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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Welcome to
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2
Select one of the following topics:
Overview
Reviews
Prerequisites
Copyright & Co.
Usage
How can I ... ?
Limitations
Revision history
Trademarks
Credits
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. Overview ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2
Welcome to the world of animated mouse pointers! This program permits you to
replace or animate the entire set of OS/2 mouse pointers with pointer resources
of several different formats, including OS/2 pointer files, Win* cursor files,
Win* Animation files, and AniMouse resource DLL files.
You can also create groups of animated pointers by collecting files or
animations for the different OS/2 mouse pointers in a single directory, called
an animation set directory, which can be used as a mouse pointer resource.
The use of animation set directories greatly simplifies the use of the
different resource types, and enables you to create your own mouse pointer
animations using only the OS/2 Icon Editor. This capability is unique to
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2.
In addition, you can create AniMouse resource DLL files from OS/2 pointer
files; this saves disk space and makes it easy to handle and distribute your
animations. These AniMouse resource DLL files, which can be created with a
utility included in the Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 package, are compatible
with the Animouse package; however, Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 provides
features not available with Animouse, and is freeware.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 replaces the Pointers page in the Mouse object
so that you can easily configure the animations by modifying the settings of
the Mouse object. The advanced Drag&Drop functionality provided by Animated
Mouse Pointer for OS/2 permits you to drag any of the supported resource files
onto the mouse pointer container or one of its items (the individual mouse
pointers) to easily change the animation for all of the mouse pointers at once,
or for one at a time.
Finally, Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 introduces some new Mouse object
settings strings so that you can change your animation settings via the REXX
API call SysSetObjectData(). Included REXX sample programs demonstrate the use
of these settings strings; one of these programs will let you load a
randomly-selected animation either at each system start, or periodically, at an
interval that you select.
And you get that all for FREE.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Reviews ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You can look at reviews for Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 on the Internet:
OS/2 e-zine
http://www.os2ezine.com/v2n2/amptr.html
Shareware Junkies
http://www.sharewarejunkies.com/wpamptr.htm
You can also visit the homepage of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 at:
http://www.online-club.de/m1/clanganke
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Prerequisites ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 runs only under OS/2 WARP Version 3 or later.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4. Copyright & Co. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Select one of the following topics:
Copyright
freeware license
About OS/2
Disclaimer
The author
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4.1. Copyright ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2
was written by Christian Langanke, 1996,1997.
All rights reserved.
You are welcome to send me your comments/suggestions via internet e-mail.
Send your e-mail to C.Langanke@TeamOS2.de
You can also visit the homepage of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 at:
http://www.online-club.de/m1/clanganke
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4.2. freeware license ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This software package is freeware. It can be used wherever you use OS/2 WARP
Version 3 or later.
You are allowed to freely use and distribute Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 as
long as
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 or its components are not sold as a part
of another program package;
no fee is charged for the program other than for cost of media;
the complete package is distributed unmodified;
you send me some e-mail telling me how you liked it (or didn't like it),
and/or your suggestions for enhancements.
I'd especially like to hear from you if you would like to help me to
enable Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 to support your language (if it is
not yet supported.)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4.3. About OS/2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This software shows how OS/2 permits you to add functionality by enhancing the
Workplace Shell (WPS), instead of developing a stand-alone program. OS/2 is
the only operating system that gives you this capability.
Although there are other programs that animate the mouse pointer, only Animated
Mouse Pointer for OS/2 is fully integrated with the WPS. It enables you to
configure the (animated) mouse pointers where they should be configured -- in
the Mouse object. And it is the Workplace Shell's status as a SOM application
running under OS/2 that makes this enhancement possible.
If you think that serious computer users don't need animated mouse pointers, I
assure you that many serious PC and OS/2 users use them already. The decision
is, perhaps, a matter of taste...
Even if you decide that you don't need animated mouse pointers, you may still
find the program useful; Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 allows you to use more
resource types for static pointers than OS/2 usually does.
Whether you use the program or not, it may help to convince you that WPS
applications are best for many things.
I made this program freeware because I want my favorite operating system, OS/2,
to become more popular; I hope people will be attracted to OS/2 by the
enhancements in this program.
Perhaps the next release of OS/2 could include animated mouse pointer support
(even though it is not necessary for network-centric computing ? <g>)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4.4. Disclaimer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Since this program is free, it is supplied with no warranty, either expressed
or implied.
I disclaim all warranties for any damages, including, but not limited to,
incidental or consequential damage caused directly or indirectly by this
software.
All software is supplied AS IS. You may use the Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2
package only at your own risk.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 must not be used in states that do not allow
the above limitation of liability.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4.5. The author ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This program is written by Christian Langanke.
Translators of NLS source files are named as co-authors in the section Credits.
You can contact the author via internet e-mail.
Send your email to C.Langanke@TeamOS2.de
You can also visit the home page of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 at:
http://www.online-club.de/m1/clanganke
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5. Usage ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Select one of the following topics:
OS/2 mouse pointer
mouse pointer animations
Supported resource types
- OS/2 pointer files
- Win* cursor files
- Win* Animation files
- AniMouse resource DLL files
animation sets
Static Pointer
Pointers page
- Animation settings/properties
Mouse object settings strings
REXX sample programs
environment variables
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
- AniMouse scriptfile format
Supplied Animations
Where to get more/new animations
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.1. OS/2 mouse pointer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
OS/2 supports nine mouse pointers:
the Arrow pointer. This pointer is used for selecting items or clicking
on icons.
the Text pointer. This pointer appears when you move the mouse pointer
over an entry field or any other window providing text-editing features.
the Wait pointer. This pointer appears when an application is busy and
cannot accept any mouse input.
four size pointers. These pointers appear when you move the mouse pointer
over the sizing border of a window.
the Move pointer. This pointer appears when you move an object; for
example, it appears when you move a picture element within a drawing
program.
the Illegal pointer. This pointer appears when you drag a WPS object over
a location where it may not be dropped.
All of these pointers can be seen on the Pointers page in the Mouse object.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 greatly extends the functionality of the
original page by replacing it with a new one which adds support for pointer
animations. All functions provided by the original Pointers page are still
available.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.2. mouse pointer animations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Mouse pointer animations consist of multiple pointer images and a timeframe
value for each image; the timeframe value indicates the period (in
milliseconds) for which the image is to be displayed.
