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EnigmA Amiga Run 1996 February
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EnigmA AMIGA RUN 04 (1996)(G.R. Edizioni)(IT)[!][issue 1996-02][Skylink CD III].iso
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util1
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pip_v22.lha
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PIP.doc
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1995-11-05
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9KB
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211 lines
___________________________
| |
| P I P |
| |
| Version 2.2 |
| |
| © 1995 by Paul Shandi |
|___________________________|
--< INTRODUCTION >-------------------------------------------------------
"PIP" stands for "Picture-In-Picture", and that's exactly what this
program does. It opens a window on Workbench (or any Intuition/public
screen) and allows you to monitor any other Intuition/public screen from
within it. It does so by shrinking the target screen by 50% and drawing it
in the window. Alternatively, you can have the target remain at 100% and
simply scroll around it with the cursor keys.
Why did I write the program? Well, when I use NComm to download software,
I can keep an eye on NComm's screen while I'm doing other things, such as
playing games on Workbench. Thus, screen-flipping to keep tabs on NComm is
just a thing of the past! :)
--< STARTING THE PROGRAM >-----------------------------------------------
There are 4 files associated with the program, and they are:
PIP - The main program
PIP.info - The main program's icon
PIP.doc - This documentation
PIP.doc.info - This documentation's icon
Ideally, these should all stay in the same directory, although the more
experienced amongst you will do what you like with them! But before you
do, you MUST obey one rule: the "PIP" main program CAN'T be renamed to
something else! If you do, the program will not be able to read its icon,
unless you leave it named "PIP.info". This is because the program
specifically looks for "PIP.info" to read its ToolTypes (more on these
later).
Okay then, to start the program, all you have to do is double-click on its
icon. If you wish to start the program from a CLI, use this format:
run >nil: pip
This will allow you to close the CLI window after running the program. If
you start the program from a CLI however, you will NOT be able to use any
of the ToolType options (see below).
The last thing to note is the program ONLY runs on Workbench 2.04 or higher
Amigas, so Workbench 1.3 users will miss out. Sorry people, but you really
should upgrade as soon as you can afford it.
--< TOOLTYPES >----------------------------------------------------------
There are 5 ToolTypes for use with the program, which alter the way it
starts up. These are:
DONOTWAIT Only useful if the program is in the "WBStartup" drawer.
Tells the Amiga to start the program and leave it alone.
Well, something like that. :)
SIZE=<50|100> Tells the program whether to startup with a 50% size
reduction of the target screen, or leave it at the
original 100% size. If you enter anything other than
50 or 100, then 50 is used.
REDRAW=<c|f|m|s|n> Tells the program how often to redraw the target screen
in the window. Valid values are:
c = constant (redraw continuously)
f = fast (redraw approx every 1 second)
m = medium (redraw approx every 5 seconds)
s = slow (redraw approx every 10 seconds)
n = none (no redraw, ie. program paused)
If you enter any other value, then "f" is used.
WINDOW_X=<value> Tells the program the horizontal screen position to open
its window. If <value> is negative, the window will be
centred horizontally.
WINDOW_Y=<value> Tells the program the vertical screen position to open
its window. If <value> is negative, the window will be
centred vertically.
--< USING THE PROGRAM >--------------------------------------------------
Now that the program has started, a quick scan of all supported screens
will occur, causing a brief flicker on your monitor. Next, the program
window will open. At this point, the window will either display the
current screen (giving a feedback effect), or the first screen under the
"Screens" menu.
All the functions of the program are accessed by menus. The options are:
(1) PROJECT MENU:
(a) Scan Screens - This updates the internal list of all available
target screens, found under the "Screens" menu. There is a limit
of 10 target screens that can be selected, although this can easily
be made to more in the next release. But I doubt anyone would have
more than 10 screens open at once (prove me wrong!).
You should use this menu item whenever you open or close screens,
because otherwise the program won't know that they've changed.
(b) Jump Window - This jumps the program's window to the next available
Intuition/public screen, to allow you to continue monitoring the
target screen from another.
(c) 50% Size? - This "tick" menu item determines whether the target
screen will be shown at 50% reduction or normal 100% size. When at
50% size, the entire target screen will be shown in the window, and
no scrolling is possible. At 100% size, only a portion of the
target screen is shown (at normal size) and scrolling around it can
be done with the cursor keys.
(d) About... - This gives info on the program, such as version number.
(e) Quit - Guess! :)
(2) REDRAW MENU:
There are five menu items here, all of which determine how often the
target screen is redrawn to the window. "Constant" means continuously,
"Fast" means every 1 second, "Medium" means every 5 seconds, "Slow"
means every 10 seconds, and "None" means the program is paused.
(3) SCREENS MENU:
All available Intuition/public screens that can be monitored are listed
here. Only screens of 640 x 200/256 dimensions will be shown, because
no other sizes are supported yet. If you have a screen open which is
NOT shown, it is either because:
(a) The screen you desire may not be supported, and thus is not shown
for menu selection.
(b) The screen was opened AFTER you started the program, and thus the
program hasn't recognised this fact. Just select "Scan Screens" in
the "Project" menu, and then check the "Screens" menu to see if
it's now available for selection.
--< A NOTE ABOUT THE REDRAW >--------------------------------------------
Even though using a "Constant" or "Fast" redraw is nice, it puts a slight
burden on the Amiga's CPU, meaning that multitasking might slow down a bit.
In such cases, using "Medium" or "Slow" may be a better option, especially
if your Amiga is involved in CPU-intensive work.
--< COPYRIGHT AND DISTRIBUTION >-----------------------------------------
"PIP" is Freely Distributable. This means anyone can spread the program
where they see fit. You may upload it to BBS's, submit it to PD libraries,
give it to your friends; whatever. However, it is NOT a PD product; the
author retains all copyrights to it, as well as this documentation.
COMMERCIAL NOTE: Although this program can be freely distributed, it may
NOT be distributed as part of a commercial package under ANY circumstances!
Doing so will get you issued with a lawsuit, so don't consider it. If you
would like to have it as part of a commercial package, contact me first.
The single and ONLY exception to this commercial-related rule is when the
program is to be included in a (CD-ROM?) compilation of PD, ShareWare or
Freely Distributable software, such as the excellent Aminet CD collections.
The program MUST be distributed with the following 4 files, of which NONE
may be altered or omitted:
PIP - The main program
PIP.info - The main program's icon
PIP.doc - This documentation
PIP.doc.info - This documentation's icon
--< CONTACTING THE AUTHOR >----------------------------------------------
You can contact me (Paul Shandi) via two methods:
PO Box 1003, Dee Why, NSW, 2099, Australia
or
paul_shandi@comlink.mpx.com.au
Please do so if you have any comments, corrections, additions, etc, about
the program. If need be, I have a PGP v2.6ui public key, which can be
obtained on request.
========================< END OF DOCUMENTATION >=========================