A few words about this may be useful. Then again, they may not. But you never know unless you try.
1) Files copied to the bin directory are placed in a subdirectory called xxxx_yy_zz where xxxx is the year (eg 1993) ,yy is the month and zz is the day of the month. Clicking Select over the iconbar icon opens the directory for today if it exists, otherwise the root bin directory is opened.
2) When copying to the bin directory, Black Hole will go by the fastest possible route - i.e. it will rename files if possible as this is faster than copying and then deleting. However, if 'Force' is not set, Black Hole must first copy and then delete files as Rename ignores the access status of files. This results in two Filer Action windows appearing one after the other.
3) Any files or directories placed in the ROOT bin directory which do not have names of the form "xxxx_yy_zz" will be deleted next time Black Hole is run.
[4]
{subhead}Running BlakHole2 from Read-Only media
This version of Black Hole can be run from a read-only medium such as CD-ROM.
In order to do this, edit the !Run file so that it contains the line Set BlackHole$CDROM Yes When this is set, Black Hole will assume that it cannot write anything into its home directory and therefore will make the default bin directory Wimp$ScrapDir.BlackHole. It will also save all its options files to !System.BlackHole.
[234]
{subhead}Notes:
1) Rather than using Squash, which is rather slow, you may like to compress your Retained Copies by another method. This is most easily done if you own Computer Concept's Compression. You can simply make the Bin Directory a CFS directory. Provided CFS is loaded before Black Hole on bootup, everything will be OK. This has the added advantage that files are compressed as they are added to the bin. For example, you could make the bin directory
{tab}
CFS#adfs::IDEDisc4.$.!BlakHole2.BlackHole.
{notab}
You can probably do this with SparkFS as well.
2) Dragging the contents of the Bin directory to the iconbar icon WILL delete them if force is off, but will not if force is on. This is because force MOVES files, but force off copies then deletes. If Retain Copies is off, or Ctrl is pressed, then they will be deleted whatever.
3) Black Hole treats DOS partitions as normal directories for all purposes. If a DOS partition is deleted with 'Retain Copies' set, then the files are retained but in a directory with the same name as the partition, not as a partition. This probably applies to archives if SparkFS is running, but I haven't tried it so don't quote me.
[1234]
{subhead}Brief Explanation of Contents of !BlakHole2
My word, there are a lot of them:
Contents of !BlakHole2
{tab}
!!ReadMe is a file that you should read if you can be bothered.
!BlackOut is the screen saver program
!BlkOutCfg is the screen saver configuration program
!Boot is a boot file
!FatHelp is displaying the text that you are reading now
!FileFind is the file finder, and is also used for other things
!Help is the !Help file
!Run is the !Run file
!RunImage is the program itself
!Sprites and !Sprites22 contain the filer sprite
BlackHole is the default bin directory
CheatWipe contains some data I use when fast-wiping ADFS F-format (1.6 MB) discs
Hole310 and Hole350 are the RiscOS 3.10 and 3.50 versions of the BlackHole module
icons contains some more icons
Ignore (if present) is the file containing the list of filing systems for Singularity to ignore
Messages are the textual messages used by the program
ModuleKill contains the Module Kill lists
NewOpts2 (if present) contains your options for BlackHole
SaveOpts (if present) contains your options for the Auto File Saver
Sprites contains the sprites used for the iconbar animations
Temp is used for something, but I can't remember what
Templates are the window templates
{notab}
{subhead}Random Ramblings
This program is far from perfect. The reasons for this are many and varied and the word 'incompetence' appears in them frequently. A large part of it is because I learnt to program RISC OS by staring vacantly at other people's programs until the sugar of understanding began to crystallise in the syrup of my brain. (Sorry, too much psychedelic music.)
By the way, I can strongly recommend the method of programming I use:
1) Decide what it is you want to do.
2) Find a program that already does it.
3) 'Adapt' the code in that program.
4) Have a coffee.
This works very successfully and probably explains why I've got three apparrently identical procedures, each of which is absolutely crucial to the program. Ho hum.
Please note, however, that this is not an admission of plagiarism. Other people's programs are a great source of PRM-type information, and are usually far more easily understandable than Acorn literature.
In the phantasm of life we would all do well to remember that a halibut is a type of fish and not a building material. This will help to ensure that our houses are built from hardwearing, weatherproof materials and not from soft bodied sea creatures. Although fish are waterproof, they are not good for making load bearing walls. However, when dried and firmly nailed down they do make acceptable roofing tiles for temporary structures.