Mouse pointers are animated by changing the current mouse pointer to the next
image of the animation after the timeframe for the current image has elapsed.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 supports several resource types; these can be
mixed together in animation set directories.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.3. Supported resource types ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The original Mouse object that comes with OS/2 supports only OS/2 pointer files
and groups of OS/2 mouse pointers, which may be loaded into the mouse pointer
container on the Pointers page.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 supports four resource types, and Drag&Drop is
supported for all of these. The mouse pointer can be animated whenever a
resource contains more than one pointer image. You can choose which of the
OS/2 mouse pointers you want to animate. The following resource types are
supported:
resource type contains
OS/2 pointer file one pointer image
Win* cursor file one cursor image
Win* Animation file an animation (n cursor images) for one mouse
pointer
AniMouse resource DLL file up to 9 animations (9*n pointer images) for up
to 9 of the OS/2 mouse pointers
animation sets
In addition, Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 supports a feature for grouping
pointers called an animation set directory. This is a directory containing
animation sets for one or more of the OS/2 mouse pointers, where each
animation set contains resources for one of the OS/2 mouse pointers.
Note:
Pointer, cursor and Win* animation files can only be dropped onto a
single item in the mouse pointer container, as those resources can only
replace one of the mouse pointers.
AniMouse resource DLL files and animation set directories can either be
dropped onto the container to replace all mouse pointers at once, or onto
a single item in the container to replace only one mouse pointer. If you
drag these resources onto the container, only those OS/2 mouse pointers
are replaced for which the resources contain pointer images. The other
mouse pointers remain unchanged.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.3.1. OS/2 pointer file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
An OS/2 pointer file is a standard OS/2 file (*.PTR) containing a pointer
image. It can be created and/or edited with OS/2's Icon Editor.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.3.2. Win* cursor file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Win* cursor file is a standard Win* file (*.CUR) containing a cursor image
(Win* pointer); it cannot be edited with a standard OS/2 program. Animated
Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can read these files and convert the cursor image to an
OS/2 pointer image in memory.
A future version of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 will include a command line
utility to convert Win* cursor files to OS/2 pointer files, so that you can
edit them with the OS/2 Icon Editor.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.3.3. Win* Animation file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Win* Animation file is a standard Win* file (*.ANI) in a special RIFF format
containing n Win* cursor files, which can be used to animate one of the OS/2
pointer files. This file also contains the timeframe values for the animation.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can read these files and convert the cursor
images to OS/2 pointer images in memory.
A future version of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 will include a command line
utility to extract Win* cursor files from Win* Animation files and convert them
to OS/2 pointer files, so that you can edit them with the OS/2 Icon Editor.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.3.4. AniMouse resource DLL file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
An AniMouse resource DLL file (*.AND) contains n OS/2 pointer files for one or
more of the OS/2 mouse pointers in the standard OS/2 resource DLL format. The
file also contains timeframe values for the animations.
AniMouse resource DLL files are used by AniMouse, another program which
animates OS/2 mouse pointers. Although the AniMouse program is not as flexible
as Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 (no Static Pointers), is not WPS integrated,
and is shareware instead of freeware, the format of the AniMouse resource DLL
file is a good alternative to having a separate file for each mouse pointer
animation (like Win* Animation files) or to keeping many OS/2 pointer files or
Win* cursor files in an animation set directory.
So that you can take advantage of this format, Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2
comes with a utility that can convert OS/2 pointer sets in an animation set
directory to an AniMouse resource DLL file.
Note:
An important difference from other resource animation file types is that
AniMouse resource DLL files cannot be easily renamed, because the
filename is included in the file itself. A renamed AniMouse resource DLL
file may still be usable, but it is more likely that it will no longer
function. If this occurs, the file will have to be regenerated with the
new name.
For more information about AniMouse and how to create your own AniMouse
resource DLL files, refer to section:
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
General credits
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.4. animation set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
An animation set is a file or group of files required to animate one of the
OS/2 mouse pointers. An animation set may contain files of all supported
resource types.
These files are kept in a directory called an animation set directory. This
directory may contain up to nine animation sets, one for each of the nine OS/2
mouse pointers.
The following types of animation sets are supported:
An OS/2 pointer set
consists of n OS/2 pointer files.
A Win cursor set
consists of n Win* cursor files.
A Win Animation set
consists of a Win* Animation file containing n cursor images.
An AniMouse Animation set
consists of an AniMouse resource DLL file, which contains up to 9*n
pointer images, but from which only the resources for one OS/2 mouse
pointer are used.
You can use a different resource type for each of the nine OS/2 mouse
pointers, but you cannot mix different resource types (for example, OS/2
pointer files and Win* cursor files) for the animation of a single pointer.
In animation set directories, files must be given specific names so that
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can associate the correct files with the
corresponding OS/2 mouse pointers.
When an animation set directory is dropped onto the mouse pointer container,
all mouse pointers for which resources are defined in the animation set
directory are replaced. When an animation set directory is dropped onto a
single pointer object in the mouse pointer container, only that mouse pointer
is replaced, and only if the animation set directory contains resources for
that pointer object.
When an animation set directory contains more than one animation resource for
the same OS/2 mouse pointer, only the first animation resource is loaded, in
the following order of priority:
AniMouse Animation set
Win Animation set
OS/2 pointer set
Win cursor set
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.4.1. OS/2 pointer set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A OS/2 pointer set consists of one or more OS/2 pointer files in an animation
set directory.
The filenames must match the following naming scheme:
mouse pointer single pointer multiple pointer
------------- -------------- ---------------------------------
arrow arrow.ptr arrow000.ptr - arrow127.ptr
text text.ptr text000.ptr - text127.ptr
wait wait.ptr wait000.ptr - wait127.ptr
size nwse sizenwse.ptr sizenwse000.ptr - sizenwse127.ptr
size we sizewe.ptr sizewe000.ptr - sizewe127.ptr
move move.ptr move000.ptr - move127.ptr
size nesw sizenesw.ptr sizenesw000.ptr - sizenesw127.ptr
size ns sizens.ptr sizens000.ptr - sizens127.ptr
illegal illegal.ptr illegal000.ptr - illegal127.ptr
This animation set directory cannot reside on a FAT partition, because the file
names do not comply with the FAT system's 8.3 notation. It is possible to use
OS/2 pointer sets on systems with FAT partitions by converting the pointer set
to an AniMouse resource DLL file with a self-written AniMouse scriptfile. You
can use this script to give the pointer files the required names. Refer to
Create AniMouse resource DLL files.
