LSD Docs/LSD Docs.iso/FILEZ/lsd52.dms/lsd52.adf/Clarissa-part1/Clarissa-part1

Text File | 1992-10-23 | 135KB | 3,370 lines

                              clariSSA 1.1
                                proDAD
                       Scanned and Edited By DIT
                               13-08-94
                         For Fireflash of OTT

                            Table Of Contents

Part 1

 A. Foreword ................................................... A-1

 B. Product Description ........................................ B-1

 1. Using This Manual .......................................... 1-1
    1.1. General ............................................... 1-1
    1.2. Structure ............................................. 1-1
    1.3. Popular Terms ......................................... 1-4
    1.4. Textual Aids .......................................... 1-4
    1.5. Technical Supports .................................... 1-5

 2. Installation ............................................... 2-1
    2.1. System Requirements ................................... 2-1
    2.2. Guidelines for AmgaDOS1.3 Users ....................... 2-1
    2.3. Installing clariSSA on a Hard Disk .................... 2-2


 3. Important SSA Concepts ..................................... 3-1
    3.1. General ............................................... 3-1
    3.2. What Distinguishes AMIN5 from SSA Format? ............. 3-1
    3.3. Tips for Working with SSA ............................. 3-2
    3.4. Basics for DDO/DMO Storage Operations ................. 3-3
    3.5. Strarting the Program/The User Interface .............. 3-5


 4. First Steps With clariSSA .................................. 4-1
    4.1. Loading ANIM5 Animations .............................. 4-1
    4.2. The File Requester .................................... 4-1
    4.3. Animation Playback .................................... 4-6
    4.4. Loading Single Frame Sequences ........................ 4-8
    4.4. Swapping Animation Bufffers ........................... 4-8
    4.6. Saving SSA Animations ................................. 4-9
    4.7. Single Frame Interface Function ....................... 4-11
         4.7.1. Record Function ................................ 4-14
         4.7.2. Erase Function ................................. 4-14
         4.7.3. Format Conversion .............................. 4-14

Page A6-1

 5. Advanced Use Of clariSSA ................................... 5-1
    5.1. Steps for the Creation of Loop Effects ................ 5-1
    5.2. The Monitor Window - Format Information ............... 5-2
    5.3. The Monitor Window - System Information ............... 5-3
    5.4. The Play Mode Window .................................. 5-3
    5.5. The Edit Mode Window .................................. 5-5
    5.6. The Preferences Window ................................ 5-6
    5.7. Monitor Centring Function - 'Monitor /SMove' .......... 5-9
    5.8. The ScreenGrabber ..................................... 5-10
    5.9. The Colour Function ................................... 5-13
    5.10. The Help Function .................................... 5-16
    5.11. Quitting clariSSA .................................... 5-17
    5.12. Notes for AmigaDOS 1.3 users ......................... 5-18

 6. Tips & Tricks .............................................. 6-1
    6.1. Slow Play ............................................. 6-1
    6.2. Increasing Playback Speed ............................. 6-1
    6.3. Decreasing Playback Speed ............................. 6-2
    6.4. Help with Limited Memory .............................. 6-2
    6.5. Conversion from Non-interlace To Interlace Animations . 6-2
    6.6. Producing a pause ..................................... 6-3
    6.7. Number of Frames In An Animation ...................... 6-3
    6.8. Multitasking With AmigaDOS2.X ......................... 6-3
    6.9. Dialogue-Based Processes .............................. 6-3
    6.1O. Adapting clariSSA To Your System ..................... 6-4
    6.11. Graphics Formats and Recommendations ................. 6-4

 7. ARexx Control & Programming ................................ 7-1
    7.1. Introduction .......................................... 7-1
    7.2. Overview .............................................. 7-2
    7.3. Syntax Guide .......................................... 7-3
         7.3.1. Format ......................................... 7-3
         7.3.2. Masks and Parameters ........................... 7-4
    7.4. Individual Instructions ............................... 7-5
    7.5. Example of an SSA-Macro ............................... 7-24

