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IRJ.doc 20-Dec-95 Intro: Welcome, my fellow Imagine users! This is the first general release of the Imagine-Requester-Jester (also known as IRJ) for the Amiga versions of Imagine3.0+ by Impulse. Let me preface this doc file by saying that I hate writing docs - I'm a programmer, not a tech writer. 3^) What does IRJ do? Well, IRJ replaces Imagine's calls to its own file requesters with calls to the system ASL file requester. IRJ maintains seperate paths for different file operations(better explained later). IRJ can be used to either attach itself to a running version of Imagine, or can itself launch Imagine. IRJ runs from the CLI or from its Workbench icon. System requirements: First I should say that IRJ requires WB2.04+, which I hope you are all running. IRJ only works with the floating point versions of Imagine3.0-4.0. IRJ also requires that your Imagine executable sizes match mine: Imagine3.0_fp 876412 bytes 26-Apr-94 08:29:14 Imagine3.1_fp 927060 bytes 19-Sep-94 12:02:36 Imagine3.2_fp 959876 bytes 20-Mar-95 10:25:22 Imagine3.3_fp 1019600 bytes 28-Jun-95 12:00:28 Imagine4.0_fp 1068312 bytes 06-Nov-95 15:28:36 IRJ requires these exact file versions because it overwrites the file requester subroutine calls made by Imagine at known specific offsets in each program. (Unfortunately I haven't been able to verify IRJ's compatibility with PAL revs of Imagine - I understand the file sizes differ, but it still should work.) IRJ does not modify your original version of Imagine - rather it 'hotpatches' Imagine once it's in memory. Installation: type 'lha x IRJ.lha ram:' at a CLI prompt ... some of the icons & dirs included in this archive require being placed in ram: If you de-arc'd this package to another location, some of the icons may need to be modified. After you gain confidence with IRJ you may move the executable to somewhere in your command path (say c:), and copy the supplied icons and IRJ config files to whereever you want. If you keep the icons, be sure to edit the tooltypes to reflect any changes you make. Usage: IRJ is designed to be used from the CLI or via a WorkBench icon. From WorkBench: double-click any of the included icons. IRJ recognizes the following icon tooltypes: ------------------------------------------------------- CONFIG= <path&filename of a IRJ config file> IMAGINENAME= <name of imagine executable> IMAGINEDIR= <path to imagine executable> IMAGINESTACK= <stack size to start imagine with> IMAGINEPRIORITY= <adjust imagine priority> QUIT= <quit IRJ without quitting imagine> these relate closely to the CLI usage except the keywords may not be abbreviated and QUIT is not a switch but rather a booleen (ie QUIT=T, or QUIT=t) ...or... From any CLI prompt, type 'IRJ help' to find the command template: IRJ CONFIG/K,ID=IMAGINEDIR/K,IN=IMAGINENAME/K,IS=IMAGINESTACK/N, IP=IMAGINEPRIORITY/N,QUIT/S here are a few CLI examples: IRJ CONFIG=ram:IRJ.config IRJ IP=-1 IRJ IRJ QUIT IRJ IMAGINENAME=imagine3.3_fp ID=dh3:imagine3.3 IS=20000 How it works: When first run, IRJ reads its default config file (unless another is specified). IRJ then looks around to see if Imagine is already running; if it is, IRJ attaches itself to Imagine, changes Imagine's priority (if specified) and then waits for the user to quit Imagine, or for a subsequent invocation of IRJ to signal this one to detach from Imagine and quit. Whew! ok, so if the first IRJ doesn't find Imagine already running, it (IRJ) checks IMAGINEDIR and IMAGINENAME to see if you want IRJ to launch Imagine - -if not, IRJ waits in the background taking up no time waiting for the user to start Imagine in some other fashion; when it shows up, IRJ will attach itself and wait for the user to quit Imagine, or for a subsequent invocation of IRJ to signal this one to detach from Imagine and quit. -if so, IRJ will change its current dir to IMAGINEDIR (which must contain Imagine.pic & Imagine.config - well, not really, but that's where Imagine is going to look for those files) and then run the program IMAGINENAME. The values of IMAGINESTACK & IMAGINEPRIORITY are both applied if specified. On subsequent invocations either from an icon or from another CLI (that first CLI won't return until IRJ finishes) IRJ first checks if the user has specified the QUIT option. If so, this IRJ signals the first IRJ to detach from Imagine (that is if it had already done so - there's no guarantee) and then quit. If no QUIT option, IRJ will then read a IRJ config file if specified by CONFIG= and pass it on to the original IRJ. Then, if Imagine is running, IRJ will change Imagine's priority (if specified) and then quit, ignoring any other arguments. Else, since Imagine is not running, check IMAGINEDIR and IMAGINENAME to see if user wants IRJ to launch Imagine. If not, quit cause I don't see what you're trying to accomplish. If so, launch Imagine as I've described before. I'm sorry that was all so complicated but that's just the way the program logic worked out. Configuring IRJ to your system: IRJ increases Imagine's flexibility by keeping track of several seperate paths. These include directories for objects, DXFs, forms, cycles, effects, splinepaths, brushmaps, attributes, textures, and particals. When a new project is begun, Imagine used to create only a directory for objects in the main <project>.imp drawer. Now, IRJ creates additional dirs for those I just listed. It's up to you what they are called and where they are created. They can even point to the same thing (maybe you want your cycle dir to be the same as your object dir or maybe even put your cycle dir in your object dir). By using wildcards in your CONFIG file, you can even include the project name in part of the directory (the