Crawly Crypt Collection 1/crawlyvol1.bin/utility/misc/transfly/transfly.txt

Text File | 1992-12-11 | 25KB | 550 lines

        -----------LET 'EM FLY-----------
           (Flying Dials and more....)
            version 1.19 July 1992
            (C) 1991-92 rote Oliver Dirty Freaky Deaky Software
                (it's Freeware)

<Translator's note:
This is not an exact translation of the author's German text. It is
meant to convey the meaning of the document. 'Flying' as used here
means the ability of normally fixed dialogue boxes to either be moved
by the mouse pointer or to jump to the mouse pointer's location.>

Preamble
--------

Well, I only wanted to see how fast the Atari ST's VDI could be, then
from that came something more...

Flying dialogue boxes are features of GEMINI (the shareware
alternative desktop) and RUFUS (a terminal program). Besides flying,
these dialogues have keyboard equivalents for mouse clicks.
Unfortunately these features are active only within these programs,
and as soon as one leaves them the features are lost. Now here comes
LET 'EM FLY to allow many 'normal' program dialog boxes to have these
features.

The important features
----------------------

Flying dialogs:
Many dialog boxes become able to Fly. Through an intelligent
alogorithm the boxes can be shifted  tolerably fast and optically
optimized without a blitter. When adequate memory is available the
boxes can 'remember' the shifted position and will appear there the
next time they are called. Also virtual screens like BIGSCREEN 2.0
are supported and the dialogue boxes can be centered in them.

Key Bindings for the Dialogues:
Just as many dialogues can be controlled from the keyboard, the
special keys [HELP] and [UNDO] are also used.

Extra editor functions:
In a dialogue with editable fields,extra editor functions become
available. Also, the GEM Clipboard is supported with a history of the
last 20 inputs taken. Some editor functions are effective in
programs which use dialogue processes in the program itself.

New alert boxes with new icons:
The look of the alert boxes is changed. They are only as large as
they must be. Further, one can load new icons.

Grow/Shrink Boxes switch off:
These can be switched off to gain speed.

No pilot's license required!
Yes, you've read it right. For LET 'EM FLY! no pilot's license is
needed.

LET 'EM FLY! works on all ST/TT computers in all resolutions. If it
does give you any problems, please contact me.

LET 'EM FLY! is Freeware. You can freely copy, distribute and use it.
Commercial exploitation of LET 'EM FLY! is prohibited without your
having obtained written permission from me. All copyright rights
remain with the author and I will vigorously prosecute any violations
of this notice.

LET 'EM FLY! comprises the following files:
LETEMFLY.PRG     The actual program
LET_CONF.ACC/PRG The configuration accessory/program
GEM1ICON.RSC     The original Atari alert box icons
GEM2ICON.RSC     The GEM/2 alert box icons
LETEMFLY.TXT     This (the German) instructions document
CHANGES.TXT      The (German) changes between versions
READ_ME          A short instruction document

Distribution of LET 'EM FLY! is permited ONLY with all of these files
included.

<Translator's note: The next paragraph appears to state that no
suitability claims are made for this program and that the user
proceeds art his own risk.>

Important:
More complete documentation for the programmer and developer is
available. It is not included in the LET 'EM FLY! 'basic package'.
Contact the author through the online addresses shown later or write
to him, including a self-addressed sufficiently stamped return
envelope.

Now you must read and understand this...
All software and hardware terms mentioned are the trademarks of their
manufacturer. The author assumes no responsibility for direct or
indirect damage resulting from the use of this program.

          ==============================================

Installation

LETEMFLY.PRG can be run from the desktop as well as from the AUTO folder, but
must be in the AUTO folder to automatically install itself. Using
LET_CONF.ACC/PRG you may configure LET 'EM FLY! to your requirements. If you
have a small-memory ST, the author recommends the use of 'The Chamelion' from
Karsten Isovic. With it you can load or remove accessories as needed.
LET_CONF.CPX replaces LET_CONF.ACC if you are using Atari's CPX control panel.

Service

Not all dialogue boxes will benefit from LET 'EM FLY!. Some programs include
their own dialogue routines. With these LET 'EM FLY! may not have any effect or
may provide only partial features. For any programmers who want to optimize
their programs for LET 'EM FLY! use, please contact the author for
documentation.
Also the desktop dialogues will not support LET 'EM FLY! as they use TOS-direct
programming. This is not expected to be the case with MultiTOS.