Page A6-2

 8. Customising The User Interface ............................. 8-1
    8.1. Introduction .......................................... 8-1
    8.2. Overview .............................................. 8-2
    8.3. Syntax Guide .......................................... 8-2
         8.3.1. Format ......................................... 8-3
         8.3.2. Masks & Parameters ............................. 8-3
    8.4. Individual Instructions ............................... 8-4
         8.4.1. Menu Commands .................................. 8-4
         8.4.2. Gadget Commands ................................ 8-6
         8.4.3. StartUp Commands ............................... 8-7
         8.4.4. Keyboard Commands .............................. 8-9
    8.5. Startup File Definition ............................... 8-10
         8.5.1. Menu Definition ................................ 8-11
         8.5.2. Gadget Definition .............................. 8-14
         8.5.3. Key Combinations ............................... 8-15
         8.5.4. StartUp Definition ............................. 8-17

 9. The Multifunction Gadgets .................................. 9-1
    9.1. Main Page ............................................. 9-1
    9.2. Effects ............................................... 9-2
    9.3. Change animation Format ............................... 9-3
    9.4. Import Graphics ....................................... 9-4
    9.5. Edit .................................................. 9-5
    9.6. Colour ................................................ 9-6
    9.7. Dialogue-Based Processes .............................. 9-8

 APPENDIX 1:The Menu Items ..................................... A1-1
    1. Menu Item 'Project' ..................................... A1-1
    2. Menu Item 'Edit' ........................................ A1-2
    3. Menu Item 'Animation' ................................... A1-2
    4. Menu Item 'Macros' ...................................... A1-3
    5. Menu Item, SSA' ......................................... A1-3

Page A6-3

    6. Menu Item 'Settings' .................................... A1-4
    7. Menu Item 'Monitors' .................................... A1-5

 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 1 ................................ A2-1
 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 2 ................................ A2-1
 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 3 ................................ A2-1
 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 4 ................................ A2-1
 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 5 ................................ A2-1
 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 6 ................................ A2-1
 APPENDIX 2: Exercise Answers 7 ................................ A2-1

 APPENDIX 3: clariSSA Errors and Error Descriptions ............ A3-1
 APPENDIX 4: GLOSSARY .......................................... A4-1
 APPENDIX 5: Index ............................................. A5-1

Page A6-4

                     clariSSA Version 2.0 Addendum
                           Table Of Contents

 1. INSTALLATION/PREPARATIONS FOR WORKING WITH V2.0 . 2

 2. SSAAPREF ........................................ 2

 3. THE ANIMATION PLAYER ............................ 4

 4. THE ANIMATION PROFILE ........................... 5
    4.1 THE PROFILE MONITOR ......................... 5
    4.2 CLIPBOARD FUNCTIONS IN PROFILE .............. 7

 5. EDIT ............................................ 11

 6. ADDITIONS TO THE WINDOW 'ENVIRONMENT' ........... 12
    6.1 DDO TRANSFER VOLUME ......................... 12
    6.2 CONFIRM RANGE ............................... 12
    6.3 SUPPORT 24-BIT BACKGROUNDS .................. 12
    6.4 2MONITOR SYSTEM ............................. 12
    6.5 DMO SAVE .................................... 13
    6.6 SFAF ........................................ 13
    6.7 LIMITED INPUT ............................... 13
    6.8 HB-COMPENSATION (field modification) ........ 14


 7. FRAME COMPENSATION AND LACE COMPENSATION ........ 15
    7.1 FRAME COMPENSATION .......................... 15
    7.2 LACE COMPENSATION ........................... 16

 8. REMOVAL OF INTERLACE MOVEMENT INTERFERENCE ...... 17

 9. ADDITIONAL PLAYBACK MODES ....................... 18
    9.1 FFSTOP ...................................... 18
    9.2 BLACK SCREEN ................................ 19
    9.3 BACKGROUND .................................. 19
    9.4 HARMONY LOOP ................................ 20
    9.5 VIEW FREEZER ................................ 20
    9.6 IFL ......................................... 20

