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Text File | 1994-10-14 | 20KB | 427 lines

!Larger Version 2.09b 10th October 1994 ============================================================================= (c) 1991-94 Warm Silence Software Introduction: !Larger is a RISC OS Application designed to make life easier when using the Desktop. It performs several functions at once: 1) It provides a Sticky Backdrop facility, allowing applications, Basic programs and datafiles to be run, dragged from, or moved by clicking or dragging icons on the backdrop. Features include: * Sprites, and System Variables can be saved with Backdrop. * Backdrop acts as filing system, with multiple directories, and full filer functionality. * Automatic Gridlocking. * Facility to Select directories as CSD when opened from backdrop. * Hotkey (Configurable - Default Ctrl-Tab) to select Directory under Pointer as CSD, or to set CSD to parent directory of file in editor under pointer. * Unique 'Gravity' feature separates Applications and Directories as specified by user. * Launch Applications by dragging files onto them. * Save into directories by dragging files onto them. * Launch Applications by User-Definable Ctrl Keys. * !Help Compatible. * Iconiser Facilities aka Pinboard. * Configurable Hotkey (Default Shift-Tab) iconises all windows owned by a task to one icon. * Backdrop Sprite Facilities - Centred, Scaled or Tiled, with colours automatically matched to screen mode and palette. (Now with optional cached redraw mode.) * 'Cycle' windows from back to front by hotkey (Configurable - Default Ctrl-Shift-Tab). * 'Cycle' through tasks with windows open by hotkey (Configurable - Default Print). * Caret can 'chase' pointer between windows. * Configurable sprite for every backdrop item. * Icon text toggleable on and off for every backdrop item. 2) It provides a Virtual Desktop facility, enabling a desktop of almost infinite size to be used, simply by 'pushing' the edge of the screen with the pointer. This has uses when using many different applications at once, and helps prevent cluttering of Screen displays. Whole screens can be scrolled at once by using 'Alt+Cursors'. Also, 'rooms' are implemented in which up to 10 virtual desktops can be operating at once. 3) An Application Manager is provided. On Command, an entire application's windows can be hidden from view off screen, and brought back at a later date unchanged. This is intended to help reduce screen clutter. 4) !Larger has a configurable menu tree which can be programmed by altering the file 'MenuData' in the directory Prefs. Full information as to the programming of this menu tree is given in the file. Menu Options: ============= From the IconBar Icon: ---------------------- Info => Opens a window containing info on Larger. Save => Backdrop Saves all the details of the current backdrop. => System Saves all the system variables currently known to Variables an Obey file 'SysVars' in the !Larger.Prefs directory. This file is executed, whenever !Larger is run, so the system variables will be returned to the same state. This file can be manually edited and customised. => Sprites Saves all the sprites seen by the desktop to a file !Larger.Prefs.Sprites. The sprites saved can be filtered by setting options in the Config window. Load => Backdrop Loads the previously saved backdrop. => System Loads the previously saved system variables. Variables => Sprites Loads the previously saved desktop sprites. Desktop => Home Scrolls the virtual desktop back to its original position. => Retrieve Pulls all the windows of the desktop, onto the screen. (Use this when you lose a window). => Cycle Pulls the rearmost window of the desktop (the one Windows directly above the backdrop) to the front of the window stack. => Cycle Pulls all the windows belonging to the task that Tasks owns the rearmost window of the desktop (the one directly above the backdrop) to the front of the window stack. User => Submenu Leading to User defined Menu Tree. To edit this, edit the file 'MenuData' In Prefs. Map... This opens the window map. This displays the position of all windows open on the desktop, and contains the icons controlling rooms. Config... This opens the configuration window. This can also be achieved by clicking on the icon bar icon (if selected) Quit This quits !Larger. From the backdrop: ------------------ Larger => This leads to the same menu as is given by clicking on the icon bar icon. Dir. 