This program is Public Domain; this means you can copy it around as much as
you like as long as you include all the files and you don't alter any of
them.
NB: Sprites on menu structures do not work under development RISC OS 3.22n,
please enable the option for no sprites (unknown if sprites work on
RISC OS 3.5).
Introduction
============
IconDir was written because I was fed up with Menon, IconDir has (in my
opinion) the following main advantages:
a) You do not need to design your menus very much.
b) When you have new files, you do not have to update it.
c) You have little sprites on the menu structure (best feature!)
d) You can drag and drop the icons off the menu.
The idea behind IconDir is that it will create a menu structure just like you
have on your disc. You are able to specify the directory to start in, but
everything else is searched for on the disc.
Setting up your copy
====================
To bring up the configuration window, you must click with select or adjust on
the icon bar.
If you do not like the sprites on the menus you have the option to select
"Do not use sprites on menu structure", this will have no effect other than
to tell IconDir that all menus must not have sprites in them.
There is also the option to not create submenus past the application stage,
this is quite useful as you may get annoyed at all the submenus that are
around for you to accidentaly move over, also it makes the menu clearer.
Then you have to choose how many items to be available on the main menu,
a maximum of 12. For each item, a name and a pathname must be specified,
the name will appear on the menu and the pathname will be used to find the
files to create the menus.
Typical entries are:
Utilities adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Utilities
Applics adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Applics
Games CFS#adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Games
Music CFS#adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Music
you can also use 'special' characters:
Library %
Root $
CSD @
and sometimes it can be useful to use different drives:
HardDisc adfs::4.$ or adfs::IDEDisc4.$
Floppy adfs::0.$
Resources Resources:$
RAM RAM:$
You may drag a file, directory or application to the writeable icons in order
to quickly insert the pathname (files will have their leafnames stripped
obviously).
You may also select whether you want a beep to be emitted when you use the
hotkey to change directory (SHIFT-TAB).
Kickstarting may also be halted so that the options setup in the 'HotKeys'
file will be ignored.
Mode
====
There are 3 different modes:
a) Select files, open directories.
b) Delete files, remove entire directories.
c) SetType files, open directories.
In select mode, files are loaded, directories are opened and applications are
loaded unless shift is held down in which they are opened like directories.
In delete mode, files, applications and directories are deleted (recursively)
except that you will be given a short warning to make sure you want to
proceed.
In settype mode, files are settyped to the specified filetype, and
applications/directories are opened.
Icons
=====
Icons on menus are only normally available on RiscOS 3, but thanks to a patch
module included with this program, icons on menus are available to all.
Icons are chosen exactly as if they would appear in the normal filer windows.
Firstly the smaller icon is checked for, if that doesn't exist then the large
icon is checked for and if that exists the sprite is displayed at half size. If both sprites are missing then the default sprite is used (a blank sprite
for files, an 'app' symbol for applications).
Dragging off the menu
=====================
If you select a menu item with the menu button then IconDir will initiate a
drag. If you drag the item to a directory display then the file will be
copied, if you drag the item to an application the file will be loaded.
Setting the CSD
===============
To set the current directory, hold down CTRL and TAB together whilst you have
the mouse pointer over the directory you would like to change to.
Note: The current owner of the caret might claim this key, and hence IconDir
won't be able to set the directory, eg. StrongEd uses CTRL-TAB to mean change
tab type.
Hotkeys
=======
A hotkey is a key or key-combination that activates something, in IconDir you
may setup as many hotkeys as you like and they can be activated by holding
down CTRL and the corresponding letter. For example I have got StrongEd
to load up when I hold down CTRL and E, I use the letter E for StrongEd as
I have Spark on the letter S and obviously you can't have two applications
loading on the same keypress as it would be very silly.
* Now follows how to set out the HotKeys file, you do not need to read this
* as IconDir now has a hotkey management program which can be activated from
* the misc menu on IconDir.
Within the IconDir directory is a file called 'HotKeys' and this is the file
that decides which hotkeys you have setup. The format of the file is very
straight forward, firstly you have the filename or directory name of the file
or directory you would like to load or open. Secondly you have the hotkey
letter that you would like to designate to doing that action, for example:
adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Applics.!StrongED2 E
This means that when you hold down CTRL and E it will startup StrongEd. You
are allowed as many spaces before the filename, before the hotkey and after
the hotkey as you like.
You may also have comments in your 'HotKeys' file, these start with the '|'
character. For example:
| This is my HotKeys file, anybody who alters it will die...
A 'HotKeys' file MUST be terminated with the 'END' line:
| Comment
<filename> [<hotkey>] [<*>]
<filename> [<hotkey>] [<*>]
<filename> [<hotkey>] [<*>]
....
END
Anything after the END statement is ignored, if the END is missing then it
will probably crash. (The END must be on it's own seperate line)
For details on the "[<*>]" then please see 'Kickstarting applications'.
Hotkeys will appear on the menus to remind you that there is a shortcut
defined (they will appear as ^<letter>), remember that if you don't have a
menu containing the file you have specified for a shortcut then it will still
work (assuming the file exists) although you will never see the reminder.
Hotkey reminders (eg. ^E) will not appear on the main menu, but you may have
hotkeys activated on the main menu items.
The Hotkeys application
=======================
The Hotkeys application was written by Graham Crow to support IconDir. It
greatly simplifies the job of assigning hotkeys so that IconDir files may
be created without having to edit the raw textfile. This application also
allows you to determine whether objects should be kickstarted or not.
After you have saved your hotkey file, you must reload IconDir.
Kickstarting applications
=========================
After each entry in the hotkeys file you may also specify whether the program
is to be automatically loaded when IconDir is first loaded.
This is very useful as an alternative to a boot file, just !IconDir has to be
loaded.
To make an application run automatically (or indeed, open a a directory or
run a file) then you do not need to make the application have a hotkey.
For example, you could have the following line in your 'HotKeys' file:
adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Applics.!StrongED2 E *
but you may not want StrongEd2 to have a hotkey, so you would have the line:
adfs::IDEDisc4.$.Applics.!StrongED2 *
As you can see, either option is optional.
Recall
======
Recall is a small utility which offers a quick way of reopening recently
opened directories.
From when IconDir is loaded, whenever you open a directory, its name is
added to the 'Recall' menu. Selecting the name of a directory from the
recall menu will open that directory.
If you open more than 8 directories then the directories that opened the
longest time ago are removed from the menu. The menu is always in order
of when they were opened, the first at the top, the last at the bottom.
Selecting 'Recall' itself will have the effect of clearing the menu.
Impressed?
==========
If this was a shareware program this is where I would ask you to send some
money to me, but since it isn't - if you are pleased and don't know how you
could have survived without IconDir then why not write to me and tell me,
including any suggestions for new features or just to say 'Hi'!
Other programs by me
====================
Cookies is a cookie randomiser for your desktop boot files, stick it in and
it will give you a humourous quote or saying everytime you turn your computer
on!
Palette is a replacement PaletteUtil, Palette provides a user-editable mode
menu, as well as hotkeys to change modes and many many many more features.
NodeList is a BBS nodelist viewer so that you can search for boards in your
area or compile a BB list.
I hope you have copies of our commercial programs... (and I hope you paid!)
Contacts
========
If you have any suggestions, or you have found a bug, or even if you just
want to tell me how great you think this program is, ring or write to the
address in the textfile 'DoggySftCt'.
If you are a PD Company or a magazine then DoggySoft would be happy to