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Art Department Pro 2.15 d1.adf
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ReadMe
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1992-06-20
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The ADPro 2.1.5 ReadMe
FRED 1.0.1
Late Breaking News And
Manual Corrections
CONTENTS: o ADPro Copyrights Are Registered
o ALPHA Loader
o LSO Caching
o Splitters And Joiners
o The PCP Has Improved
o Description Of Supplied ARexx Programs
o ZapDPI - Work-Around For Pro Page Bug
o What's On Disk 3?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADPro Copyrights Are Registered
Copyrights covering ADPro are registered with the United States Copyright
Office. This provides ASDG with additional leverage in enforcing legal
action against unauthorized duplication or distribution of ADPro.
Be aware that ASDG considers prosecution of copyright infringers part of
its obligation of providing a quality product and service to its paying
customers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALPHA Loader
Alpha channel support for files in the IFF format has been added with the
introduction of the ALPHA loader. The ALPHA loader is an IFF loader which
allows a second file to be specified (and used as an alpha channel
controlling the transparency of the image to be loaded).
Currently, the file specified as the alpha channel must be a gray scale IFF
and must have the same width and height as the image being loaded.
From ARexx, you specify the image to be loaded and its alpha channel as
followed:
LFORMAT "ALPHA"
LOAD "ImageToBeLoaded" "ImageToBeUsedAsAlpha" [C_OPTS]
The file ".ALPHA" must be present in your Loaders2 directory. (It is
placed there by the ADPro installation process.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LSO Caching
ADPro can now cache loaders, savers, and operators in a higher speed disk
(such as RAM:). To make use of this feature, create an environment
variable called ADPRODIR and set it to RAM:. Then create Loaders2,
Savers2, and Operators2 directories. Copy into these directories the
loaders, savers or operators you will use most often.
These LSOS will then load from RAM: instead of from disk resulting in
faster performance (especially during massive batch processes).
For example, you might make a CLI script such as this (or perhaps include
something like this in your user-startup:
;
; Assume I want to cache:
; o IFF and Universal loaders
; o IFF and FC24 saver
; o DCTV operator
;
SETENV ADPRODIR RAM:
MAKEDIR RAM:LOADERS2
MAKEDIR RAM:SAVERS2
MAKEDIR RAM:OPERATORS2
COPY ADPRO:LOADERS2/(IFF|UNIVERSAL) RAM:LOADERS2
COPY ADPRO:SAVERS2/(IFF|FC24) RAM:SAVERS2
COPY ADPRO:OPERATORS2/DCTV RAM:OPERATORS2
This mechanism also provides a way of splitting modules across multiple
volumes (like floppies). To make ADPro run from multiple floppies (for
example), you make a primary floppy disk with as much of ADPro as you can
fit. Include EMPTY FILES for all the modules which don't fit. If you
don't include the empty dummy files, ADPro won't know about these modules.
Put the real versions of the modules which wouldn't fit on the second
floppy in the appropriate directories and execute the appropriate SETENV
command.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Splitters And Joiners
The floppy disk remains the most effect means of transferring data from an
Amiga to another type of computer. Unless, of course, the data you wish to
transfer is too large to fit on a single floppy. In this case, you're out
of luck since there is no single program that exists which is available on
multiple platforms to split files apart on one computer (like an Amiga),
and join them together on another (like an IBM).
ASDG, in response to your needs, has written such a utility and we've even
gone to the trouble of supplying you with MAC, WINDOWS, and MS/DOS versions
in addition to an Amiga version.
The MAC version even lets you specify creator and file type!
On the ADPro 2.1 disks, you'll find .EXE files containing WINDOWS and
MS/DOS executables. You'll also find .bin and .hqx files containing System
6 and 7 compatible executables and ReadMe's for MACs (In the MAC version,
both the split and join functions are performed in a single program). And,
you'll find an Amiga version.
You may use these tools on computers which you own or work upon daily. You
can provide these tools to others (such as your service bureau) ONLY AFTER
YOU CALL OR WRITE TO US FOR PERMISSION. PLEASE HONOR THIS CONDITION.
To install the MS/DOS splitz.exe and joinz.exe, simply copy them
onto an MS/DOS floppy disk, and then from the floppy disk onto you
MS/DOS systems hard disk.
To install the WINDOWS wsplitz.exe and wjoinz.exe, simply copy them
onto an MS/DOS floppy disk, and then from the floppy disk into windows
directory on your hard disk (usually C:\windows).
1. From the Program Manager, select the program group that you
would like SPLIT and JOINZ to be in.