Page TOC-1

 10. SCREEN ATTRIBUTES .............................. 21

 11. NEW FUNCTIONS AND COMMANDS FOR V2.0 ............ 22
     11.1 MENU ITEM PROJECT/NEW ANIMATION ........... 22
     11.2 MENU SSA / RELEASE ALL MEMORY ............. 22
     11.3 NEW COMMANDS .............................. 22

 12. COMPLEMENTARY MACROS ........................... 24
     12.1 AA-DCTV ................................... 24
     12.2 IMPORT VLAB SEQUENCE ...................... 24
     12.3 MAKE PLAYER ............................... 24

 13. ADDENDUM: COMPRESSION MODELS ................... 26



                            clariSSA, proDAD
                  Andreas Huber & Holger Burkarth, 1992



         English-language manual and screen prompts of clariSSA
                                BVG 1994
                          All rights reserved.


Copyright Information

This product and all of its components -- software, manual, packaging,
etc. -- are subject to copyright regulations. All rights reserved. Whole
or partial reproduction of the software, manual, packaging, etc. is not
allowed in any format without the express written permission of proDAD
and BVG.

proDAD and BVG make no warranties, either expressed or implied, regarding
this enclosed computer software product, its merchantability or its
fitness for any particular purposes. In addition, proDAD and BVG cannot
be held responsible for any damages caused as a result of the use of this
product


We would be glad to receive any information about errors which you might
discover when working with clariSSA.

Trademark Information


Amiga, Amiga 2000, Amiga 3000, AmigaDOS, Amiga Workbench and Amiga
Kickstart are registered trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Inc. Commodore,
CBM. the Amiga symbol and the Commodore logo are registered trademarks of

 Commodore Electronics, Ltd. All other product names referenced in this
manual are registered trademarks and the property of their respective
companies.

Usage Rights

Each unit of clariSSA is sold for use on one computer only . Copying and
further distribution is strictly forbidden. If you're interested in using
multiple copies of clariSSA at the same site, you must secure written
permission from proDAD in the form of a site license agreement. A site
license agreement can be obtained by writing to:

                                 proDAD
                   Software Production and Multimedia
                       Re: Site License Agreement
                            FeldelestraBe 24

                            78194 Immendingen
                                 Germany


                               A. Foreword

clariSSA is an animation processing program. It is suitable for use by
professionals and hobbyists. clariSSA's conversion module, multi-purpose
interface and digital effect device work to combine animated computer
pictures quickly and compactly .

With clariSSA you'll find your animations gain in quality and creativity
in a short period of time. This will bring more value and pleasure to
your Amiga-generated animation work.

During its development, clariSSA was tested by professional Amiga users.
Their feedback helped to ensure clariSSA developed into a practical,
sensible sophisticated enough program to meet the needs of Amiga users
interested generating quality work. ProDAD wishes to thank these Amiga
users for their input as well as the following individuals who helped
with the creation of clariSSA:


Michael Schleicher (design, layout),
Gary Whiteley (English manual translation),
Ben Vost (English version revisions) and Grieshaber (printing-office).

We hope you enjoy your new proDAD product!

proDAD, Andreas Huber & Holger Burkarth

Page A-1

                         B. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

clariSSA is an animation processing tool. But it`s not like other effects
programs or animation creation tools that you might be familiar with such
as DPaint, Image or the effects program Adorage. The following are some
of the key features that set clariSSA apart from these and other
animation tools:

clariSSA - The Animation Accelerator
clariSSA accelerates your ANIM5 animations so that they run more
naturally and smoothly. This is achieved with clariSSA`s SSA (Super
Smooth Animation) feature. SSA - format files take up less RAM and disk
space than the ANIM5 format because the former are calculated whilst the
latter use data compression techniques.

