This button / menu item displays a brief notice window. Unlike other windows
in QBox, this window has no close gadget. To close the window simply press
any mouse button or key.
As of v1.12 the distribution version is indicated so that you can identify
whether or not your version is REGISTERED or a simple EVALUATION version.
REGISTERED version Abouts also display who the program is registered to.
The full conditions of use are made clear in the @{"Legal Texts" link Legal} section of
this document.
@endnode
@node UseQuit "QBox: Usage / Quit & Menu / Quit"
<About User Definable Menus>
@{u}@{b}Quit@{ub}@{uu}
HotKey: Right Amiga + Q
Fairly obvious this one. Select this menu option (or the close gadget in
the main window) and a requester will appear asking you whether you really
want to "quit", "hide" or resume (labelled "Cancel") QBox. Clicking on
"Hide" has the same effect as the @{"Hide" link UseHide} menu option.
It is also possible to define a QBox button (see @{"Prefs" link UseBPref}) to quit QBox.
For this read the @{"Script" link UseScript} section.
NOTE: QBox attempts to clean up after itself, but as my version of Blitz2
leaves 40k when using GadTools you will lose some memory. As soon as I
have time I will sort this out (apparently BUM6 has a fix for this).
@endnode
@node UseUDM "QBox: Usage / Menu / User Definable Menus"
<Quit Button Prefs>
@{u}@{b}User Definable Menus@{ub}@{uu}
As of version 1.06 QBox has supported User Definable Menus (UDMs). UDM
item(s) appear beneath the menu title "User".
UDM items operate in a similar way to buttons in that they both have a
name with an underlying script. In fact, @{"menu scripts" link UseUPCmd} utilise all of
the features found in @{"button scripts" link UseBPCmd}. A full list of
these features can be found in then @{"scripts" link UseScript} section.
UDMs are editted via an in-built @{"Menu Editor" link UseUPref}.
@endnode
@node UseBPref "QBox: Usage / Button Prefs"
<User Definable Menus App Window>
@{u}@{b}Button Prefs@{ub}@{uu}
Hotkey: Right Amiga + B
@{b}QBox Button Prefs@{ub} window
Button @{"Button Name " link UseBPName}
Command @{"Command script " link UseBPCmd}
@{"Copy " link UseBPCopy}@{"Exch " link UseBPExch}@{" Clr " link UseBPClr}@{"Undo " link UseBPUndo}@{"Rvrt " link UseBPRvrt} X @{" X " link UseBPX} Y @{" Y " link UseBPY}
@{" New " link UseNew}@{"Load " link UseLoad}@{"Save " link UseSaveAs}@{"Iprt " link UseBPIprt}@{"Eprt " link UseBPEprt} DimX @{"Dim X" link UseBPDimX} DimY @{"Dim Y" link UseBPDimY}
This window is used for defining the matrix size and button definitions
of the @{"Main" link UseMain} window.
This window is an @{"App Window" link UseBPAppW}. That is, if an workbench icon is
dropped on to this window various attributes will be filled in. Click on
This button is designed to export and button script to an AmigaDOS script.
Simply select a destination file using the standard ASL file requester and
the current button script (in the @{"command" link UseBPCmd} button gadget) will be sent
to the chosen file as standard AmigaDOS.
The file is headed with a comment describing where the script was sourced.
Details include button script filename, button name and any script
commands used.
@endnode
@node UseBPDimX "QBox: Usage / Button Prefs / Dim X"
<Export (Button) Dim Y>
@{u}@{b}Dim X@{ub}@{uu}
This numeric entry gadget is used to define the number of @{"Buttons" link UseMainBut} wide
the @{"Main" link UseMain} window matrix is.
The value you enter will always take an absolute value (it will always be
interpreted as a positive value) and may only be an integer.
Buttons are normally the width of longest @{"Button Name" link UseBPName} text. However, if
the number of buttons wide combined with button width means that the
resulting @{"Main" link UseMain} window exceeds the current screen width, button widths
are reduced by a multiple of 8 pixels. This ensures that all buttons are
displayed, but at the cost of button name text being reduced in length.
This is best avoided by increasing @{"Dim Y" link UseBPDimY} if possible, or by using
@{"multilayered" link UseScript} matrices.