2. Select the "New" menu item from the program managers File menu.
3. Select "Program item",and click "OKAY". Now another window appears...
4. Enter "Splitz" for the description, then press the TAB key, and
enter "c:\windows\wsplitz.exe".
The WSPLITZ icon should now appear in the selected program group.
Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4, for WJOINZ.
To install the MAC version, use the installation program to extract the MAC
files into a temporary directory such as RAM:.
Then copy these files onto a MS-DOS formatted floppy disk. For these
procedures, we will use only the HQX files.
On your MAC, run the Apple File Exchange program BEFORE installing the
MS-DOS formatted disk into your floppy drive.
Select the HQX files in the AFE program and select a destination for them.
Hit the TRANSLATE button. After the files are physically copied, quit the
AFE program.
Bring up StuffIt. Choose ``DECODE BINHEX FILE'' from the ``OTHER'' menu
(under the BINHEX item). Then, select the HQX file to decode, and select a
place to save MAC executable. Finally, hit the SAVE button.
Exit StuffIt when done. Split & Join should now be ready to run.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The PCP Has Improved
Those of you with the PCP may not notice that the PCP has been greatly
enhanced. There are two new file formats (SUN and X WINDOWS) and the older
modules support even more variations of their respective file formats.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description Of Supplied ARexx Programs
f0.adpro
Executing this program brings up the file requester in the REXX: directory
allowing you to pick (BY NAME) another ARexx program to execute. We find
this program so useful, we bind it to your F10 function key (by calling it
F0.ADPRO).
Remember, you may have to modify this program so that it points correctly
to your RX program. See the program for more information.
getfiles_example.adpro
This program is an example of using the new GETFILES ARexx command.
GETFILES is like GETFILE in that it brings up the file requester, but
GETFILES allows the user to select multiple files at one time.
This ARexx program will ask you to select multiple files and then steps
through your selections.
last_loaded.adpro
This program makes use of the new LAST_LOADED_IMAGE command to tell you the
name of the file you last loaded.
locate-adpro.adpro
This program is an example of how you might START ADPro from ARexx if you
discovered it wasn't running at the time your own ARexx program began
executing.
make-hame.adpro
This program automates the special handling of creating 8 bit-plane HAM
images for the BBS HAM-E.
scaletoaspect.adpro
This program is in answer to those many people who wanted an automatic way
to scale to a specific pixel aspect. As long as the pixel aspect of your
image data is set correctly in the first place, this ARexx program figures
out how to scale the image to the aspect you want.
For example, suppose you scanned an image (from a 1:1 pixel aspect scanner)
and you want to scale the image for display in a hi-res interlaced screen.
Simply tell this program you want a 22 to 26 image (when it asks you) and
it handles the rest.
DPI Tools
See the next section for a description of CHECKDPI.adpro, ReDPI.adpro and
ZAPDPI.adpro.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZapDPI
Summary: ProPage 2.0 and later crashes on IFF files saved by ADPro 2.0.
This is a short term work-around (ProPage 3.0 has this problem fixed).
With ADPro 2.0.0, ASDG began using an IFF chunk called ``DPI'' to store
resolution information. This chunk is an endorsed part of the IFF standard
and was part of the IFF definition published by Commodore at the 1991
Developer's Conference.
Unfortunately, GoldDisk Incorporated, makers of Professional Page had been
using their own proprietary chunk also called DPI which they did not
register with Commodore. Since the chunks are named the same, Professional
Page will attempt to use the DPI information ADPro writes in its IFF files
and, as a result, will crash (it tries to divide by zero).
Gold Disk has been informed and recognizes their error. Future
Professional Page versions will be fixed.
In the short term, you can use ZapDPI to remove and restore our DPI chunks
from IFF files written by ADPro 2.0.
The installation program on this disk will install ZapDPI if you want it.
From ADPro (if you own ARexx) you can run ZapDPI.adpro to remove DPI
chunks. Or run ReDPI.adpro to put DPI chunks back in to IFF files saved by
ADPro 2.0. Finally, you can run CheckDPI.adpro to find out if a given file
has a DPI chunk or not.
From the CLI you can remove DPI chunks using the -dpi command line option.
To put DPI chunks back in, you use the -DPI command line option. To check
a file use the -c command line option.
From the WorkBench, ZapDPI will let you inspect each selected file and act
on each individually.
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What's On Disk 3?
If you are installing ADPro for the first time, you won't need disk 3. It
contains patches for older optional expansion products like scanner
controllers or the Pro Conversion Pack.
ADPro Serial Number: QUARTEX!