clariSSA - the Multi-Purpose Interface
clariSSA makes it easier for you to create longer and more effective
animations from different animations and single frame sequences. It can,
for instance, mix an overlay effect created with Adorage with a ray
traced animation then playback an absolutely smooth result. And with SSA
you don`t need to worry about palette matching.

clariSSA - Specialist of Dynamic Organization
clariSSA - allows you to create large animations and use minimal working
RAM to store them. clariSSA also offers you the possibility of altering
your animation data. Your hard disk or drive can also be used as virtual
memory.

clariSSA - The ARexx Interface
clariSSA is fully ARexx compatible, making it highly flexible and
multitasking with other programs.

clariSSA can be used for creating chains of animations, for problem-free
integration of single images (with varied palettes), for time effects
(slow motion, fast motion), for colour effects, Rap-Effects, Stroboscope
effects and linkage effects. clariSSA can also be used to improve the
quality of exiating animations.

Colour Effect Generator
You can also use clariSSA to create different genuine colour effects such
as colour fading, dissolving, light flashes, false colour or single
colour fading. These effects used to be available only on very expensive
systems like Apple Macintosh. But now with the availability of clariSSA
you can obtain thes effects in full SSA quality. What`s more, these
effects can be used in subsequent animations.

Page B-1

                          1. USING THIS MANUAL

                              1.1. GENERAL

Before beginning, we recommend that you study this manual thoroughly.
When using clariSSA, keep the manual close to hand and refer to it when
necessary. It is important that you become familiar with the basics of
clariSSA and SSA (Super Smooth Animation). You do not need to be an Amiga
expert to work with clariSSA, but you should be familiar with Amiga
basics such as input/output, Workbench functions and working in a
multitasking environment.

You`ll find a short glossary of technical terms in the appendix of this
manual. As clariSSA is an animation processing program, it is essential
to work with an existing animation -- either an imported animation or one
created by yourself. If you encounter concepts which are not explained in
the glossary, please consult your Amiga manual where you`ll find a range
of typical Amiga technical terms.


                             1.2 Structure

This chapter deals with the following:

     a)    Instructions for using clariSSA.
     b)    Exercises.
     c)    Reference work for future use.


To use clariSSA most effectively it is important to work through the
manual from begining to end. At the end of each chapter you will find
exercises which check your clarriSSA knowlwdge. Sometimes you'll alaso
find practical questions. The answers to the exercises can be found in
Appendix 2: Exercise Answers. When you have "passed" the instruction
course, you will only need this manual for reference.

Please note that when the manual refers to AmigaDOS2.0 these references
also apply to AmigaDOS1.3. Any important differences will be highlighted.

Page 1-1

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THIS MANUAL:

As already mentioned, there are sections at the end of each chapter for
you to test your knowlwdge. In each chapter, you will also find the
following signs:


  (!)    Careful with this procedure, warnings or conditions must always
         be read.

  (A)    Reference for basic knowledge in the AMIGA manual.

  (N)    Notes

If you use these symbols as guides, you will find it easier and faster to
use clariSSA.

If you are the type of person who dislikes manuals we advise you to take
note of these symbols and learn their most important points. In addition,
if you at least read the summaries and exercises at the end of each
chapter, you should become proficient enough to work with clariSSA.

Page 1-2

What does 'Monitor/SMove~ or 'Project/Load Single Image' mean?

'Monitor / SMove' means that the function 'SMove' will be displayed in
the 'Montior' window.

 ***  See Fig 1-1  ***

Menu 'Project' + 'Load Animation' = 'Project / Load Animation',
indicating that an animation will be loaded.

 ***  See Fig 1-1  ***

Page 1-3

In this guide we make it clear when we are dealing with Menus, Gadgets or
Functions every step of the way.


                           1.3. Popular Terms

  *** See Fig 1-2 ***

Click right or Click left

Page 1-4

Press or activate right or left mouse key, then release.

Double click
Press left mouse key twise in rapid succession.