If something does not function as it should, you may deactivate that function
through the configuration program (or ACC or CPX).

So now let's try it...

Move the mouse pointer into a dialogue box but not over one of the selection
objects (selection boxes). Hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse.
Note how the mouse pointer turns into a 'hand' icon and moves the dialogue box
to any position on the screen. Depending on how you have configured LET 'EM
FLY!, the dialog box appears to move intact or becomes a transparent frame
as long as the mouse button is depressed.

Holding down both mouse buttons gives the inverse appearance - if your setting
is for 'intact' movement, the box will appear as a transparent frame and vice
versa. The transparent feature also allows you to see what's under the dialogue
box without moving it.

Note: It may be that in a given program, LET 'EM FLY! may be able to 'fly' only
over a certain special object. (<translators note: here the author discusses a
special situation with a German file selector program, SELECTRIC.>) You can
suppress the exclusivity of the 'flying object' by an extra press of the right
mouse button, allowing the other object to become the 'flying object'.

If a dialog box either will not 'fly' or does not 'remember' its new position,
it may be that you have insufficient free memory for LET 'EM FLY! to store its
flight path.

With a dialogue box on screen, click on another location on the screen.
Normally there's no reaction except the 'ding' sound of a no-action mouseclick.
But with LET 'EM FLY! the dialogue box 'flies' to the mouse pointer's location!
This function proves especially useful with large-screen monitors.

Double-clicking (left mouse button) on the dialog box  will 'fly' it to the
center of the screen.

You will notice that the next time you call that dialogue box, it will appear
at the last position again. By pressing [ALT]+[CTRL] when calling that dialogue
box (example: mouseclicking on a menu selection), the dialogue box will appear
centered once again. This function also demonstrates the user-friendly flying
routine.

It becomes possible to leave dialogue boxes at the actual mouse pointer
position.

With virtual screens such as BIGSCREEN 2.0 installed, it is now possible to Fly
dialog boxes to the virtual screen portion currently appearing on your monitor.
By configuring VSCR support ON, these dialogue and alert boxes will
automatically appear in the center of the screen portion showing on your
monitor. <I think that's what the author's saying - a BIGSCREEN user will have
to confirm this>

Summary:

1. Not all boxes can fly
   a. free memory must be sufficient
   b. the active program must use normal alert/dialogue box programming
2. Insufficient memory can allow boxes to be moved but not allow 'ghosting'
3. You may find programs that allow the boxes to move, but leave garbage on the
   screen. Data will not normally be lost if this happens, but the author
   cannot guarantee that.


Key Dials:

Many dialogues can now work from the keyboard. You will see one letter of each
choice in the dialogue's choice boxes. These can be selected by holding down
the [ALT] key and pressing the underlined choice box key. If the underlined
choices ar numbers, hold down the [ALT] key and press that number on the
Numeric Keypad (not the numbers on the main keyboard).

Further on is explained how the effect.... GO BACK TO THIS!

If no editable field exists in the dialogue box, this  kind of box can also be
shortcut without resorting to [ALT]+Numeric Keypad reaching. (the author means
the Alert Boxes)

LET 'EM FLY! uses the [UNDO] and [HELP] keys:

[HELP] will select any box who's text reads: 'help'
                                             'hilfe' (German for 'help')

[UNDO] will select any box who's text reads: 'quit'
                                             'cancel'
                                             'abort'
                                             'no'
                                             'exit'
                                             'abbruch'
                                             'abbrechen'
                                             'verlassen'
                                             'ende'
                                             'nein'

 [HELP] and [UNDO] function alone - no key combination is required.

LET 'EM FLY! does not distinguish between upper and lowercase. 38 keys (a-z,
0-9, [HELP], [UNDO] perform as 'Key Dials'. If a dialogue box contains a Default
(thicker box border and selectable by pressing [RETURN]) choice box and if LET
'EM FLY! has underlined a Key Dial letter in the choice boxes, then the Default
choice can be changed.  [ALT]+[TAB] moves the default one choice box to the
right, [ALT][SHIFT]+[TAB] moves the default one choice box to the left.
In many cases this lets you assign your preferred default so you can select it
from then on by use of the [RETURN] key.

Pressing [SHIFT]+[HELP] while a dialogue box is onscreen will pop up a
copyright information alert box.