Pointer files that are to be used in an animation set must contain a three
digit number in the range 000 to 191 in the file name; this creates an array
of up to 192 pointer images for use in an animation.
If only one pointer file is present for a mouse pointer, that mouse pointer
cannot be animated.
If an OS/2 pointer set also includes an appropriately named file without a
number, this file will be used as the Static Pointer.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.4.2. Win cursor set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Win cursor set consists of one or more Win* cursor files in an animation set
directory.
The filenames must match the following naming scheme:
mouse pointer single cursor multiple cursor
------------- ------------- ---------------------------------
arrow arrow.cur arrow000.cur - arrow127.cur
text text.cur text000.cur - text127.cur
wait wait.cur wait000.cur - wait127.cur
size nwse sizenwse.cur sizenwse000.cur - sizenwse127.cur
size we sizewe.cur sizewe000.cur - sizewe127.cur
move move.cur move000.cur - move127.cur
size nesw sizenesw.cur sizenesw000.cur - sizenesw127.cur
size ns sizens.cur sizens000.cur - sizens127.cur
illegal illegal.cur illegal000.cur - illegal127.cur
The animation set directory cannot reside on a FAT partition, because the file
names do not comply with the FAT system's 8.3 notation.
Cursor files that are to be used in an animation set must contain a three digit
number in the range 000 to 191 in the file name; this creates an array of up to
192 pointer images for use in an animation.
If only one cursor file is present for a mouse pointer, that mouse pointer
cannot be animated.
If a Win cursor set also includes an appropriately-named file without a number,
this file will be used as the Static Pointer.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.4.3. Win Animation set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Win Animation set consists of a Win* Animation file in an animation set
directory.
The filename must match the following naming scheme:
mouse pointer Win *animation
------------- --------------
arrow arrow.ani
text text.ani
wait wait.ani
size nwse sizenwse.ani
size we sizewe.ani
move move.ani
size nesw sizenesw.ani
size ns sizens.ani
illegal illegal.ani
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.4.4. AniMouse Animation set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A AniMouse Animation set consists of an AniMouse resource DLL file residing in
an animation set directory.
The filename must match the following naming scheme:
mouse pointer AniMouse animation
------------- ------------------
arrow arrow.and
text text.and
wait wait.and
size nwse sizenwse.and
size we sizewe.and
move move.and
size nesw sizenesw.and
size ns sizens.and
illegal illegal.and
Note:
An important difference from the other resource animation files is that
AniMouse resource DLL files cannot be easily renamed, because the
filename is included in the file itself. It is possible that a renamed
AniMouse resource DLL file will still be usable, but it is more likely
that the file will cease to function. If this occurs, the file will have
to be regenerated with the new name.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.5. Static Pointer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If you load an animation resource for a given OS/2 mouse pointer and deactivate
the animation, the first mouse pointer image is normally used for the
non-animated mouse pointer (the Static Pointer.)
However, the first mouse pointer image of the animation is sometimes unsuitable
for use as a static pointer. Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 therefore supports
an additional Static Pointer for AniMouse DLLs and for those animation sets
that can be modified by the user (OS/2 pointer sets and Win cursor sets.)
You can make use of static pointers by using one of the following methods:
If you add a single file without a number to an animation set directory
containing the usual numbered cursor or pointer files (e.g., you add a
file named arrow.ptr to a directory containing files arrow000.ptr -
arrow004.ptr), the pointer image of the unnumbered file will be loaded as
the Static Pointer.
AniMouse resource DLL files do not normally contain static pointers, but
if you create an AniMouse resource DLL file with the makeand utility
supplied with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 you can build in a Static
Pointer.
AniMouse resource DLL files containing a Static Pointer will still work
with the AniMouse package, although AniMouse will not make use of the
Static Pointers.
Refer also to section
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.6. Pointers page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Pointers page of the Mouse object is greatly enhanced by Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2.
Both the mouse pointer container and its items now have context menus which
allow you to perform find and load functions and modify Animation
settings/properties.
The enhanced mouse pointer container also supports Drag&Drop for all supported
resource types.
Refer also to section
How can I load an animation resource ?
How can I (de-)activate an animation ?
How can I (de-)activate the demo function ?
How can I change animation settings ?
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.6.1. Animation settings/properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This dialog, which is reached by selecting View->Properties from the context
menu of the mouse pointer container, lets you view and/or change the
settings/properties for the animation. These settings/properties are used for
all animation resources that you load; they are not changed by loading a new
animation resource.
The following settings/properties are available:
Default Frame Length Value
Whenever an animation resource does not contain timeframe values, the Default
Frame Length Value is used. This value determines the period in milliseconds
for which a frame of an animation is visible before the mouse pointer switches
to the next image. The lower this value is, the faster the animation will run.
This Default Frame Length Value is used automatically for animation sets
containing OS/2 pointer files and Win* cursor files, because pointer and cursor
files do not contain timeframe values. Win* Animation files and AniMouse
resource DLL files already contain timeframe values for each frame included.
These values can be overridden (see below.)
Note:
If the mouse pointer container is displayed in Details view (by selecting
View->Details from the context menu), the timeframe values appear in
round brackets. These values may be overridden or defined with the
Default Frame Length Value.
If you are using OS/2 pointer sets and want to vary the timeframe values
in your animation, you will need to convert the OS/2 pointer files to an
AniMouse resource DLL file.
Refer to section
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
Use for all pointers
Check this box when you want to use the Default Frame Length Value for all
pointer animation frames and to override the timeframe values provided with
Win* Animation files and AniMouse resource DLL files.
Otherwise, the timeframe values provided by these animation resource files are
used.
The default is to use the Default Frame Length Value only for animations
without defined timeframe values.
