OS/2 Shareware BBS: 5 Edit/05-Edit.zip/kmmepm04.zip/kenMMepm.doc

Text File | 1996-04-12 | 11KB | 186 lines

(Note:  this file has been enhanced for EPM.  For best results, use Info-Zip to
unpack the zipfile, which will save the extended attributes, and use black type on a
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                                      kenMMepm

    Thanks for trying this EPM extension!

Overview
     kenMMepm adds the ability to quickly select the name of a multi-media file
(or Internet URL) embedded in a text file and automatically launch the appropriate
application for viewing/listening to/accessing that file.

     The file name can be selected by either of two methods:
     1.  The easiest way is to simply put the cursor anywhere within the filename
and select the "MMedia" menu item.  The EPM macro will automatically find the
beginning and end of the filename and then launch an application for viewing the
file.  (Note:  don't be alarmed when you see a locate circle appear and the cursor
jump to another line.  Be patient, and the cursor will return to its original spot
after a few seconds.)
    2. Use a character mark to highlight the name of the file, and then select the
"MMedia" menu item to automatically launch an application for displaying the file.
This is the method to use if the filename (or URL) has embedded spaces or funky
characters in it.

New in this release (kenMMepm04)
    Improvements have been made to the FTP and Gopher sections:  kenMMepm now
automatically resolves the host name and remote directories.
    It's also now easier to set up an alternate program (such as WebEx) as the FTP
client, instead of using the default FTPPM.EXE.

How it works
    kenMMepm stores the fully qualified name (including the extension) of the
selected file name in a variable called "dataname", and also stores the extension in
a variable called "DataExt".  The messageline at the bottom of EPM will keep you
informed of what kenMMepm is using as the "dataname".
    kenMMepm will first examine "dataname" to see if it's a URL and, if so, will
strip off the beginning of the URL ("gopher://", "telnet://", etc.)  when appropriate
and then launch an Internet app, passing the "dataname" to the app.
    If the "dataname" isn't an URL, kenMMepm next checks to see if "dataname"
includes the "@" symbol.  If it does, the "mailto:"  phrase is added to the beginning
of it, and WebEx is called for sending mail.
    If "dataname" isn't a URL or "mailto" item, kenMMepm will then look at "DataExt"
and, based on the extension (and the configuration you previously set), it launches
an application and passes the file name to that app for processing.  The application
can be a viewer (for images) an audio player, a spreadsheet program, etc.

Getting Started
     Requirements:  You'll need a version of EPM above 6, and most likely it'll have
to be at least 6.03a.  This is the version I used when writing & testing the code.
     Configuring kenMMepm:  This is a three-step process:  writing the names of
your applications into the kenMMepm.e file; compiling that file into a kenMMepm.ex
file; and linking kenMMepm.ex into your copy of EPM.

     Adding your applications
    If you're unfamiliar with the E macro language, there's plenty of info available
in the EPMUSERS.INF and EPMTECH.INF references.  For our purposes here, you need to
know that putting a semi-colon in the first column of a line makes that line a
comment and it's ignored.  (You can see an example of this in kenMMepm.e where I've
"commented out" a few lines that refer to the Windows apps on my system.)  Also, any
literal string you want to be passed to the application (or to OS/2) must be enclosed
in quotes.
     The only section of kenMMepm.e that you'll need to deal with is near the
beginning -- all those "elseif...then" statements.

     Internet apps
    For example, let's look at the lines that launch a Telnet session:
   elseif upcase(leftstr(dataname, 9))='TELNET://' then
      dataname=substr(dataname, 10)  -- this line strips out the URL type
      'start /F linkup.exe telnetpm.exe "'||dataname'"'
    You don't have to do anything to the first line (the "elseif" one).  This line is
what figures out what type of URL it's dealing with.  The second line is the line
that strips out the "telnet://" at the beginning of the URL, because TELNETPM.EXE
doesn't use that part.  The third line launches the application, and it's in here
that you'll need to replace the application name (if necessary) with the app you
prefer to use.  (Whenever you're using WebEx in place of the other Internet apps,
you'll need to "comment out" that line that strips out the URL type.)
    You can go through the rest of the Internet section and make the changes you want
for your setup.  You'll notice that I've used WebExplorer for newsgroups because it
allows you to designate & read a specific newsgroup, even though you aren't
subscribed to it.  I'm also using WebEx for sending mail, since it's real easy.  <G>
    For FTP sessions, you have a choice of using FTPPM.EXE (the default) or
WebExplorer.  At the beginning of kenMMepm.e is the constant FTP_APP which you can
set to a value other than 'FTPPM.EXE' if you prefer using WebExplorer (or another FTP
app).  If you do change this constant, be sure to change the appropriate lines in the
Internet section lower down.  When using the default FTPPM.EXE, you'll want to set
the constant "local_dir" to specify the directory on your machine to use for uploads
& downloads.  Of course you also need to enter your own password (name@address)
for anonymous log-ins.