Extended editor:

When a dialogue box contains editable fields, LET 'EM FLY! adds several extra
editor functions.

These are built-in GEM functions moving the cursor...
[up arrow key]    back one input field
[down arrow key]  forward one input field
[left arrow key]  one character to the left
[right arrow key] one character to the right
[TAB]             forward one input field
[RETURN]          end dialogue

LET 'EM FLY! adds the following extra functions
[RETURN]             if no default choice box, forward one input field
[SHIFT]+[RETURN]     (default choice box exists) forward one input field
[SHIFT]+[TAB]         back one input field
[SHIFT]+[left arrow]  beginning of input field
[SHIFT]+[right arrow] end of input field
[CTRL]+[left arrow]   one word to left
[CTRL]+[right arrow]  one word to right
[CLR/HOME]            jump to first input field of dialogue
[CTRL]+[DELETE]       delete everything to the right of the cursor

[up arrow] and [down arrow] will 'wrap' the cursor; ex: if you're on the last
input field, [down arrow] will 'wrap' the cursor around to the first field.
Further, direct cursor positioning within the input fields by using the mouse
is supported. This is a great improvement over the standard system which
positions the cursor at one or the other end of the input characters and
requires use of arrow keys to move around within the string!

All characters are now allowed for Filename and Path:
With LET 'EM FLY! you are no longer limited to TOS-legal characters for
Filenames and Paths. Symbols like '$' and '-' can be used as well as foreign
characters.

Special characters:
In many cases, accessing special characters from the keyboard is a difficult
process if possible at all. With [SHIFT]+[INSERT] an alert box containing all
of the non-ASCII characters appears onscreen. Click on your chosen character
in this box and it will be inserted at cursor position into the dialogue box's
editable field.
Note: This only works if the current program allows non-ASCII characters in its
editable fields. If it does not, the character box will not appear.

GEM Clipboard:

LET 'EM FLY! permits use of the GEM Clipboard so you can cut text from a
program, then paste it into a dialogue box's editable fields. Your system must
know where the Clipboard data is to be sent to and retrieved from. Here you
must use the environment variable 'CLIPBRD' or 'SCRAPDIR'. With GEMINI this is
more or less automatic. Otherwise this variable can be set using a special
program such as JCNBOOT by Jens C. Neffe. The additional line looks like this:

CLIPBRD=Path

example:

CLIPBRD=C:\CLIPBRD

Clipboard functions supported by LET 'EM FLY!:
[CTRL]+X   cut the entire line to the Clipboard
[CTRL]+C   copy the entire line to the Clipboard at the cursor position
           any text already in the dialogue's editable field remains there
[CTRL]+V   pastes the contents into the active editable field
           any text already in the field is lost
           to suppress overwriting current text, also hold down [SHIFT]

For the first two functions, also holding down [SHIFT] will keep the current
Clipboard contents from being overwritten. This will cut or copy the text to
the Clipboard as consecutive (Clipboard) entries.

History function:

Often you will repetitively need certain Clipboard data. (ie: Shell Function)
You can use the last 20 entries to input data from the Clipboard. This function
is also known as 'history'. Each history entry can have as many as 40
characters saved, duplicate entries are overwritten. (for our GEMINI freaks:
'nohisdouble= TRUE')

[CTRL]+[cursor up/down]   go  through the history
[SHIFT]+[cursor up/down]  in the current input line, only the character string
                          to the right of your cursor is used as a search path

If you have not worked with a History before, you should experiment a little
with it. Later you may want to continue learning to work with Histories using
the command-line shell, MUPFEL.

Many additional editor functions (aside from the mouse assistance) ar enabled
in dialogues with unusual routines. MAGIC DIALS by Peter Hellinger is optimally
supported by LET 'EM FLY!


The new Alert Boxes:

LET 'EM FLY! revises the original Atari ST alert boxes. The three-button alert
box can use the new procedures as well as responding to the old selection
method of pressing F1-F3. Just as with the other shortcuts, you do not have to
hold down [ALT].
Boxes are only as large as necessary to house their text. The new icons are
loaded at boot-up of the program. The desired .RSC file must be renamed
LET_ICON.RSC and placed in the directory (normally the AUTO folder) with
LETEMFLY.PRG. You can use either the GEM/1 icons or the GEM/2 icons.