usefullness of this is explained later). IRJ config files are plain text files you create with your own word processor. Config labels must start in column one and must contain at least one space between the label and its definition. Supplying a config label (followed by at least 1 space) with nothing else on the line tells IRJ to use the directory from which Imagine was run. Comments are not allowed on the same line as a config label definition. I'll go through the config labels group by group. To see all of them listed together see the file from the archive ram:IRJdefaults.cfg configlabel IRJ-default description ----------- ----------- ---------------------------------------------- PREFSfile Default Imagine config file in prefs editor. PROJECTdir This is the directory Imagine creates/opens your projects in/from. You can of course use the file requester to change this. PROJECTfile Default project name. Imagine creates a directory for you called <project>.imp in which it adds a file called 'staging' - it's this file you load when you want to open a project(ie. PROJECTS/JESTER.imp/staging = the JESTER project). Just to be clear here, for the example just given, PROJECTdir would be PROJECTS and PROJECTfile would be JESTER, ok? SUBPROJECTfile Default subproject name. The same as before, when Imagine creates a new Subproject, it creates a dir called <subproject>.pix in which a file called 'specs' exists, it's this file you Open to tell Imagine which subproject you really mean. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When creating a new subproject, these config labels replace Imagine's idea of defaults in the subproject requester- PIXdir Default path to render pix to. Useful for rendering to RAM: or even a PAR ANIMdir Default path to save anims to. RENDER31+ 000 Combine these bits to set button state in subproject requester. Imagine3.1+ 100 - flip fields 010 - field rendered 001 - stereo 3D RENDERmethod 4 Set this to set render method in subproject requester. Options are: 0 - b/w wire 1 - b/w shade 2 - color wire 3 - color shade 4 - scanline 5 - trace WIDTH 320 Sets render size and render aspect values HEIGHT 200 in subproject requester. XASPECT 6 YASPECT 7 FILEformat 0 Sets file format for rendering. Options are: 0 - rgbn-12bit 1 - ilbm-12bit 2 - rgbn-24bit 3 - ilbm-24bit 4 - seperate r,g,b 5 - dctv VIEWmode 0100 (HAM) Sets state of view mode buttons in sub- project requester. You can combine some of these options: 1000 - AAcs 0100 - HAM 0010 - hires 0001 - lace ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These config labels determine where the various paths IRJ keeps track of start out at- OBJECTdir @/objects Each of these directories are kept track of DXFdir @/objects independantly. Always double check the path FORMdir @/objects you are saving objects/attribs/splines/etc to CYCLEdir @/objects since you probably aren't used to having so SPLINEdir @/objects many paths to manage. It isn't hard to lose BRUSHMAPSdir track of which path you are manipulating. ATTRIBSdir @/objects TEXTURESdir EFFECTSdir PARTICALSdir @/objects The character '@' has special meaning to IRJ for these ten config labels. It is replaced with the current PROJECT name. You'll get unpredictable results if you don't open a PROJECT before using a directory with an '@' in it. Some examples (assuming project opened is named 'JESTER')- @/objects = JESTER.imp/objects @/forms = JESTER.imp/forms @/objects/dxf = JESTER.imp/objects/dxf brushmaps/@ = brushmaps/JESTER <- you can put it at the end too. dh1:attribs/@ = dh1:attribs/JESTER <- '.imp' is chopped off the end When you create a new PROJECT, IRJ will create directories for each of the ten directories it manages. If you don't want to create all these directories just define them to point at ram: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IRJ allows pattern matching for each of the filerequesters it manages. I don't use this myself but some people like using file extensions. Here are the config labels, IRJ defaults and some suggestions- PROJECTpat ~(#?.info) NEWSUBPROJECTpat #?.pix OPENSUBPROJECTpat #?specs PREFSpat #?.config OBJECTpat ~(#?.info) or... #?.iob DXFpat ~(#?.info) #?.dxf FORMpat ~(#?.info) CYCLEpat ~(#?.info) SPLINEpat ~(#?.info) BRUSHMAPSpat ~(#?.info) #?.iff ATTRIBSpat ~(#?.info) #?.atr TEXTURESpat #?.itx EFFECTSpat #?.ifx PARTICALSpat ~(#?.info) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With these config labels, you can position and resize the filerequesters- REQwidth 328 REQheight 222 REQleftedge 156 REQtopedge 86 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inevitable plea for money: I put a lot of time into creating IRJ and making it so configurable for all to use. If you use this program and feel it's worth five bucks($5 ~= 8 DM for you europeans), please stuff it in an envelope and send it to me. You can also drop me a postcard with your comments about IRJ or just say hi!; I'd like to know how many AMIGA users are left out there. Please post this archive to your local BBS's and let your friends know about IRJ! Kirk Piepho email: 72457.2200@compuserve.com 2383 N. Dale St. #307 Roseville, MN 55113 <- jeesh, just 20 minutes from Impulse U.S.A. world headquarters but in no way related or connected with the aforementioned company. Small world eh? ps. _If_ you do want to send me money for IRJ, I'll take checks or cash(I've never had any trouble sending cash thru the mail, so don't let that stop you). And of course I know you'll have no trouble getting an envelope and a stamp and taking all that time to address it and to write a check and... that's _IF_ you feel it's worth it(IRJ that is - heck, this doc file is worth five bucks - I hate writing all this but hope I did all right). See yah!