Activate animation on Load
Check this box when you want to automatically activate animation for a newly
loaded animation set.
If this box is not checked, newly-loaded animation sets are not activated.
The default is that new animation sets are automatically activated.
Animation File Path
You may enter a fully qualified path for the location of animation resources.
These files are not required to be on the OS/2 partition.
The default Animation File Path is ?:\OS2\POINTERS
Note:
A ? sign, instead of a drive letter, indicates the OS/2 boot drive.
Refer also to section
How can I change animation settings ?
Animation initialization Delay
This setting determines the period, in seconds, that Animated Mouse Pointer
for OS/2 will delay its initialization on startup of the Workplace Shell.
This setting is intended for situations where Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2
causes a hang on boot-up.
Refer also to section
How can I delay the initialization of the animation ?
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.6.2. Load Animation Set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This window contains the actual objects found. You can work with these objects
as you normally would.
Note: If you delete an object in this window, you will be deleting the
original object from your system.
Select OK to load the selected animation resource.
Select Cancel to exit the dialog without loading an animation set.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.7. Mouse object settings strings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section lists the setup strings available for configuration of Animated
Mouse Pointer for OS/2 using the Mouse object. Sample REXX programs used to
change these settings are listed at the end of this section.
The subdirectory rexx in the Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 installation
directory contains REXX sample batch files which make use of some of these
setup strings.
setup strings
DEMO=aaa;
This setting activates or deactivates the demo feature. If activated, all
mouse pointers for the loaded animation set will be animated in the mouse
pointer container using the Default Frame Length Value.
aaa can be ON or OFF.
The default is to leave the setting unchanged.
ANIMATION=aaa;
This setting activates or deactivates animation for all of the mouse
pointers at the same time.
aaa can be ON or OFF.
The default is to leave the setting unchanged.
ANIMATIONPATH=<path>;
This setting sets the Animation File Path, where Animated Mouse Pointer
for OS/2 searches for animation resources.
<path> is a fully qualified path, where ?: is used as a placeholder
for the boot drive. If the specified path does not exist, the setting
remains unchanged.
The default is to leave the setting unchanged.
POINTER=n,res,aaa;
This setting loads a resource for one or all of the mouse pointers, and
activates or deactivates the loaded resource.
n can be a number from 0 to 8 or ALL.
The default is ALL.
n applies as follows
0 arrow
1 text
2 wait
3 size nwse
4 size we
5 move
6 size nesw
7 size ns
8 illegal
res can be
empty; the mouse pointer animation resource remains unchanged
(default)
DEFAULT, to reset to the system default mouse pointers
the fully qualified filename of the resource (?: means
bootdrive)
a filename relative to the Animation File Path
aaa can be ON or OFF to enable/disable animation. The default is ON.
Note:
"POINTERS=,,OFF;" is equivalent to "ANIMATION=OFF;"
FRAMELENGTH=nnn,aaa;
This setting defines the Default Frame Length Value either for only those
mouse pointers which are not associated with a timeframe value, or for all
mouse pointers, so that timeframe values contained in animation resources
are overridden.
n can be a number from 100 to 2000, which defines the default
timeframe value in msecs.
The default is to leave the current value unchanged.
aaa can be
ALL
The default timeframe value is used for all animations.
Timeframe values for pointer images that are defined
through the pointer resource are overridden.
UNDEFINED
The default timeframe value is used only for those
animations
for which no timeframe value is defined in the
resource. This
is the default value for this parameter.
ACTIVATEONLOAD=aaa;
This setting defines whether or not an animation is activated immediately
upon loading.
aaa can be YES or NO.
The default is to leave the setting unchanged.
ANIMATIONINITDELAY=n;
This setting defines the number of seconds that Animated Mouse Pointer for
OS/2 waits before it starts the animation, on startup of the Workplace
Shell.
n is the time period in seconds.
The default is to leave the setting unchanged.
REXX setup Examples:
Note:
Make sure you load the REXXUTIL extension included in OS/2 before you
execute SysSetObjectData(). To ensure that this is done, include the
following commands in your REXX script:
CALL RxFuncAdd 'SysLoadFuncs', 'RexxUtil', 'SysLoadFuncs';
CALL SysLoadFuncs;
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","ANIMATION=OFF;DEMO=OFF;");
disables animation and demo.
This is equivalent to unchecking these items in the mouse pointer
container's context menu.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","POINTER=,BIGARROW;");
loads the animation set directory "bigarrow", which resides in the
Animation File Path.
This is equivalent to dragging the icon of the "bigarrow" directory onto
the mouse pointer container.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","POINTER=ALL,?:\OS2\POINTERS\BIGARROW,ON;");
same as above, but the default ALL and ON are specified (although not
needed.)
This is equivalent to dragging the icon of the "bigarrow" directory onto
the mouse pointer container.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","POINTER=0,WINWAG.AND,OFF;");
loads the Animouse Resource DLL WINWAG for the arrow pointer, and disables
animation.
This is equivalent to dragging the file WINWAG.AND in the Animation File
Path onto the arrow pointer element in the mouse pointer container and
then unchecking the menu item Animate in the context menu of the arrow
pointer element in the mouse pointer container.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","POINTER=,WINWAG.AND;POINTER=,MAGGIE;");
loads the Animouse WINWAG and then the animation set directory MAGGIE for
all mouse pointers.
As the animation set directory MAGGIE only contains pointer images for the
wait pointer, only the wait mouse pointer animation is replaced by MAGGIE,
and all other pointer animations are replaced by WINWAG.
This is equivalent to dragging first the file WINWAG.AND, then the icon of
the MAGGIE animation set directory, onto the mouse pointer container.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","FRAMELENGTH=250,ALL;");
sets the default timeframe value to 250 msecs and uses it for all mouse
pointers, even if some of the loaded pointers have timeframe values
defined.
This is equivalent to opening the settings dialog in the context menu of
the mouse pointer container, setting the Default Frame Length Value value
to 250 msecs, and then checking Use for all pointers.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","FRAMELENGTH=,UNDEFINED;");
leaves the Default Frame Length Value unchanged, but uses it only for
those animations without a timeframe value defined in the resource.