                           1.4. Textural Aids

Chapter headings are in bold type. Important information in the body of
the manual is printed in italics.


                         1.5. Technical Support

Technical support for clariSSA is only available to users who have
returned a valid registration card. When you first start clariSSA, you
will be asked to enter details to personalise your copy of clariSSA. When
you have done this a number will be generated which you should be put on
your registration card along with your details. Please ensure that you
enter this information accurately. Only once we have received your
completed registration card will our technical support services be
available to you.

If you have a problem that you can duplicate, please feel free to call us
so that we might help you. Please note thet we won't provide general
Amiga technical support or support for non-ProDAD products.

The telephone number for clariSSA technical support service is :

     ([phone]

and support is available between the hours of 11:00 - 18:00 GMT, Mondays
to Fridays. Alternatively, you may fax us on: ([phone].

Before ringing us, try to ensure that you are sitting by the machine so
that we can run things through with you. If this is not possible, please
be prepared to provide the following information:

   *  the model of your Amiga
   *  its CPU (processor) type - e.g. 68030

Page 1-5

   *  RAM configuration
   *  Storage capacity and other peripherals
   *  Version of Workbench and details of any other programs you may have
      running at the same time.

Page 1-6

                             2. Installation


                        2.1. System Requirements

Theoretically it is possible to use clariSSA on any Amiga. However,
clariSSA is most effective and productive when your Amiga has at least
3MB of memory installed and a hard disk.

An accelerator will contribute substantially to your working with
clariSSA, though one isn't obligatory. With a 68000 processor the work is
generally slower and more tedious - a 68020 (Or better) will
substantially improve both animation playback and calculation
performance, as well as having many benefits with other programs. An RGB
or other suitable monitor is recommended.

For best results AmigaDOS2.X (or greater) should be installed. This will
also enable ARexx to run without limitation. The minimum requirement is
AmigaDOS 1 .3 .

The clariSSA package contains one (1) program disk (which includes ARexx
macros), manual and registration card.

Before using the program you should make a back up copy of the program
disk you don't know how to do this consult your Amiga manual.


                  2.2. Guidelines for AmigaDOS1.3 Users

If you are a AmigaDOS1.3 user, you will need to consider the following
when working with clariSSA:

It's possible for the animation screen to disappear into the background;
this allows only the foreground to be called up. In this situation, the
<Help> key is particularly important. Once activated (by clicking on the
screen with the left mouse button) screens will be returned to their
normal positions,

There are also limitations to some operations and playback speed may be
reduced. Some functions, in particular all ARexx functions, may be
absent. AmigaDOS1.3


Page 2-1


users can, however, purchase and install ARexx separately - consult your
dealer. Additionally, you will have to accept limitations in the user -
prompting system that is in use with clariSSA.

                 2.3. Installing clariSSA on a Hard Disk

To install the clariSSA program, simply drag the hard disk installation
icon from the program disk into the desired destination drawer. The
installation program can be activated by double clicking on this icon and
clariSSA will then be completely installed.

Before you start working with clariSSA, please read the information in
the Read Me file (double click on the Read Me icon). Here you will find
additional useful information not included in this manual. You should
also read the 'Menu Items' appendix.

  *****************************************************************
  *                                                               *
  *   Exercise Number 1.                                          *
  *                                                               *
  * 1. Which AmigaDOS version do you need to operate clariSSA?    *
  *                                                               *
  * 2. From which AmigaDOS version is clariSSA ARexx compatible?  *
  *                                                               *
  * 3. For AmigaDOS 1.3 users: How can you re-sort your screens?  *
  *                                                               *
  * Answers                                                       *
  *                                                               *
  *****************************************************************

Page 2-2


                       3. Important SSA Concepts .

                              3.1. General.

One great strength of clariSSA is its ability to change existing 5
animations into SSA animations. To help you understand the differences
between the two formats here are descriptions of both ANIM5 and SSA
animations.