'xxx'/ => This option leads to a menu offering the standard File 'xxx'/ RISC OS filer menu options, with the addition of Selection the following: => Display => Sprite Allows the sprite used for each icon to be configured. => Icon Text Turns icon text on or off. => Drag Onto This allows the item over which the menu was opened to have its 'Drag Onto' flag toggled. => Open Parent This opens the directory containing the icon over which the menu was opened. => Ctrl Key This allows you to set a Key so that Ctrl and that Key will 'run' that item. => Pre Params This accepts parameters which will be inserted after the command to be executed, and before the filename of the file dragged onto the icon. Thus if 'tar' is sat on the back drop, and a file is dragged onto it, and the required command is 'tar -xvf <Filename>', then the pre paramater string should be set to -xvf. This option is only used if a file is dragged to the icon, and the drag onto flag is set. => Post Params This performs the same operation as Pre Params, but inserts the parameters after the filename. The same conditions of use apply. => Run With This option allows the user to run an application with a specific string passed to it. The application will be invoked with a command string consisting of: <Command> <Pre params> <Run With> <Post Params> This enables applications to be run with (say) a list of filenames. The Delete option is replaced by: => Remove Item This removes the item from the backdrop. Select All => This selects all the icons on the backdrop. Clear => This deselects all the icons on the backdrop. Selection Options => Confirm These options behave exactly as their Filer Verbose counterparts do, but affect only multi-tasking Force filer operations started by !Larger. Newer New Backdrop=> This creates a new backdrop. Clicking on this icon changes to a new backdrop, associated with this icon. Open Parent This option takes us back up the heirarchy of backdrops, to the Parent backdrop of the current backdrop. Configuration Window: ===================== This allows fine tuning of the !Larger Application for individual users. The possible options are listed below: Organisation ------------ None: If selected, no gravity is applied to icons on the backdrop. Automatic: Gravity is always applied to icons on the backdrop, according to the settings below. Apps Gravity Left This sets the direction of gravity to use for Right Applications or data files if automatic organisation Up is selected. Down None Dirs Gravity Left This sets the direction of gravity to use for Right directories or image filing system files, if Up automatic organisation is selected. Down None Backdrop Gvty Left This sets the direction of gravity to use for Right sub-backdrop icons, if automatic organisation is Up selected. Down None Iconised Gvty Left This sets the direction of gravity to use for Right iconised windows or tasks, if automatic organisation Up is selected. Down None Display ------- Show App Names If selected, the names of applications are displayed beneath their icons. Show Plinths If selected, plinths are drawn behind the backdrop icons. Install On Iconbar If selected, !Larger installs an Icon on the iconbar. Invert Selections If selected, selected icons on the backdrop have their sprites inverted. 'Slab in' Selections If selected, selected icons on the backdrop have their plinths (if any) replaced by a 'Slabbed in' plinth. Small Icons If selected, small icons are displayed instead of the standard sized ones. Colour of Icon text This item gives access to a menu on which the icon text colourcan be selected. Backdrop Background This item gives access to a menu on which the colour of the backdrop background can be selected. When Opening Directories ------------------------ Open Filer Window If selected, then double clicking a directory on the backdrop, will open the corresponding filer window. Set CSD If selected, then double clicking a directory on the backdrop, will set the CSD to that directory. Virtual Desktop --------------- Scroll around Screen If selected, then the virtual desktop facilites of !Larger are turned on. With Shift If selected, then Shift must be held down, before the virtual desktop will scroll. This option is greyed out, if Scroll around Screen is not selected. Automatic If selected, then pushing the pointer against the edge of the screen will cause the desktop to scroll. This option is greyed out if Scroll around Screen is not selected. Open Map at Startup If selected, then the window map will be opened when !Larger starts up, at the position it was when the configuration was last saved. Backdrop Saving --------------- Selective Sprite Save If selected, then the sprites saved from the desktop by the '[Larger =>] Save => Sprites' option, are filtered before saving, so that only sprites used on the backdrop are saved. + Filetype Sprites If selected, then in addition to the sprites saved according to the previous option, all known filetype sprites are saved as well. Backdrop Sprite --------------- Sprite If selected, then a backdrop sprite is used. To select this option, drop a spritefile onto the Load Point. The first sprite in this file will be used as a backdrop sprite. Centred If selected, this option centres the backdrop sprite within the desktop screen (not including the area used by the iconbar). This option is greyed out if Sprite is not selected. Tiled If selected, this option tiles the backdrop sprite within the desktop screen (not including the area used by the iconbar). This option is greyed out if Sprite is not