APDL Public Domain 1/APDL_PD1A.iso/discutils/backup/objbackup/!ObjBackup/!Help

Text File | 1992-03-29 | 5.3 KB | 140 lines

Object Backup
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This little application helps you to back up objects - files and directories
-  that you have been working on.

It backs up from a hard disk to a floppy in drive 0.

It is intended to be used with word-processors, desktop publishers,
spreadsheets, drawing and art packages where you have been working on a set
of objects.  If you keep these objects in one directory or merely update
existing objects, then you can store the names in this application and run
this application to back them up when you have finished work on the objects.

Instructions
~~~~~~~~~~~~
(a) Construct the list:

     Select the objects - directories and files - to be backed up, using the
     mouse, drag them to the window of this application and release the select
     button.  See the object name added to the list on the window.

     The list is now saved for evermore.

(b) Delete from the list:

     Place the pointer anywhere over the object name to be deleted and press
     the (middle) Menu button.  Follow the Delete option on the menu and click
     on OK if the right object name has been selected.  If not click on the
     window close icon.

(c) Do the backup:

     Put a fresh formatted disk in Drive 0.
     Click on the OK icon on the main window, where it says Backup.

Information
~~~~~~~~~~~
A maximum of 21 objects can be added to the list.

If you add an object from a Computer Concepts' Compression filer
(directory), then it will be saved in Compressed form on the floppy,
considerably enhancing the number and size of objects you can get on the
floppy.

Online help is available in the top of the window for this application.
Acorn's !Help application is supported.


Automated use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have (eventually) found the following to be an effective way of managing
applications and their objects on a hard disk:

For every new application, I create a holding directory of the same name in
the root directory.  So for Impression I created a directory of
HardDisk.$.!Impress.  Similarly for PipeLine, Schema, 1stWord, etc.

Into this holding directory I copied the !Boot and the !Sprites files from the
application itself.  I also copied the whole application into this
directory.

I created a further directory (or several) within the holding directory to
hold the objects created by the application.  Impression's object directory
was called, naturally, Documents.  PipeLine could get Sheets, etc.

Then I created a !Run file.  This run file has three purposes, first to open
the object directory, second to call the application itself and third to
call Object Backup when I exited the application.  For Impression the !Run
file consisted of:

     | > !Impress.!Run
     |
     | Impression Holding directory !Run File
     | --------------------------------------
     |
     | By Tim P-L to do various things before starting up Impression
     |
     |
     Set ImpressTop$Dir <Obey$Dir>
     |
     | The next six lines open up three document directory filers for use with Impression.
     | Note the use of "Alias$" to get "Filer_OpenDir" to recognise the "<Impression$Dir>" variable name:
     Set Alias$OpenDocs "Filer_OpenDir CFS#<ImpressTop$Dir>.Documents"
     Set Alias$OpenAddr "Filer_OpenDir CFS#<ImpressTop$Dir>.Addresses"
     Set Alias$OpenTemp "Filer_OpenDir <ImpressTop$Dir>.Templates"
     OpenDocs
     OpenAddr
     OpenTemp
     UnSet Alias$OpenDocs
     UnSet Alias$OpenAddr
     UnSet Alias$OpenTemp
     |
     | The next line calls up a TFP-L program to produce a letter heading with today’s date:
     Desktop "<ImpressTop$Dir>.LetterDate"
     |
     | Two necessary applications:
     DeskTop <ImpressTop$Dir>.!NewChars2
     DeskTop <PrinterDriver$Dir>.!PrinterLD
     |
     | Set up a few variables as we have not seen the real Impression on the desktop (which would have set the variables):
     RUN <ImpressTop$Dir>.!Impress.!Boot
     |
     | Now call the original Impression:
     RUN <ImpressTop$Dir>.!Impress
     |
     | The next line calls up a TFP-L RISC-OS application to back-up an alterable list of files:
     RUN <ImpressTop$Dir>.!ObjBackup

A similar !Run file can be made up for any other holding directory for any
other application.

You can have a separate copy of ObjBackup inside each application's holding
directory, each with its own set of objects, as appropriate to the
application, to be backed up.

A formal notis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright remains with me.  I have given this program to Archive to
distribute by whatever (cheap) means they think fit.  I have not given this
to any other organisation for use for any commercial purposes, nor do I
permit it to be so used.

That said, should you find it of use, do not hesitate to copy it for your
friends and colleagues.

A Confession
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found the Acorn's Merge program did exactly what I wanted in its grabbing of
object names from objects dropped over it.  So this application started by
borrowing the code from !Merge.  I subsequently heavily added to, subtracted
from and modified the original program, but keen students of piracy on the
high seas will notice the few bits that remain unaltered.  I trust this
larceny of mine is both forgiveable and forgiven!

But I do wish there was an easier way of debugging a window application than
by printing variables to the main screen.

Tim Powys-Lybbe
Monday 10th February 1992