TOS produces error alert boxes; LET 'EM FLY! does the same. There are two
kinds: Critical Error (ex: 'data on disk X corrupted') and mistake reports (ex:
'insufficient disk space').

The first  variant is from LET 'EM FLY! currently supported under 'MagX'
(multitasking AES from BELA). It probably will also be supported in MultiTOS.
The event-critic boxes distinguish themselves from the original in two kinds of
ways. The first is that meaningful icons now are used. Also  there is now an
'Ignore' button, i.e. the error is simply ignored.  This button should only be
used as a last resort as it will produce odd errors in some applications.

The second variant works under all conditions that the original alert does, but
provides a precise error report with error number.


Have a nice time with Niceline:

'Niceline' is a really fussy program which becomes integrated only in LET 'EM
FLY!. Because of that, I'll describe it only briefly here. For more information
on 'Niceline' I recommend obtaining the standalone version.

<the author describes a problem using Niceline with GFA Basic>

Important: <more about the GFA Basic problem>

Workwise:

<still more about the GFA Basic problem>




The LET 'EM FLY! configuration program:
<I have confirmed these  operations only with the CPX new control panel>

After starting LET_CONF.PRG (or ACC, or CPX) you see a menu. In the top line is
shown the currently installed version number. The second line contains my name.
On the third line are three rectangular buttons:

There were so many choice buttons necessary that I had combine some operations
into these three selections.

Config. CPX  Clicking here pops up a box listing all of the switches
             (operations). Clicking on any of these will change it from inverse
             to normal (black-on-white) text, thus removing it from LET 'EM
             FLY!'s operating configuration. To make this new
             configuration permanent, you must 'Save' as described above.

Selection    Clicking on this button causes the main configuration menu to
             represent only the Config. CPX installed selections.

All          Enables all switches - overrides Config. CPX settings.


On the bottom border are four buttons:

Info    Shows author's name and address

Save    Saves the chosen configuration in the program itself. Pressing 'Save'
        opens your file selector where the program (LETEMFLY.PRG or
        LET_LGT.PRG) must be chosen.
        <only LETEMFLY.PRG is in the package as distributed in the US>

Cancel  Quit program (or ACC or CPX) without saving any changes

OK      Installs any changes made until you reboot. Changes are not saved.



Now to the switches. Click and hold the left mouse button on any of the
shadowed selection buttons to the right of the switch text description. The
resulting pop-up menu lists configuration choices for that switch.

Let 'em Fly!      Turning this switch 'Off' completely deactivates LET 'EM
                  FLY!, removing all of its functions.

Key Dials         'Off' deactivates single-key dialogue box control.

Extended Editor   Turns the additional editor functions on or off.

Alert-Boxes       Turns the enhanced Alert and Error boxes on or off.

Flying Dials      Turns the 'flying' routine on or off.

Fly Type          Defines how the boxes fly - how they appear during movement.
                  'Solid' does not change their appearance in 'flight';
                  'Hollow' changes the box to a transparent outine while the
                  left mouse button is being held down.

Ghost Flights     'Normal' will keep the box solid during movement unless you
                  hold down the right mouse button as well as the left one.
                  'Invert' reverses the effect - 'hollow' with only the left
                  mouse button, solid with both mouse buttons.

Dials to Mouse    'On' forces alert boxes to appear at the current position of
                  the mouse cursor. 'Off' leaves the boxes appearing as you are
                  used to - in the  center of the screen.

Jumpin' Dials     With this switched 'On', if you click the left mouse button
                  on any point on the screen (other than on the alert box), the
                  alert box will 'jump' to the mouse cursor position.

Save Position     If this is 'On', the alert box will 'remember' its last
                  position and reappear there the next time it is called.

Send Redraw       Some  programs such as TC-FILESELECTOR, and ADIMENS do not
                  correctly redraw the screen area under the alert box when the
                  box is deleted. 'Yes' forces a proper redraw.

VSCR Support      Virtual screens such as 'BIGSCREEN 2.0' by Julian Resche
                  create a larger than monitor-size screen in memory. What you
                  see onscreen is a 'window' onto that larger screen. With this
                  switched 'On', LET 'EM FLY! determines what part of the
                  virtual screen is actually appearing on you monitor and will
                  center alert boxes in that portion. No more having to scroll
                  all around  a giant virtual screen trying to locate the
                  alert box!