              3.2. What Distinguishes ANIMS from SSA Format?

ANIM5 is actually called "ANIM OPT 5" but it is usually referred to as
ANIM5. There are several versions of this format from ANIM0 to ANIM5.

In principle, ANIM5 works in a similar way to the "Thumb-Flicker" books
used by children, though in computer terms it is referred to as "Page-
Flipping" and is obviously a digital, rather than analogue, technique. By
replaying a series of stored frames at up to 25 frames per second the
illusion of continual movement is created,

Page 3-1

different colour palettes for every frame of an animation, which can be a
great quality drawback. clariSSA does.

Imagine you have to display an animation of a wonderful late summer
evening from romantic sunset to perfect full moon with just one set of
colour values. The sunset, the night, and especially the full moon - will
all have a red tint.

Fortunately with SSA we are able to use different colour palettes for
each new image -- even at a rate of about twenty-five images per second.
Therefore even a digitised sunset can appear quite natural providing the
digitised colour palette is managed correctly . With a little imagination
you can see that many of the previous ANIM5 limitations can be overcome:

                          Several colour values
                                    |
                                    |
                            Better contrasts
                                    |
                                    |
                  More natural colours during movement


With SSA you can create real colour effects or palette area changes in
animations which are much more realistic than, for instance, colour
cycling. Another benefit is the ease of integrating animations which have
different colour palettes. Additional advantages of SSA include DDO and
DMO ( => See below), which can generate increased speed in motion
playback and allow more flexibility when combining several animations.


                     3.3. Tips for Working with SSA

When playing back SSA animations you should ensure that long-persistence
monitors and flicker fixers are not used as these will eliminate the
half-frame effect. You'll notice after working with clariSSA that an SSA
animation will usually run twice as fast as its original ANIM5 version.
You should also understand that when preparing an ANIM5 animation for
conversion it must be in an interlaced format. This is important as the
main principle for the successful replay of SSA animations is interlace
line skip. If your original animation is not in an interlaced format, it

Page 3-2

can be easily converted after it has been loaded into clariSSA. The
choice of overscan is up to you.

Details of the user interface operations will be dealt with in detail
throughout this manual.


               3.4. Basics for DDO/DMO Storage Operations

DDO and DMO are extremely useful functions to help with the efficient
management of memory and storage media while using clariSSA. They are
equally useful whether you are working with a little or a lot of Fast
RAM.

DDO
DDO stands for Dynamic Disk Operation - a system which makes use of a
virtual storage medium, such as a disk drive. The advantage of this is
the ability to edit large animations even with small storage
configurations. DDO makes it possible, for instance, to create a 5MB

animation with only 1MB of data storage by spreading it across several
floppy disks.

Another advantage of DDO is the relocation of data which is not
immediately required. Data such as an ANIM5 animation, which is normally
held in memory, can be relocated to disk. When the data is required it is
reloaded and only as much data as is immediately necessary will be
reloaded. For instance, if the animation has only moved forward by one
frame then only one frame is reloaded.


     (!)       When using a higher resolution graphic format
               reloading may take longer.


DMO
DMO means Dynamic Memory Operation. SSA animations which are currently in
memory can be displayed and afterwards the memory will be purged. This
does not disrupt the animation flow , but animation storage in memory can
be reduced to almost half-size. When there is a memory shortage, you
should carry out a DMO operation after each SSA creation.

Page 3-3

If for instance Rap Effects have been created in SSA, memory can then be
reclaimed with a DMO operation .


     (!)  Note that DMO operations can only be carried out
          with evenly-numbered frames.

In addition, SSA offers a multitude of new , intelligent, memory
utilisation functions. Any animation data which is in chip RAM may need
to be relocated to Fast RAM - therefore slowing down playback. In some
situations a solution can be found so that when the storage limit is
reached the animation can continue to be processed without having to
recalculate the entire animation again.