NOTE: The button matrix reloads when the matrix size is altered. This means
that the button matrix contains as many of the defined buttons as will fit
into this area (without affecting layout). The downside is that you should
save the button matrix prior to altering this value.
@endnode
@node UseBPDimY "QBox: Usage / Button Prefs / Dim Y"
<Dim X Menu Prefs>
@{u}@{b}Dim Y@{ub}@{uu}
This numeric entry gadget is used to define the number of @{"Buttons" link UseMainBut} high
the @{"Main" link UseMain} window matrix is.
The value you enter will always take an absolute value (it will always be
interpreted as a positive value) and may only be an integer.
Buttons are normally the 14 pixels high. However, if the number of buttons
high combined with button height means that the resulting @{"Main" link UseMain} window
exceeds the current screen height, the button height is reduced by a minimum
number of pixels. This ensures that all buttons are displayed, but at the
cost of obscuring all or part of the button text.
This is best avoided by increasing @{"Dim X" link UseBPDimX} if possible, or by using
@{"multilayered" link UseScript} matrices.
NOTE: The button matrix reloads when the matrix size is altered. This means
that the button matrix contains as many of the defined buttons as will fit
into this area (without affecting layout). The downside is that you should
save the button matrix prior to altering this value.
@endnode
@node UseUPref "QBox: Usage / UDM Menu Prefs"
<DimY App Window (UDM Prefs)>
@{u}@{b}Menu Prefs@{ub}@{uu}
Hotkey: Right Amiga + M
@{b}QBox Button Prefs@{ub} window
Menu @{"Menu Name " link UseUPName} HKey @{"HKey " link UseUPKey}
Command @{"Command Script " link UseUPCmd}
@{"Copy " link UseUPCopy}@{"Exch " link UseUPExch}@{" Clr " link UseUPClr}@{"Undo " link UseUPUndo}@{"Rvrt " link UseUPRvrt} Item @{"Item " link UseUPItem}
@{" New " link UseUNew}@{"Load " link UseULoad}@{"Save " link UseUSaveAs}@{"Iprt " link UseUPIprt}@{"Eprt " link UseUPEprt} Dim @{" Dim " link UseUPDim}
This window is used for defining @{"user-definable menus" link UseUDM} (UDMs).
This window is an @{"App Window" link UseUPAppW}. That is, if an workbench icon is
dropped on to this window various attributes will be filled in. Click on
This text entry gadget allows you to define the @{"Main" link UseMain} windows title bar
text.
Simply enter your text and hit return. The main window will update and you
title text will appear. That's all there is to it really.
@endnode
@node UseTTypes "QBox: Usage / ToolTypes"
<Window Title Contact>
@{u}@{b}ToolTypes@{ub}@{uu}
QBox supports icon tool types (see Amiga User Guide) that may be edited
from the icon information screen. Currently, the following tooltypes
are supported:-
DONOTWAIT
This tooltype prevents other programs being held up until QBox has
finished during system boot up. If QBox is present in your WBStartup
drawer you should have this present in QBox.info. Technically speaking
DONOTWAIT is handled externally to QBox by workbench 2.x/3.x.
CX_POPUP=Yes|No
This tooltype takes a single argument that maybe either YES or NO
(eg. CX_POPUP=YES). This icon tooltype simply defines whether or not the
QBox interface is visible when the program is started or not. If
"CX_POPUP=NO" QBox will run in the background until "Enable"/"Show
Interface" is clicked on in the commodities Exchange program, or
until you press the QBox hotkey (default: ctrl lcommand z).
(See Amiga User Guide)
CX_POPKEY=hotkey
This icon tooltype is used to define what keys force QBox out of hiding
(see @{"Hide" link UseHide} and CX_POPUP above). Several examples
follow:
CX_POPKEY=ctrl alt z
CX_POPKEY=rcommand ralt del
CX_POPKEY=ctrl lcommand z
BUTTONFILE=filename
This is used to define the path and filename of a QBox button prefs
file. The CLI BUTTONFILE argument overrides this tooltype if defined.
Eg. BUTTONFILE=Startup.QBox
MENUFILE=filename
This is much the same as BUTTONFILE (above) only this is used to
define the path and filename of a QBox menu prefs file.
CLI MENUFILE argument overrides this tooltype if defined.