This is equivalent to opening the settings dialog in the context menu of
the mouse pointer container and unchecking Use for all pointers.
rc = SysSetObjectData("<WP_MOUSE>","ACTIVATEONLOAD=NO;");
disables the automatic activation of animation when an animation resource
is loaded.
This is equivalent to opening the settings dialog in the context menu of
the mouse pointer container and unchecking Activate animation on Load.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.8. REXX sample programs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 includes the following REXX sample programs in
the subdirectory rexx, to permit you to configure the program easily from the
commandline:
load.cmd loads an animation resource.
on.cmd starts the animation.
Note: Before you can start the animation, an animation
resource has to be loaded.
off.cmd stops the animation.
frate.cmd sets the Default Frame Length Value.
Refer also to
Animation settings/properties
random.cmd randomly loads one of the animations which are listed in the
file random.lst. This can be done once per run of the script,
or repeatedly, at a specified interval.
Note:
Use of the parameter /? will display a brief help text in all sample
programs.
the help text and program output is available only in english.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.9. environment variables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can be controlled by the following environment
variable(s).:
Note: These environment variables must be set in CONFIG.SYS to permit the
Workplace Shell (and Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2) to use them.
SET WPAMPTR.ANIMINITDELAY=n
where n is the amount of time in seconds that Animated Mouse Pointer for
OS/2 will wait on startup of the Workplace Shell before it starts the
animation.
This is intended as a workaround for machines on which the use of
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 leads to system hangs during the startup
of the Workplace Shell.
While you can also use the animation setting Animation initialization
Delay within the Animation settings/properties dialog to specify the
amount of delay time, this environment variable may be used when you
experience a WPS hang on bootup; you can solve the problem by booting to
the command line and adding the environment variable to CONFIG.SYS.
Refer also to section
How can I delay the initialization of the animation ?
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.10. Create AniMouse resource DLL files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 comes with a command line utility that lets you
create your own AniMouse resource DLL files from OS/2 pointer files contained
in an animation set directory.
AniMouse resource DLL files have some advantages over the other supported
resource types:
The biggest advantage of AniMouse resource DLL files over OS/2 pointer
files and Win* cursor files is that they contain timeframe values for
each frame of the animation(s).
Refer also to section
Animation settings/properties
AniMouse resource DLL files may contain animations for all nine OS/2
mouse pointers. This makes loading of animations a little bit faster, and
distribution of animations much easier. However, these advantages are not
particularly significant, and none of the resource types are better for
animation, or less costly in terms of system resources, than other types.
To create AniMouse resource DLL files, you may use the program makeand.cmd. It
is located in the subdirectory and in the directory where Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2 is installed. This utility lets you create AniMouse resource
DLL files that include Static Pointers, a feature introduced by Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2 and not provided by any other program.
Note:
If you want to move or copy makeand.cmd to another location, be sure to
copy all the files from the directory and to the same location.
Otherwise, makeand.cmd will fail.
The current version of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 only supports
conversion of OS/2 pointer sets to AniMouse resource DLL files, but a future
version will also be able to convert Win* cursor files and Win* Animation
files.
What you need:
Yes, you need Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 installed, but that's
already done ...
the OS/2 resource compiler RC.EXE. This program is part of OS/2. If it is
not already installed on your system, install it via Selective Install in
the folder System Setup. Select Link Object Modules within the section
Optional System Utilities to install the resource compiler.
an animation set directory containing OS/2 pointer sets for one or more
of the nine OS/2 mouse pointers. Note that the files in this directory
must comply to the naming scheme for OS/2 pointer sets.
Note:
- The name of the animation set directory will be used as the filename
of the AniMouse resource DLL file. Since the DLLs must comply with
8.3 notation, only the first 8 characters of a directory name
without an extension are used for the name, and .AND is used for the
extension.
- The name of the directory may be longer than 8 characters on HPFS
drives, but must not contain spaces, due to a limitation in the
resource compiler.
What you do:
If you don't already have one, create an animation set directory on your
hard disk. It is good practice to create it in the Animation File Path so
that you can easily reload the set after you add or modify OS/2 pointer
files. This allows you to test the set before you convert it. Make sure
that the names of the files in this directory comply with the naming
scheme for OS/2 pointer sets.
Now execute the command
c:\path1\and\makeand d:\path2 [/TIMEFRAME:nnn]
where
- c:\path1 is the directory where you have installed Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2
- d:\path2 is the animation set directory.
- Optionally, you can specify a timeframe value in the range of 100
ms. to 2000 ms. with the parameter /TIMEFRAME. Otherwise, the
default timeframe value of 150 milliseconds is used.
The command above lets makeand examine the specified animation set
directory and create a scriptfile with the extension .ANM. The scriptfile
so far is of the same format as the AniMouse script file (*.ANM) that
AniMouse uses to create AniMouse resource DLL files.
You may want to disable the animation from time to time. In some cases,
the first pointer image of the animation (which is normally used for the
static, non-animated pointer) is not suitable for use as a pointer, and
should be changed so that it looks better when the mouse pointer is not
animated. If this is not the case, skip to the next topic. Otherwise,
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can help you out of this dilemma: just
use an additional Static Pointer in your Animations. Simply add the
desired pointer file to the animation set directory, give it the correct
(unnumbered) filename, and rerun the command listed above.
If you add a Static Pointer to your AniMouse resource DLL file, the new
scriptfile will no longer be compatible with the AniMouse Animation
generator program, because AniMouse does not use a Static Pointer. This
is not a serious problem, however: you still can use both the textfile
and the AniMouse resource DLL file with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2.
AniMouse, on the other hand, can still make use of the AniMouse resource
DLL file, although it is not capable of using the Static Pointer. Only
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 brings you the full set of pointer
features.
If you want to assign individual timeframes to some or all of the frames
included in the animations, you can edit the scriptfile created by
makeand and enter the desired timeframe values by hand. The AniMouse
scriptfile format should be self-explanatory, and easy to understand.
When the scriptfile is ready, execute makeand again, but specify the
scriptfile as the only parameter:
c:\path\and\makeand name.anm
where
- c:\path is the directory where you have installed Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2
- name.anm is the name of the scriptfile which makeand created during
the first step.
