handy if you
want to manually examine it.
Cookies: Toggle Cookies on and off.
This requires Fresco to be re-loaded in order for the
changes to take effect.
It will be greayed out if your version of Fresco does
not support Cookies.
Javascript: Toggle Javascript on and off.
This only works with Fresco 2.02 and above and requires
Fresco to be re-loaded in order for the changes to take
effect.
It will be greayed out if your version of Fresco does
not support Javascript.
N.B. If you've just upgraded to version 2.02 or above,
you will need to re-save the choices from Fresco in order
for the Javascript options to become active.
Faking: Leads to a sub-menu providing various degrees of browser
faking. Simply select the options you require. This may
help you to access some sites that would otherwise be
inaccessible.
This option will be greyed out if your version of Fresco
is too old.
N.B. If you've just upgraded to version 2.02 or above,
you will need to re-save the choices from Fresco in order
for the Mozilla options to become active.
Open Directories
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 'Open' option from the main icon bar menu leads to a submenu from which you
can tell AntUtils to open various internal AntSuite directories. This is handy
if you suspect that a particular mail/news article has got stuck in the input or
output queue.
The 'URL Store' option will launch AntUtils internal hot list of stored URLS into
a Fresco window (see below). If you hold down SHIFT whilst clicking on 'HotList',
AntUtils will load the internal HTML file into a text editor so that you can edit
it by hand. This may be required if you wish to delete entries from it.
URL Store
~~~~~~~~~
Whilst AntUtils is loaded it will intercept all 'launch URL' wimp messages and
determine whether you are online (or on a LAN) and thus, whether or not the URL
can be fetched immediately. If AntUtils thinks that the URL can't be fetched
immediately it will open a URL store window containing the URL in question.
You can enter an optional description (or notes) for the URL if you like and
click 'OK' to store within AntUtils' internal HotList - for viewing later.
Click 'Cancel' to ignore the URL.
A third option, 'Launch anyway' will attempt to visit the URL anyway. This is
handy if the site has already been visited and is in Fresco's cache.
N.B. This function only works if AntUtils is loaded BEFORE Fresco (or another
web browser). This is because Fresco will claim the URL message before AntUtils
otherwise.
Fresco File Download saving
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* New feature added at v1.16 *
If you drag a file onto the !AntUtils icon on the icon bar, AntUtils will
automatically save the file into a pre-determined directory. This is useful
if an application suddenly pops up a save dialogue box and you haven't
opened a directory window in which to save the file. The directory path is
set from the 'Paths' option in the choices window.
CRON table
~~~~~~~~~~
From v1.03 onwards !AntUtils can execute various commands at preset times of
the day (assuming !AntUtils is loaded). Full instructions are provided within
the 'cron' file inside !AntUtils.Files.
You can execute the next command immediately if you like, by double-clicking
on the "Next Cron" icon in the status window.
N.B. Again, please let me know if there are any bugs you find.
There are a couple of example cron files inside !AntUtils.Docs.Examples for
you to examine and perhaps modify for your own use.
They will logon to a server at 1pm, load InetSuite and then dial out one
minute later, then 'see' Fresco (in case you want to run WebTool). They will
then wait until 1.30pm (should be long enough to download messages) and then
disconnect (in case InetSuite hasn't timed out and hung up itself) before
Quitting InetSuite and swapping the cron files around (the second one is set
up as an exact duplicate of the first but refetching messages at 5am).
The last line will reset the computer, thus resetting AntUtils to load the
other cron table. Email me if you are unsure of anything!
Automatic Commands on Loading or Quitting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
v1.23 and above
If a file called !AntUtils.Files.Start exists, then AntUtils will automatically
execute each command in the file one after the other immediately on first
loading. The commands recognised are the same ones as the cron commands
mentioned above.
Similarly, if a file called !AntUtils.Files.End exists (also containing a list
of commands) they will be executed whenever AntUtils Quits.
Thus, an 'End' file containing the following;
quit Ant Fresco
quit Pluto
would also quit Fresco and Pluto when AntUtils quits.
Iconbar Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The info on the icon bar can be toggled between time and free memory by
holding CTRL down while clicking on the icon bar. If you subsequently save
choices, the current setting will be saved for future use.
PLUGINS
~~~~~~~
As from version 1.24, AntUtils supports Plugins. These are small auxillary
applications residing in the !AntUtils.Plugins directory, which allows AntUtils
to be more flexible in its operation yet not require any additional memory.
To execute one, simply select the one you require from the main menu. It will
quit automatically as soon as you close its window.
PLUGIN: Image Index
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Originally added at v1.11)
This feature will automatically create an HTML page containing a table of
handy thumbnail images for any directory containing image (Sprite, JPEG, GIF
or PNG - ie. formats understood by Fresco) files.
Drag the HTML icon to the relevant directory to create the file.
The various options are (I hope) self explanatory....