     Other apps
     The next section of kenMMepm.e sets up your other apps for viewing images,
listening to sounds, etc.  Let's look at the lines that launch an image viewer:
   elseif pos(DataExt, 'GIF JPG BMP TIF') then
      'start /F e:\os2apps\showgif.exe' dataname
    The first line looks to see if the "DataExt" also appears in the character string
'GIF JPG BMP TIF'.  This saves space, since you don't have to list a separate "elseif
DataExt='GIF'", etc., line for every possible file extension, as is done later in
this section.  Just add your file extensions where appropriate (using all upper case)
and change the application in the 'start ...'  line to suit your purposes.  You can
(and probably will) need to add more lines.  Follow these examples and use the
"elseif ...  then" construct, adding your lines before the indicated end of the "user
changes" section.

     Compiling the macro
     Use the ETPM.EXE program supplied with EPM.  The syntax is
     etpm <source directory>\kenMMepm.e <target directory>\kenMMepm.ex
Use the same directory the other EPM *.ex files are in as your target directory.

     Linking the macro
     There are a few different ways to do it:
     1.  Bring up an EPM command line and enter:
          link kenMMepm.ex
This will add the "MMedia" item to the main menu bar.
                                         or
     2.  If you're using a PROFILE.ERX, and want kenMMepm loaded when you start
EPM, add the following line to PROFILE.ERX (the quotes are necessary):
          'link kenMMepm.ex'
                                         or
     3.  If you've been re-compiling the main EPM macros to add your customizations,
add the following line to your MYSTUFF.E file (the quotes are necessary):
          'link kenMMepm.ex'

    If you want to remove the macro, at an EPM command line enter:
          unlink kenMMepm.ex
That will remove the functionality of the macro and, in most cases, also remove the
"MMedia" item from the menu bar.

                         That's all there is to it!  Enjoy!
             Send any comments, criticisms or suggestions to:
                                    [e-mail]

General Hints and Tips
     FTP:  FTPPM.EXE takes 16 starting arguments, corresponding to the entry fields
in the FTPPM Settings Notebook.  kenMMepm uses only the first 11 as follows:
     Arg #1 is --->FTPPM.EXE<-----    Program name
     Arg #2 is --->{host}<-----  Hostname
     Arg #3 is --->anonymous<-----  User
     Arg #4 is --->name@address<-----  Password
     Arg #5 is --->0<-----  Account
     Arg #6 is --->0<-----  Code Page (unchecked)
     Arg #7 is --->{local_dir}<-----  Local directory
     Arg #8 is --->{rem_dir}<-----  Remote directory
     Arg #9 is --->*<-----  Local file mask
     Arg #10 is --->*<-----  Remote file mask
     Arg #11 is --->2<-----  Transfer type (ASCII=1 Binary=2)

     Gopher:  GOPHER.EXE needs the host name as a separate starting parameter.
Therefore, if you've got a long string of sub-menus, kenMMepm will automatically
split the URL after the host name with a space and the numeral "1" before passing the
argument to GOPHER.EXE.
     For example, if the original URL is:
gopher://wx.atmos.uiuc.edu/Satellite Images/North America (GOES8-9 Composite) Visible (large=784x611)
     after modification, the argument sent to GOPHER.EXE is:
wx.atmos.uiuc.edu 1/Satellite Images/North America (GOES8-9 Composite) Visible (large=784x611)
     (Of course you'll have to use the character marking method to highlight the
entire URL if it contains spaces.)

Tips for Power Users
     If you know what you're doing and want the ultimate in convenience <G>, you can
add the "MMedia" item to the mouse popup menus instead of to the main menu bar.
     First, you'll need to "comment out" several sections of code in kenMMepm.e:
           Two of the lines in the "const" section, the six lines of the "definit" section,
           and the four lines of the "defexit" section.
    Second, add the two constants (KMM_MENU_MSG and KMM_MENUP_MSG) from kenMMepm.e to
your MYCNF.E file.
     Third, add the following two lines to your MOUSE.E file:
      buildmenuitem menuname, 80, 8017, \0,                               '',          4, 0
      buildmenuitem menuname, 80, 8026, KMM_MENU_MSG, 'get_dataname'KMM_MENUP_MSG, 0, mpfrom2short(0, 0)
    Those lines go in four places (starting somewhere around line 1128 of MOUSE.E):
in the "if filename = .tree" section, in the "Build inside-mark pop-up", the "Build
outside-mark pop-up", and the "Build no-mark pop-up" sections.  The first line of
code shown above creates a separator line across the popup menu.  Depending on where
you want to place the "MMedia" menu item, if you need the separator line below the
"MMedia" item just transpose those two lines.  Double check to be sure the submenu
IDs (8017 and 8026) are unique for the popup section you're adding 'em to (you'll
definitely have to change the IDs for the "if filename = .tree" section).  Then
re-compile your main E macros.

     DISCLAIMER:  This program is supplied "as is", with no guarantee as to its
appropriateness, suitability or functionality.  Use entirely at your own risk.  Under
  no circumstances whatsoever will I be liable in any way for any damages, real or
                         imagined, from use of this program.
                              Copyright Ken Arway 1996