Congratulations ! You have created your own AniMouse resource DLL file, which
is ready to use with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 (or with AniMouse).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.10.1. AniMouse scriptfile format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
An Animouse scriptfile is a simple ASCII text file that contains animation
description sections for one or more of the nine OS/2 mouse pointers. These
sections contain the names of OS/2 pointer files to be used for animation, and
the timeframe values for each pointer image.
If you have already a OS/2 pointer set ready (you can use the bigarrow
animation set that comes with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2), Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2 can generate the Animouse scriptfile for you.
To make the structure of the scriptfile easier to understand, here are the
formatting rules:
the first line must consist of the string "Animation_Script" (case
sensitive.)
the animation description sections begin with a special keyword statement
for each of the OS/2 mouse pointers and end with the END: statement.
mouse pointer begin statement
------------- ---------------
arrow ARROW:
text TEXT:
wait WAIT:
size nwse NWSE:
size we WE:
move MOVE:
size nesw NESW:
size ns NS:
illegal ILLEGAL:
the pointer files for the animation and the timeframe values in
milliseconds must be listed in the animation description sections. Here
is an example of the bigarrow animation set for the arrow pointer:
ARROW:
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW000.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW001.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW002.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW003.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW004.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW005.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW006.PTR 150
d:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW007.PTR 150
END:
Note:
- If filenames with relative pathnames are used when specifying
pointer files, AniMouse searches the path relative to the directory
where AniMouse has been installed. To use full relative pathnames
with AniMouse, you have to place a .\ before the pathname.
With Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2, pathnames are always relative
to the current directory.
- With Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2, ?: may be used to indicate the
OS/2 boot drive, so ?:\os2\pointers\bigarrow\ARROW000.PTR would be a
valid path specification for any partition that OS/2 boots from.
This path specification is not valid with AniMouse.
- If you want to retain downward compatibility with Animouse,
timeframe values may range from 0 to 1000 msecs.
With Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2, timeframe values may range
from 100 to 2000 msecs.
- If you want to retain downward compatibility with Animouse, an
animation description section should contain 50 or fewer pointers.
With Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2, sections may contain up to 192
pointers.
- If you want to retain downward compatibility with Animouse, the
scriptfile should not contain Static Pointers.
With Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2, each animation description
section may also include a Static Pointer. Just add the pointer to
be used as a static pointer as the first pointer in the section and
omit this pointer's timeframe value.
Comment lines begin with a ";".
Note:
- If you want to retain downward compatibility with Animouse, comments
may not be placed within an animation description section.
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 accepts comments anywhere in the
scriptfile, including at the end of any line except the first line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.11. Supplied Animations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 comes with several animations, which are
included both as OS/2 pointer sets and as AniMouse resource DLL files.
For more information refer to
Suppliers of animations
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5.12. Where to get more/new animations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You can get new pointer files and animations from the internet and/or
electronic mailboxes. Remember that there are several different supported
resource files that you can use.
Many OS/2 pointer files are found in OS/2-related mailboxes. These files
cannot be used for animation without alteration, because at least two pointer
images per mouse pointer are necessary for an animation; but with a little
inspiration, some time, and the OS/2 Icon Editor at hand, it is easy to create
simple animations.
You can find many Win* cursor files and Win* Animation files on the following
WWW pages:
Dierk's List of Animated Cursors
http://www.anicursor.com/moreani.html
CursorLand
http://www.hsv.tis.net/~slmartin/CursorLand.htm
Collect the ones you like and put them together in an animation set directory
to use with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2.
Of course, the first source for Win* animation files is a Win* system
supporting animated mouse pointers (NT and 95). You can use any Win* cursor
files and Win* Animation files with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2. Try out
the peeling banana or the little cute dinosaurs!
But be careful that Billy-boy doesn't catch you using these files if you don't
own a copy of Win* (ahem, I mean, if you did not buy a PC with Win*....)
Last, but not least, AniMouse resource DLL files, or better yet, the sources
for them, can be found at the
AniMouse homepage
http://www.sentience.com.au/animouse/animouse.html
Download the zip files and use the makeand utility to build the AniMouse
resource DLL files.
Refer to section
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6. How can I ... ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Select one of the following topics:
How can I load an animation resource ?
How can I (de-)activate an animation ?
How can I (de-)activate the demo function ?
How can I change animation settings ?
How can I delay the initialization of the animation ?
How can I use REXX to configure Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 ?
How can I create an AniMouse resource DLL ?
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.1. How can I load an animation resource ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To load an animation set or a single mouse pointer, and activate pointer
animations, you may use any of the following methods:
Drag&Drop the resource onto the mouse pointers container
This is the easiest way to configure the mouse pointers: Open the Mouse object
and select the Pointers page. Now open the Animation File Path folder and drag
OS/2 pointer files, Win* cursor files and Win* Animation files to one of
the mouse pointers in the container to replace this particular mouse
pointer (such files contain resources only for one mouse pointer);
AniMouse resource DLL files and animation set onto either the mouse
pointer container (to replace all mouse pointers for which resources are
defined in the set) or onto a single item in the mouse pointer container
(to replace a single mouse pointer.)
Replace one mouse pointer with the Find function
Open the Mouse object and select the Pointers page. Press the Find pushbutton
or select the menu item Find... in the mouse pointer containers context menu.
In the resulting dialog box, select the desired animation set and press OK.
Replace multiple mouse pointers with the Load Set function
Open the Mouse object and select the Pointers page. Press the Load Set
pushbutton or select the menu item Load Set... in the mouse pointer containers
context menu. In the resulting dialog box, select the desired animation set
and press OK.
Replace mouse pointers via REXX
You can use the new Mouse object settings strings introduced by Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2 to adjust any of the settings using REXX.
Refer to section
Mouse object settings strings
REXX sample programs
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.2. How can I (de-)activate an animation ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To activate or deactivate an animation, open the Mouse object, select the
Pointers page, and bring up the context menu either of the mouse pointer
container (to activate/deactivate the animation for all mouse pointers) or of a
specific container element (to activate/deactivate the animation for that mouse
pointer.)
Within that context menu, simply check or uncheck the menu item Animate to
activate or deactivate the animation.