Form Grow/Shrink  'Off' considerably improves screen speed by eliminating he
                  normal GEM alert box 'grow' and 'shrink' graphics. KAOS-TOS
                  has a similar feature.

Graf Grow/Shrink  The above graphics also apply to program 'windows'. Turning
                  this switch 'Off' similarly improves screen speed for window
                  opening and closing. GEMINI uses this technique.

Niceline          Turns the Niceline effects on or off.

Fly Delay         Using the slider bar you can choose a delay period before
                  the box 'flies' in response to your mouseclick <I have no
                  idea why you would want a delay>. '0' = no delay.

Shortcut Disp.    With this switch you choose whether to have the alert box
                  choice button's 'shortcut key' highlighted by an underscore
                  line ('Uscore') or by displaying the 'shortcut' letter in a
                  different color ('ColChr'). Obviously this switch does not
                  work in monochrome - underscore highlights the letter.

Shortcut Col.     Selects color for above 'ColChr' option. Red is suggested for
                  medium resolution.

Alert-Icon Col.   Selects color for alert box icon display.

Alert-Border      Selects alert box border thickness. Normal border is '1'.

... Here the author remarks about the light version of LET 'EM FLY! At this
time there is no light version. <cannot decipher the next sentence>


Known problems with other programs:

UIS III (Universal Item Selector) must run in the AUTO folder after LET 'EM
FLY!, otherwise they conflict. LGS (Little Green File Selector) does not work
well as both the flying and keyboard shortcuts give it problems. <here the
author follows with criticism of LGS'suse of GEMDOS-TRAP and XBRA - I don't know
enough about programming to make a sensible translation>

I  recommend 'SELECTRIC' as a file selector. <here the author goes into more
programming jargon regarding this program and MAGIC DIALS by Peter Hellinger>

MINT 0.94 (and up) is compatible with LET 'EM FLY! - earlier versions are not.

Neodesk - there is a dialogue in Neodesk with [RETURN] to end it, so it does
not disappear using LET 'EM FLY!. Remedy: Use TOS 2.06 or GEMINI.
<I've been using Neodesk and LET 'EM FLY! while doing this translation - don't
know what dialogue he's referring to>

Troubleshooting:

LET 'EM FLY! latches itself into TRAP #2 (AES/VDI) and TRAP #13 (BIOS) and uses
with it the XBRA-known 'LTMF'. Under certain circumstamces (see above) is also
ETV_critic bent<?>. Cookie-Jar installed (use also the known 'LTMF'). An exact
description is found in the programmer's guide 'Three Flights Up'.


Of direction:

How I said I only wanted to see how fast the VDI could be and this is what came
out of that. I had thought the flying routines were only usable in one's own
program, but in ST-Computer 6/91 Robert Tolksdorf has shown that on principle a
resident installation can effect two programs that have nothing in common
except that they have retained the form_DO() source from D.R.. <can't translate
next sentence> Dan Wilga has written a program, 'FORMDOIT' which makes the
dialog work from the keyboard and also has some editor functions available.
Unfortunately his form_DO() routine is not 100% compatible with the original
and it gave Objects, especially in TOUCHEXIT, problems. Besides, he uses LINE-A
routines, which today should no longer be used, for graphic output. Also
FORMDOIT has only so much to do with LET 'EM FLY!. Many functions and the
principle I have implemented, but LET 'EM FLY! is essentially much wider in
scope. LET 'EM FLY!:
a. not only form_DO sets
b. does not use LINE-A
c. is essentially 'intelligent'
<now comes some scolding of 'Schweineprogrammen' - programming that doesn't use
the established methods and standards>

Credits:

The author thanks Olaf Meisiek for INTERFACE, for his design of the dialog
boxes in and out (CPX) of LET 'EM FLY!. 'Thanx' to the beta testers, and
particularly to Martin Koehling who has in non beta tester status already has
found many <undunschoenheiten> errors.

My <the author's> address... for tomatoes, threatening letters, etc.:

Oliver Scheel
Rothehausstr. 28
W-5000 Kohn <Cologne> 30

For the modem-users or whoever can hang on Internet all day long at your
university's expense:

MAUSNET: Oliver Dirty @ K
EMAIL:   [e-mail]

LET 'EM FLY!  You can't fly without...

(C) 1991-1992 by Oliver Scheel

<Translation by Mike Valent (GEnie: A.VALENT) 12/92>