Belgian Amiga Club - ADF Collection/BS1 part 27.zip/BS1 part 27/Panorama3_d1.adf/ARexxMacros/README_Rexx

Text File | 1993-03-02 | 4KB | 61 lines

                          ARexx Examples

     This directory contains a few simple examples of ARexx macros
for use with Panorama.  Use them as starting points for developing
your own macros, along with the `F10.Panorama' ARexx Demo macro in the
root directory of the Panorama disk.  The files are ordinary Amiga text
files and can be modified with your favorite text editor.  But be sure
to keep the original versions in a safe place.
     Each file begins with a comment (as all ARexx programs must) which
describes what the macro does and what sort of input it requires.  Both
Microscope.rexx and RivLakePts.rexx require data input on the command
line, Microscope.rexx the i,j labels of the point at the center of the
picture and RivLakePts.rexx the number of the spring at the beginning
of the river whose path you want to find.  You must have ARexx properly
installed on your system to run any of these macros.  For instance, to
use Microscope.rexx to examine the local neighborhood of a point in the
landscape with the labels i=-20 and j=12, enter "rx Microscope -20 12"
in a CLI  or AmigaShell window.  Any output from the macro will be
displayed in this same window.
     The macros `F6.Panorama', `F7.Panorama', and `F8.Panorama' can be
run from the corresponding function keys within Panorama.  They will
transfer a 24-bit picture created with Panorama to the ToasterPaint
program so it will be displayed on NewTek's Video Toaster.  First, copy
these macros to the directory from which you are running Panorama.
Draw a picture in Panorama with `24-bit' turned on (checked) in the
Switches menu.  When the drawing is finished, make sure that `Hold
Picture' in the Project menu on the picture screen is checked, and then
`Exit' back to the Main Control window.  Have ToasterPaint running in
the background.  With the Main Control window the active window, press
<F6> to select the `dv1' buffer in the Video Toaster, or press <F7> to
select the `dv2' buffer.  You will get an error message in the Rexx-
Panorama window on the Workbench screen if ToasterPaint is not running.
Then press <F8>.  Panorama will be told to save the 24-bit picture to
your ram: disk, with the filename `pan.iff', and then, if the save is
successful, ToasterPaint will be told to load and display the picture on
the Toaster.  Starting from these examples, it is straightforward to
write a script to process all of the frames of an animation.
     Thanks to Mark Thomas and Rick Unland for sharing the Toaster
macros.
     The macros `PanToFC.rexx' and `PanToDCTV.rexx' use ASDG's Art
Department Professional program to transfer 24-bit pictures from
Panorama to the FireCracker board and to DCTV format, respectively.
Similar to the Toaster macros, ADPro must be running in the background.
Create a 24-bit picture in Panorama, be sure `Hold Picture' is in effect,
and `Exit' from the picture screen back to the Main Control screen.  Run
the appropriate macro, either with the `rx' program from a CLI window or
by copying the macro to the directory from which you are running Panorama
under the name `F9.Panorama' and pressing the <F9> function key.  The macro
directs Panorama to save the 24-bit picture to `ram:pan.iff' and then
tells ADPro to load this file and either save it to the FireCracker board
or create and display a DCTV-encoded high-res picture.  Both macros
kill the 24-bit picture in Panorama to economize on memory, and clean up
by deleting the `ram:pan.iff' file.  Both macros depend on the appropriate
ADPro modules being available and can easily be extended in functionality.
They leave the ADPro screen in front, but you can use `Left-Amiga-M' to
toggle back to Panorama's screen.
     When running ADPro with Panorama, be sure to set the MAXMEM tooltype
in the ADPro icon to limit the tendency of ADPro to gobble up all available
memory.  Otherwise, there will not be enough free memory for Panorama to
function.