home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Atari Compendium
/
The Atari Compendium (Toad Computers) (1994).iso
/
files
/
umich
/
utils
/
files~07
/
lgsel18d.lzh
/
LGSELECT.TXT
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-04-15
|
49KB
|
1,107 lines
The Little Green Selector
-------------------------
Shareware by Charles F. Johnson
Copyright 1989, 1990 Little Green Footballs Software
All Rights Reserved.
Version 1.8D
The Little Green Selector is a complete replacement for the
dreaded GEM item selector. Once it's installed, all programs that
call the GEM item selector will end up using the vastly improved
Little Green Selector instead. You can install it at bootup time
by placing it in an AUTO folder, or run it from the desktop at any
time after bootup. The Little Green Selector (henceforth referred
to as LGSELECT) optimizes the process of selecting files, with
unique features that make this easier than ever before. And
starting with version 1.3, the Little Green Selector has a special
"communications pipeline" with CodeHead Software's MaxiFile desk
accessory that allows you to copy, move, delete, and rename files
and folders, format disks, create new folders, show or print
files, and much more (in a window showing up to 80 files at
once)...any time you use the file selector!
*****************************************************************
* *
* If you've already received an earlier version of the *
* Little Green Selector, and are familiar with its basic *
* operation, you may want to skip ahead to the section titled *
* "New Stuff" at the end of this document. This is where the *
* new features (and/or bug fixes) of each revision are *
* explained. *
* *
*****************************************************************
Shareware - a concept before its time?
--------------------------------------
The Little Green Selector is being distributed as "shareware." This
means that you're free to give copies of it to friends, to upload it to
bulletin board services, etc., as long as both LGSELECT.PRG and this
document (LGSELECT.TXT) are included and neither file is altered in ANY
WAY. In addition, this program and the accompanying text file may not
be included with any commercial package, or sold in any form without
written permission from Charles F. Johnson.
If you use and enjoy this program, you are expected to pay for it
just as you would be expected to pay for a commercial program. The only
difference between a shareware product and a "commercial" product is the
means of distribution; the shareware method gives you, the user, all the
benefits since you get to "try before you buy." The shareware
registration fee for the Little Green Selector is only $15.00, so it's
pretty painless to become a registered user of the Little Green
Selector.
If you do find LGSELECT useful, please send a check or money
order for $15.00 to:
Charles F. Johnson (LG Selector)
P.O. Box 1250
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
If you'd like to me to acknowledge that I've received your
shareware payment, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. If
you also include a disk with your SASE (with enough postage), I'll fill
it with the latest versions of all my Little Green Footballs shareware
programs and send it back to you.
I've released two previous programs as shareware (ARC Shell
and Desk Manager), and I'll be honest with you - the response has
been less than overwhelming. And I've been pretty lucky; I've
spoken to other shareware authors about this, and most of their
experiences have been even more dismal than mine. Programs don't
come into existence spontaneously - the people who design them
spend many many hours thinking about, planning, testing, and
revising their work (not to mention the years spent refining
techniques and learning to use the tools). It takes a leap of
faith for programmers to release the fruits of their labor into
free distribution, relying on the "honor system" to see some
reward for their creations. I know it takes a little extra effort
to write out a check and drop it in the mail, but the fact is that
only you, the user, can make the 'shareware' idea work. If you'd
like to see more programs distributed as shareware, you have to do
your best to support the programs you use.
(By the way, I want to say a sincere "thank you" to everyone
who has contributed for ARC Shell, Desk Manager, the Little Green
Selector, and/or PinHead, lest you think I've forgotten. I
haven't, and your contributions are very much appreciated.)
Anyway...end of sermon. On with the show.
Installing LGSELECT.
--------------------
LGSELECT is very simple to install. You can either run it
from the desktop by double-clicking on its icon or filename, or
place it in an AUTO folder so that it installs automatically at
bootup time.
To install LGSELECT automatically, just copy it into a folder
named AUTO on your boot disk. If you don't already have an AUTO
folder, you can create one from the GEM desktop by using the 'New
Folder' option in the 'File' drop-down menu. If you do already
use an AUTO folder with several programs in it, LGSELECT can
simply be copied into the existing folder. After placing
LGSELECT.PRG in your AUTO folder, reboot your computer. During the
bootup process, you'll see a message from LGSELECT, and it will be
automatically installed.
(NOTE: LGSELECT can run at any point during the AUTO
programs; however, there may be some improperly written AUTO
programs that need to run before or after LGSELECT. If you have a
conflict, you should begin by removing everything from your AUTO
folder except LGSELECT, then start adding the other programs one
at a time until you find the source of the trouble. Often, you
can fix incompatibilities simply by changing the order that you
copy programs into the AUTO folder. Remember that AUTO programs
run in the order in which they appear in a disk's directory [not
alphabetically, nor by time/date stamp] -- if you're not sure about
the order, you can use LGSELECT's 'No Sort' feature [see below] to
show the true arrangement.)
If you run LGSELECT from the desktop, a GEM alert box will
appear. You can click on the button labeled 'Install' to make
LGSELECT resident, or on 'Cancel' if you change your mind.
Using LGSELECT.
---------------
In addition to the extra features it provides, LGSELECT
incorporates all of the functions of the standard GEM item
selector and has a similar interface; so if you know how to use
the GEM selector you should have no trouble getting accustomed to
LGSELECT. For this reason, I'm going to assume in the following
discussion that you already know how to perform basic operations
with the GEM selector. (If you're unsure about how to operate the
GEM item selector, please refer to your ST owner's manual.)
LGSELECT uses both mouse buttons. In many cases, an option
will behave differently depending on which mouse button you use
when you select it; so it's a good idea to read this documentation
through before using LGSELECT so you won't be surprised.
To get your first look at LGSELECT, run some program that
uses the item selector. When LGSELECT appears, the first thing
you'll notice is that it's larger than the GEM item selector.
The GEM selector only shows you 9 files at once; LGSELECT displays
16, so you can see more of a directory at a glance. You'll also
notice that there are quite a few more controls and buttons in the
LGSELECT dialog box; I'll explain the use of those controls now.
The Drive Buttons.
------------------
On the right side of the box underneath the 'OK' and 'CANCEL'
buttons are 16 drive buttons labeled A through P. To change to a
new drive with LGSELECT, al