Note:
A mouse pointer can be animated only if an animation resource with more
than one pointer image has been loaded. Otherwise,
- the mouse pointer cannot be animated and
- the menu item Animate of the mouse pointer's context menu is
disabled.
If none of the mouse pointers can be animated, the menu item Animate in
the context menu of the mouse pointer container is also disabled.
The menu item Animate in the context menu of the mouse pointer container
is checked as long as one of the mouse pointers is animated. If you check
this item, animation is activated for all mouse pointers which can be
animated.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.3. How can I (de-)activate the demo function ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To demonstrate animation of the mouse pointers, open the Mouse object, select
the Pointers page and bring up the context menu of the mouse pointer container.
Within that context menu, simply check or uncheck the menu item Demo.
Note:
If none of the mouse pointers can be animated, the menu item Demo in the
mouse pointer containers context menu is disabled.
If the mouse pointer container is displayed in Details view, the demo
function is deactivated and cannot be activated.
For animation of the mouse pointers in the mouse pointer container, only
the Default Frame Length Value will be used.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.4. How can I change animation settings ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To change the animation settings/properties, open the Mouse object, select the
Pointers page and bring up the context menu of the mouse pointer container.
Within that context menu, select the menu item Settings/Properties.
In the resulting dialog, change the Animation settings/properties as desired
and press OK.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.5. How can I delay the initialization of the animation ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
It is possible to delay the initialization of animation in order to prevent
system hangs on the startup processing of the Workplace Shell. In order to do
this, you can either:
set the environment variable WPAMPTR.ANIMINITDELAY in the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS
file.
adjust the setting Animation initialization Delay within the Animation
settings/properties dialog.
In both cases, you specify the amount of time in seconds that Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2 should wait before loading and starting the animation. It is
recommended that you use a high value at first (e.g. 120, for a delay of two
minutes.) Restart your system and watch to see how long it takes for the
animation to start after the completion of the startup process. Then you can
decrease the delay value to the point where the animation will start right
after WPS initialization is complete.
Note:
The value defined with the environment variable is always used as a
default value for the animation setting Animation initialization Delay.
If you set a different value in the Animation settings/properties dialog
from that specified in the environment variable, the value of the
animation dialog setting will be used.
To explicitly reset the animation setting so that the value of the
environment variable is used, set the value of the animation setting
first to the default value, and then to the value of the environment
variable.
When the mouse object is awaiting the initialization of animation, all
controls on the Pointers page are disabled. This is done to prevent the
user from modifying settings that would be overwritten by the values in
the initialization code.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.6. How can I use REXX to configure Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You can use REXX to send simple configuration commands to the Mouse object and
configure all of the settings available for Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2.
For more information on how to use REXX, refer to
OS/2 REXX Online Help.
For more information about the settings strings, refer to
Mouse object settings strings
REXX sample programs
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6.7. How can I create an AniMouse resource DLL ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use the utility makeand provided by Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 to create
your own AniMouse resource DLL files.
Refer to section
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7. Limitations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The current version of Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 has the following
limitations:
when the Pointers page of the Mouse object is displayed and both the
animation and the demo feature are active at the same time, the animation
of the mouse pointer is not as smooth as it normally is. When you disable
the Demo feature or close the mouse object, the animation will return to
normal operation.
due to the way OS/2 Presentation Manager creates the Illegal pointer,
this pointer cannot be animated. The problem is that PM does not use the
original image of the Illegal pointer as you create it in the Icon
Editor. Instead, at the start of a drag operation, it overlays the icon
image of the moved object with the original pointer image of the Illegal
pointer and uses the resulting image for displaying the Illegal pointer.
As Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can only alter the original Illegal
pointer image and not the modified copy, the illegal pointer image cannot
be changed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8. Revision history ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Select one of the following topics:
file_id.diz
Version 1.01
Version 1.00
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8.1. file_id.diz ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
(v1.01) WPAMPTR - V1.01 - FREEWARE
This program provides "Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2." Use the animations that
come with the program or easily create your
own animations. All you need for that is the
OS/2 built-in Icon Editor and a good idea.
Win* cursors, Win* and AniMouse animation
files supported. WPS integrated SOM class.
German and Englisch NLS. More NLS planned.
Author: C.Langanke@TeamOS2.de
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8.2. Version 1.01 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
New pages within the online help:
Reviews
REXX sample programs
environment variables
How can I delay the initialization of the animation ?
modified pages within the online help:
Copyright
The author
OS/2 pointer set
Win cursor set
Animation settings/properties
Mouse object settings strings
Create AniMouse resource DLL files
AniMouse scriptfile format
Where to get more/new animations
How can I load an animation resource ?
file_id.diz
General credits
Suppliers of animations
Fixed errors:
PR0100004 - Some CUR/ANI files do not load
Added support for a new cursor type.
PR0100005 - ANI files with more than 128 frames do not load
Raised the limit to 192 pointers per set.
PR0100006 - INSTALL.CMD: syntax errors under OO REXX
Fixed typos that were not found by the classic REXX interpreter, but were
reported as syntax errors under OO REXX. Deleted an (unneeded) seek
command, which also caused a syntax error under OO REXX.
PR0100007 - INSTALL fails when OS/2 language version not supported
Fixed an error that prevented the install program from installing the
english version on systems for which the language is not supported.
PR0100008 - anim status for single pointers not saved during reboot
The ANIMATION setting overwrote the animation status saved within the
single POINTER settings. This setting is no longer saved.
PR0100010 - RC.EXE not default installed on OS/2
The online help now mentions how to install the OS/2 resource compiler,
if that has not yet been done.
PR0100015 - install fails from files unzipped in root dir
Fixed an error within filename handling that prevented installation when
the zip file was unzipped to a root directory.
PR0100016 - Mouse object in WARP Center does not open
Fixed an error within the wpSetup method. WARP Center now can open the
enhanced mouse object.
PR0100017 - wrong message in error dialog box
Fixed message texts.
PR0100021 - ScreenSaver traps with active AMPTR after changing some
ScreenSaver modules
Seems to be fixed with the new program version using only two PM timers.
PR0100022 - INSTALL.CMD: does not allow blanks in pathnames
Enclosed Path variables with double quotes for system commands. All
target pathnames for the installation can now include blanks.
