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The Datafile PD-CD 3
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1995-05-04
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18KB
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460 lines
****************************
*--------------------------*
*- MegaBoard Version 1.67 -*
*--------------------------*
****************************
Please note this program is SHAREWARE, please refer to the end of this file
for details.
---------------------------------------------
- Upgrading from versions earlier than 1.50 -
---------------------------------------------
In this version of MegaBoard the special icon interface has been completely
rewritten (for exact details see the ProgInfo file), therefore special icons
written for earlier versions will no longer work. This drastic change was
necessary because of the unpredictable memory requirements of BASIC
libraries. I apologise to any authors of special icons for this
inconvenience.
Saved configurations that do not contain special icons can still be used with
this version.
----------------
- Introduction -
----------------
MegaBoard is a desktop Backdrop utility designed as a replacement for the
Pinboard Module supplied with Risc OS 3. It offers a number of extra features
and enhancements.
-----------------------
- System Requirements -
-----------------------
MegaBoard requires Risc OS 3.5 or greater in order to operate correctly. At
the time of writing this was only available on the RiscPC. Should a version
be released for other models MegaBoard should run correctly on these
machines as well.
---------------
- Terminology -
---------------
"MegaBoard" refers to this Program.
"Pinboard" refers to the Risc OS 3 utility.
---------------
- Starting up -
---------------
MegaBoard can be Loaded by double clicking on the icon !MegaBoard in the
directory viewer.
When MegaBoard is first loaded it is necessary for it to reinitialise the
Filer. This will cause all open Filer Windows to be closed. Installing
MegaBoard into the boot sequence (see below) avoids this Problem.
-------
- Use -
-------
Filer icons
-----------
Placing Filer icons on MegaBoard:
An icon is placed on MegaBoard by dragging it from a Filer window and
dropping it on MegaBoard.
Moving:
An icon dragged and dropped onto another part of MegaBoard will be moved
to that position unless it is locked (see below).
Positioning and Grid lock:
Normally filer icons are positioned at the exact position they were dropped
on MegaBoard. However if the Grid lock option is on then any icons
placed or moved on MegaBoard will be positioned at the closest grid
point. The Grid lock option is toggled by choosing the Grid lock menu item
on MegaBoard menu.
Note: Grid lock only applies to Filer icons placed or moved when it is
activated. Activating Grid lock has no effect on existing icons unless
they are moved.
Grid lock has no effect on special or window icons
Double-clicking:
Double-clicking Select on an icon placed in the manner described above has
the same effect as it would in a Filer window. Double-clicking Adjust is
identical unless the 'Adjust Removes' option is set in the main menu, in
which case the icon is also removed from MegaBoard.
Dragging:
Icons dragged from MegaBoard and dropped on other applications (including the
Filer) are also treated in the same way as icons dragged from a Filer window
with the exception of dragging with Shift copying not moving the selected
items.
Dragging with Adjust additionally removes the items from MegaBoard if the
'Adjust Removes' option is set in the main menu.
Selecting:
Filer icons can be selected in several ways:
1. Clicking Select on an unselected icon selects it and deselects all others.
Clicking Select on a selected icon has no effect.
2. Clicking Adjust on an unselected icon selects it.
Clicking Adjust on a selected icon deselects it.
3. Dragging Select on MegaBoard produces a bounding box within which all
icons are selected.
4. Dragging Adjust on MegaBoard produces a bounding box within which all
unselected icons are selected and selected icons are deselected.
5. Clicking Menu over an icon when none are selected selects that icon and
opens the main menu.
Information:
Information on a Filer icon can be obtained by choosing the 'Info' option
from the 'File' Submenu.
Removing:
Filer icons that are no longer required can be removed from MegaBoard by
selecting them and choosing the 'Remove' option from the 'File' submenu.
Opening the parent directory:
The parent directory of a file or directory can be opened by choosing the
'Open Directory' option from the 'File' submenu.
Locking:
An icon can be locked to MegaBoard to prevent it from being moved. Locking is
toggled by choosing the 'Lock' option in the 'File' submenu. Locked filer
icons can still be dragged, but dropping them back onto MegaBoard will not
move them.
Moving to the front or back:
Should an icon be obscuring another it is possible to move it to the back of
the heap by choosing the 'Back' option from the 'File' submenu. Similarly an
icon can be moved to the front by choosing the 'Front' option from the same
submenu.
Altered files:
If a file whose icon is on MegaBoard, is deleted or renamed the icon will be
automatically removed from MegaBoard. Similarly if the filetype is altered,
the MegaBoard icon will be updated to reflect the change.
Window icons
------------
iconising application windows:
Clicking on a window's close icon with Shift will cause it to be reduced to a
MegaBoard icon. An exception is filer windows, these will only be handled in
the same way if the 'iconise dirs' option is set in the MegaBoard menu,
otherwise the icon of the parent directory is placed on MegaBoard as a Filer
icon (see above).
Removing:
Window icons cannot be removed using the MegaBoard menu. Double clicking
Adjust or Select on a window icon brings the window to the front and removes
the icon. The icon will also be removed if the window's parent application
closes or reopens the window.
Accessing menus of iconised windows:
iconised windows may have menus associated with them, if this is the case
then clicking Menu while pressing Shift opens this menu.
Note: Window icons cannot be locked.
Backdrops
---------
To create a backdrop execute the following steps:
1. Choose the 'Make' option from the backdrop submenu. This opens the
backdrop setup dialogue box.
2. Drag the object (directory (see below), sprite, or draw file) containing
the backdrop to the appropriately marked icon.
3. Select the desired horizontal and vertical positioning icons or the tiled
icon.
4. Click on 'OK'.
To remove a backdrop choose the 'Remove' option from the Backdrop submenu.
To change the colour of the background choose the 'Colour' option from the
Backdrop submenu. The colour can then be chosen using a standard colour
selector.
If the 'Autoscale' option in the 'Backdrop' submenu is selected then the
backdrop will be scaled to always occupy the same number of OS-units not
pixels on the screen in the same way as icons. E.g. a backdrop in the
standard 1600x600 mode will be scaled to the same size it would be if the
resolution were 1600x1200. This sounds more complicated than it is the effect
of the autoscale option is best understood by experimentation.
When a backdrop is created, it is possible that part of the screen becomes
corrupted and is then redrawn, this is normal and not a bug.
Cycled backdrops:
It is possible to select a number of backdrop pictures that will be displayed
successively each being visible for a user-defined time period before being
replaced by the next. This is achieved by the following procedure:
- Create a directory to hold the backdrop pictures.
- Copy the files into this directory (it is irrelevant whether these are draw
files or sprites or a mixture of both).
- Create a script file, either by using the supplied !MakeScrpt application
or you can write it yourself:
Write a text file containing a list of entries of the following format:
Start_Backdrop
Horizontal position: <position>
Vertical position: <position>
Time: <Time the file should be displayed seconds>
Name: <Filename of the file>
Background colour red component: <perce