If you drag a directory to the Image Indexing window it will set the
destination directory of the images, if different to the location you wish
to store the index and background image in.
If you wish to create the index file in the same directory as the images,
you MUST ensure that the 'Images' icon is blank.
To set an image directory, you can either drag a directory or drag an
individual file to the indexing window. If you drag an individual file, it
will assume you wish to index the parent directory - ie. the directory that
the file is in.
N.B. AntUtils is fairly intelligent in that it will convert filenames into
a format suitable for web browsing, if images are in a different location to
where you want to save the index file - and also truncate filenames if it
detects that the image directory is a sub-directory of where you are saving
the index file.
Max columns decides how many thumbnails go across the page.
Max width is the width of each thumbnail image (100 pixels is about right)
Cell spacing is the distance between each cell in the table.
Use background, if on, will copy the image called 'background' inside
!AntUtils.Resources into the destination directory to use as a background
image. This can be any image type that Fresco recognises (filetypes above!)
Add HREFs will automatically add a link from each thumbnail image to the
full size image.
Add filenames will also include the filenames underneath each thumbnail.
Advanced users may edit the default values for these parameters inside the
!Index Plugin 'Messages' file. Toggle options should be ON or OFF.
You can also set the text of the title text (or have none) and set whether
AntUtils will add a 'created at time' to the index.
PLUGIN: Marcel Mailbox Recovery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clicking on this will open a mailbox recovery window into which you can drag a
corrupted Marcel mailbox. This will set the filepath in both writable icons.
If you wish to change the destination filename (ie. make a copy) then either
drag the Marcel icon into a new location, or edit the filename in the bottom
icon.
Clicking 'Recover' will start the recovery process and attempt to repair the
corrupt mailbox. This is not guaranteed to fix the mailbox and should only be
used as a last resort, but may help in awkward situations.
Clicking 'Cancel' will abort the operation and close the window.
Notes:
Whilst recovery is in process, the new output file is temporarily saved
inside <Wimp$ScrapDir> so that the input file is not damaged in the case
of severe errors. This also means that the destination can overwrite the
original if you so desire - but will not actually get overwritten until
the end.
If you press escape, the process will halt immediately so you may end
up with a corrupt 'new' mailbox. If overwriting the original the new
filename will be amended so that it ends in a tilde (~) symbol (to
avoid overwriting the original with a partially copied file).
PLUGIN: URL Store
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This plugin basically performs the same operation as the URL Store previously
mentioned (see above) does, but is controlled entirely within AntUtils itself,
without needing Fresco.
The benefit of this plugin over launching into Fresco is that you can delete
stored URLs by clicking MENU over the one you wish to delete.
The actual file is the same as the one that loads into Fresco, so any entries
deleted will be deleted if you launch it into Fresco via the 'Open URL Store'
menu option (above).
Advanced Features
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Automatic mail and news checking on Startup:
AntUtils will automatically do a single mail and news check as soon as it
loads. This can be disabled by editing the !AntUtils.Resources.Messages file.
Look for the imm: command and change it to 0 to prevent checking of either
type of message. More instructions are provided within the Messages file, but
don't fiddle around unless you know what you are doing - keep a backup safe.
Advanced users can configure whether or not AntUtils appears as an icon on the
icon bar. Load AntUtils !Run file into your favourite editor and insert the
parameter -noicon immediately after the !RunImage in the last line. Leave a
space either side. ie, so it looks like
Run <AntUtils$Path>.!RunImage -noicon %*0
The default is to display an icon. ie.
Run <AntUtils$Path>.!RunImage %*0
Once AntUtils is loaded you can toggle the status (ie to make it reappear) by
pressing SHIFT CTRL A U (ie. simultaneously hold down SHIFT, CTRL, A and U)
N.B. For the really advanced, the A and the U can be reconfigured by editing the
hotlist1 and hotlist2 lines in the !AntUtils.Resources.Messages file. They are
the INKEY- values as shown in the BBC Basic Guide.
There are a few other options in the !AntUtils.Resources.Messages file but don't
change them unless you know what you are doing.
Future additions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm open to suggestions really. If you want extra features added please let
me know. I want AntUtils to provide all the various little utilities you may
need in a single application. Feel free to comment!
Contacting me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can contact me in several ways:-
1. Email me at pvigay@interalpha.co.uk
2. Go my Acorn Shareware page on the internet at http://www.vigay.com/riscos/shareware.html
3. Dial into my BBS (24hr, 8N1) on 01705 871531
4. Write to me at 104 Manners Road, Southsea, Hampshire, PO4 0BG
5. or voice-phone me on 01705 871530 (0956 135633 One2One mobile, hence fairly cheap!)
©1997 Paul Vigay
List of files in !AntUtils.Files (ie. alterable by the user)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/signature Original signature file. This is the base signature to which
quotes get appended to.
quotes Random quote file. Add your own quotes here, each seperated
by a single zero (ASCII 0) code.