New:
The animation is now suspended during a Drag&Drop operation.
Tested all REXX batches under OO REXX this time (I forgot this test for
Version 1.00).
Added description of REXX sample programs to the online help. Added also
the REXX program rexx\random.cmd, which lets you load a randomly selected
animation; you can use it to change the animation at each system startup
or periodically, after a given interval.
both the installation and uninstallation programs now offer a WPS reset
option to complete the installation or uninstallation process. This
greatly shortens these processes, because the program can be used or
completely uninstalled without restarting the whole system. This can also
be used in batch mode by specifying the parameter /RESETWPS.
as this is the first update version of the program, the installation
program was enhanced by mechanisms to handle locked files on
installation. You can install this version over the old one and replace
the locked files at the next system reboot. In order to handle this, a
call to a copy routine is added to the file CONFIG.SYS, which replaces
all files on the next reboot and then removes itself from CONFIG.SYS.
Alternatively, to avoid rebooting the system, you can uninstall the old
version with the reset WPS option (use the new version's REMOVE.CMD to
uninstall!) and install the new version with the WPS reset option.
You now can call the installation program at any time to (re-)install the
animation resources supplied with Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2.
on the Pointers page the Find function now brings up the same dialog as
the Load Set function, so that you now can load all animation resources
the same easy way.
In version 1.00, Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 used up to nine PM
timers for controlling the animations of the mouse pointers. From this
version on, the program uses a different timing mechanism that needs only
two PM timers. As OS/2 WARP supports only 40 timers system-wide, this
might be important on machines that use many timers at the same time.
the initialization of the animation is now done in a separate thread. In
order to work around system hangs during the startup of the Workplace
Shell which occurred on some machines using Animated Mouse Pointer for
OS/2, you now can block this thread for a user-specified period of time
in order to delay the animation initialization.
This initialization delay can be specified either via an environment
variable or via the Animation initialization Delay setting within the
Animation settings/properties dialog.
Refer also to section
How can I delay the initialization of the animation ?
changed the font of the Animation settings/properties dialog to Helv.8.
If possible, the dialog now comes up with the mouse pointer over the
system menu button of the dialog, so that you easily can close the dialog
at once with a double click. This is useful when you only want to have a
quick look at the settings and then close the dialog again using the
mouse. Of course, pressing Esc still closes the dialog, too.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8.3. Version 1.00 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
First public release
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.9. Trademarks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following trademarks are used in this online help file:
OS/2 is a trademark of IBM Corporation.
Animouse and Sentience Software are trademarks of Sentience Software.
Win* is a placeholder for every flavour of Microsoft Windows,
where Microsoft Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10. Credits ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Select one of the following topics:
General credits
Translators
Suppliers of animations
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10.1. General credits ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
I would like to thank several people, and groups of people, who helped me to
develop this program.
A special "Thank you" goes to
Markus Schiegel, who has done a lot of tests to find the reason for the
problem with Object Desktop. As the WPS hang only occurs on some
machines, and is impossible to recreate on other machines, I could not
have tested the workaround on my own.
Michael Massoth, who helped me to find a bug in a prototype of Animated
Mouse Pointer for OS/2, because of which I actually ceased to work on the
project. After finding the bug, I decided to go on developing. Otherwise
...
Karsten Ensinger, who showed me how easily the docs for the RIFF file
format can be found on the MS homepage, if the correct search pattern is
entered (yes, it is RIFF, and not SDK or TOOLKIT or MOUSE or POINTER or
anything else.)
Sentience Software, for developing AniMouse and especially for inventing
the AniMouse resource DLL file format. While this resource file format
could be enhanced by supporting Static Pointers (as Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2, does) and avoiding pointer image duplicates (as Win*
Animation files do), Sentience has set a standard for a mouse pointer
animation file format. And as Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 can easily
work around the format's limitations, the limitations are not very
important.
I only wonder who would pay $19.95 for AniMouse, when Animated Mouse
Pointer for OS/2 is available for free ? Sorry guys, such a little thing
is not worth $19.95.
Microsoft (yes!), for inventing animated mouse pointers in Win* NT. I
remember a lot of people laughed at the peeling banana, those tiny
dinosaurs, etc. (yes, these can also be used by Animated Mouse Pointer
for OS/2 !) Without this source of inspiration, perhaps nobody would have
thought of doing such a thing for OS/2.
last, but not least: IBM, for having created the marvelous operating
system called OS/2, with such a great feature as the WPS. There are still
deficits in the API of and in the docs for the WPS, but without the WPS,
such a highly system-integrated application would not be possible. Win*
programmers can only dream of such opportunities -- WPS and SOM and
OpenDoc and more. But I'm sure they have enough to do, with about 4 or 5
sets of Win APIs...
And: hey, wake up guys at IBM, a lot more people want OS/2 than you
think. Some parts of IBM are offending a lot of potential and current
OS/2 users with their statements and politics. And Java is not (and will
not be) everything...
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10.2. Translators ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following people supported Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 by translating
sources into their native language:
language translator
German Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE)
English Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE) and
Richard Price (Richard_Price@compuserve.com)
Dutch Luc Van Bogaert (luvabo@ibm.net)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10.3. Suppliers of animations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following people supported Animated Mouse Pointer for OS/2 by providing
mouse pointer animations, which are
Animation provided by
bigarrow static pointers by: CD-ROM from OS/2 Spezial 1/96, Vogel Verlag
Gmbh Germany
animation by Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE)
ncc-1701 static pointers by: CD-ROM from OS/2 Spezial 1/96, Vogel Verlag
Gmbh Germany
animation by Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE)
shadow static pointers by: CD-ROM from OS/2 Spezial 1/96, Vogel Verlag
Gmbh Germany
animation by Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE)
startrek static pointers by: source unknown
animation by Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE)
andy static pointers by: Andrew Zabolotny (bit@freya.etu.ru)
animation by Christian Langanke (C.Langanke@TeamOS2.DE)
descent Win* animation and cursor files by: source unknown
maggie static pointers & animation by Michael Massoth
(MMassoth@t-online.de)
Note: This animation set provides an animation for the Wait
pointer only.