selected. Scaled If selected, this option scales the backdrop sprite to fill the desktop screen (not including the area used by the iconbar). This option is greyed out if Sprite is not selected. Cache Sprite for Speed If selected, the current backdrop sprite is cached for the current mode to improve redraw speed. This costs memory, and requires disc accesses on palette and mode changes, but is much faster than normal redraw mode. HotKeys ------- Hide Task The key shown here is the hotkey for hiding a tasks window. To change the key, click in the icon and hit the required key combination. Default is Shift-Tab. Set CSD The key shown here is the hotkey that sets the CSD to the directory/parent directory of the window under the pointer. This key can be set as above. Default is Ctrl-Tab. Cycle Windows The key shown here is the hotkey for bringing the rearmost window of the desktop to the front. This can be set as above. Default is Ctrl-Shift-Tab. Cycle Tasks The key shown here brings all the windows belonging to the task with the rearmost window to the front. Repeatedly pressing this key will cycle through the currently running tasks. This key can be set as above. Default is Print. Front Key The key shown here is the hotkey for pulling the window under the mouse pointer to the front of the window stack. If the window is at the front of the stack, then it is sent to the back. This key can be set as above. Default is Insert. Grab next key The key show here is a hotkey that grabs the input focus for one keypress. The first time this key is pressed, !Larger grabs the input focus. If one of !Largers other hotkeys is then pressed it will perform the appropriate action. If another key is then pressed (such as the Grab next key hotkey), it will be passed along to the wimp as usual. This key is intended to relieve the problems with key clashes between applications, as !Largers hotkeys can be prefixed by this hotkey. By default this key is not set, though f12 is a reasonable choice for it. (So to get the command line you must then type f12, f12) Back to Front This option toggles the backdrop window from the back to the front of the window stack. Desktop Options --------------- Click to type When selected, the caret can be moved between windows by clicking where you want the caret to go (This is normal Acorn Caret behaviour). Move Focus With Pointer When selected, the caret will automtically be moved to be in the window below the pointer at all times. All these preferences can be saved, by clicking 'Save' in the config window, and the previously saved preferences can be loaded by clicking 'Load'. To close the preferences window, and to use the currently set preference values, click 'OK'. To Copy !Larger without any saved data: ======================================= 1) Drag !Larger to new disc 2) Delete all files in !Larger.Internal 3) Delete all files except 'MenuData' and 'Prefs' in !Larger.Prefs Remember! Any copies you make have YOUR serial number on. Copyright Notice: ================= !Larger is (c) 1991-1994 Warm Silence Software, all rights reserved. This version of !Larger is available to registered users ONLY, and may not be copied except for the purposes of backup, or installation on harddrives. Site licenses for !Larger may be obtained (normally free of charge over and above single user copies) by applying to the author in writing. Site licences MUST be applied for - They are not granted automatically. This is so I know how the program is being used, and that the site license system is not being abused. I hereby reserve the right to take action against any person, persons or company which infringes the above conditions. Applications for permission to distribute contrary to these conditions may be made in writing, or by electronic mail to the addresses given below. This software is provided 'as is', with no guarantee of its suitability for any purpose. I will accept no responsibility for any data lost while using this program. NO WARRANTY IS GIVEN! If you do change the code at all, please let me know, as I refuse to try to support other peoples modifications unless I have been told about them, and I will probably be interested. If anyone has any ideas on improvements or new features for !Larger, however strange they may seem, please get in touch with me, as they will almost always be useful to someone else. I will try and implement anything (within reason) that people want. Addresses To Contact the Author: ================================ Warm Silence Software, St Catherines College, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UJ By Janet: Robin.Watts@uk.ac.oxford.prg (If all else fails try: 217 Waterhouse Moor, Harlow, Essex, CM18 6BW) Thanks Go to: ============= Special Thanks to: Aidan Corey, Martin Ebourne, Ian Fry, Lee McGinty, Mark Greenwood, Dom Layfield, Simon Middleton, Simone Pharoah, Bryan Scattergood, Matt Segall, Fred Shaerlig, Steve Singer, Dom Symes, Alex T, CT, Mark Vevers, Tommy Wareing, and far to many other people to mention here.