Eg. MENUFILE=StartMenu.QBox
TIMEOUT=secs
The tooltype equivalent of TIMEOUT=secs CLI argument. This tooltype
is used to define the amount of time (in seconds) that QBox
can be left inactive before quitting. The CLI TIMEOUT argument
overrides this tooltype if it is defined.
Eg. TIMEOUT=20
DEFFILE=filename
Another CLI equivalent, this time of CLI DEFFILE=file. If the timeout
feature is used (either through the tooltype or CLI TIMEOUT=secs) and
QBox is left to timeout, then the AmigaDOS script file defined here
will be executed. CLI DEFFILE=file overrides this tooltype if it is
defined.
Note: The AmigaDOS script can be headed with ;\RNXH tags on the first
line of the file so that execution can be controlled.
Eg. DEFFILE=S:Startup-Sequence
where S:Startup-Sequence's first line reads ";\RN" (no quotes).
SHOWGUIDE=filename
This is used to define multiview/amigaguide/ppguide path and filename
that is used when @{"Help" link UseHelp} is selected from the QBox menus.
Eg. SHOWGUIDE=Dh0:utilities/MultiView
GUIDE=filename
This is used to define where the QBox AmigaGuide (tm) resides that is
used when @{"Help" link UseHelp} is selected from the QBox menus.
Eg. GUIDE=Locale:help/english/QBox.guide
MAINX=x ord
MAINY=y ord
These two tooltypes are used to define the position of the @{"Main" link UseMain}
window. x ord and y ord should be replaced with X and Y screen co-ordinates
respectively.
Eg. MAINX=0
MAINY=20
BUTTONX=x ord
BUTTONY=y ord
These two tooltypes are similar to MAINX and MAINY, only this pair define
the window position of the @{"Button Prefs" link UseBPref} window.
Eg. BUTTONX=360
BUTTONY=196
MISCX=x ord
MISCY=y ord
This pair of tooltypes define the position of the @{"Misc Prefs" link UseMPref} window.
As with MAINX, MAINY, BUTTONX and BUTTONY this pair should be supplied with
the window position co-ordinates.
Eg. MISCX=0
MISCY=196
MENUX=x ord
MENUY=y ord
This pair of tooltypes define the @{"Menu Prefs" link UseUPref} window position. As
with the other "position" tooltypes you should supply this pair with the
required window co-ordinates.
Eg. MENUX=398
MENUY=14
Note: MAINX, MAINY, BUTTONX, BUTTONY, MISCX, MISCY, MENUX and MENUY are
used to define the top left corner of Main, Button and Misc preference
windows. The top left of the screen is x=0, y=0. Value limits are x=640
and y=512. Dont't worry so much about limits QBox will move windows until
they are in view.
@endnode
@node UseFormats "QBox: File formats"
<ToolTypes Contact>
@{u}@{b}File Formats@{ub}@{uu}
@{u}@{b}Button Scripts@{ub}@{uu}
The first entry (or header) of a button script is used to define matrix
details and other properties fixed for the entire matrix:-
@{"DimX" link UseBPDimX},@{"DimY" link UseBPDimY},@{"Window_Title" link UseMPTitle},@{"nnnnn" link UseMPIb}@{"A" link UseMAbTxt}@{"C" link UseMCsBut}@{"P" link UseMPrBut}
[Links above show editor text that can be applied at least in part here]
where:-
dimx is the width of the button matrix measured in buttons
dimy is the height of the button matrix measured in buttons
window_title is the text that appears in the window drag bar
nnnnn is the i/o buffer size measured in characters
A turns off autoabout (but not forced auto-abouts in EVALUATION version)
C turns off case sensitivity of buttons
P turns off prefs button (REGISTERED vX.XX version only)
example:-
1,2,Example,1024AC
means 1x2 matrix
Window drag bar contains "Example"
Maximum line length of 1024 allowed
Auto-abouts off
Case sensitivity off
Prefs button on (because of it's omission in the header)
All lines after this are used to dictate individual button properties:-
@{"X" link UseBPX},@{"Y" link UseBPY},@{"Button_Name" link UseBPName},@{"Button_Script" link UseBPCmd}
[Links above show editor text that can be applied at least in part here]
where:-
X is the button X ordinate (1=left most column, DimX=right most column)
Y is the button Y ordinate (1=top row, DimY=bottom row)
Button_Name is the text displayed in the button gadget
Button_Script is the functional part of the button (see @{"Scripts" link UseScript} for more)
(.txt)