  *********************************************************************
  *                                                                   *
  *   Exercise Number 2                                               *
  *                                                                   *
  *   1. Why are SSA animations effectively more natural than ANIM5   *
  *      animations?                                                  *
  *                                                                   *
  *   2. Why is Interlace important to SSA?                           *
  *                                                                   *
  *   3. What do DMO and DDO mean?                                    *
  *                                                                   *
  *   4. What affects optimum DMO operations?                         *
  *                                                                   *
  *   Answers                                                         *
  *                                                                   *
  *********************************************************************

Page 3-4

             3.5. Starting the Program / The User Interface


When clariSSA is started by double clicking on the clariSSA icon, the
user interface will appear. In future, when you load clariSSA the Fast
Load requester will appear asking you whether you wish to load the
animation you were working on when you last quit clariSSA.

 ***  See Fig 3-1 ***

Page 3-5

                     Multifunction Gadget Page (MFG)

As you can see the user interface follows the standard AmigaDOS2.0
design. This makes clariSSA's use somewhat easier than under AmigaDOS1.3.


The Menu Bar
The Menu Bar is activated by holding down the right mouse button so that
the main menu headings are displayed. Items are selected by moving over
them while still holding down the right mouse button; they will be
activated upon its release.

The Program Window
Here you'll find the tools and information required for setting up the
program, in a window which, like any other, can be moved up and down by
holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse whilst the
pointer is on the title bar (see below).


The clariSSA Title Bar
The clariSSA Title Bar contains the version number, a copyright message
and the window shuffle gadget. Under certain conditions, such as macro
operations, this bar becomes a status indicator.

The Two Control Bars
You'll find two Control Bars directly under the Title bar which
automatically change when some functions of clariSSA are in use. At other
times they appear to do nothing .

The Monitor Window
The Monitor window, on the left directly under the Control Bars, is where
clariSSA displays various sets of information (such as memory usage) or
SMove status and it can also be used to enter parameter/value information
when required. Different Monitor windows can be called up by clicking on
the System button - which is

Page 3-6

actually a cycle gadget. You can return to the previous Monitor window by
holding down a <SHIFT> key during selection. The <SHIFT> key is used
throughout clariSSA's operations to invert certain functions - in this
case the reverse selection of the Monitor window. The different Monitor
windows can also be called up or activated from the 'Monitors' item in
the Menu Bar.

The Control Buttons
The Control Buttons are located directly to the right of the System
switch at the top of the Monitor window and mimic the action of the video
recorder symbols from which they take their design.

The Anim Information Field
This is a cycle gadget which is initially labelled "Master" . By clicking
on it, we see that it also handles sources A, B, C and D. At the same
time the values in the information field below also change. This gadget
will take on a very important role during operations with clariSSA -
including interaction between any of several animation sources stored in
memory and the working animation itself (which is referred to as the
Master).

The Multi-Function Gadget (MFG) Page
Here you can set up your own special functions as gadgets. The gadgets
are called Multi-Function Gadgets (MFGs) and their uses are completely
flexible and programmable. The page contains an information bar called
"MFG" where the functions to be performed are displayed when their button
is pressed. The bar below shows the name of the sub-page on which other
buttons can be found and there are also gadgets for interaction between
these sub-pages and the main page.

After a few experiments you should be able to create your own MFGs. Be
sure to read the information StartUp Commands in Chapter 8, ARexx Control
(Chapter 7) and Additional Gadgets (Chapter 9).'

Page 3-7

 *****************************************************************
 *                                                               *
 *  Exercise Number 3                                            *
 *                                                               *
 *  1. What are the results of clicking with:                    *
 *     a. The right mouse button.7                               *
 *     b. The left mouse button.?                                *
 *                                                               *
 *  2. How are Cycle gadgets marked on the user interface.?      *
 *                                                               *
 *  3. What are gadgets?                                         *
 *                                                               *
 *  4. What do Source and Master mean with regard to clariSSA.?  *
 *                                                               *
 *  5 . What are MFGs?                                           *
 *                                                               *
 *  6. What does Monitor Window mean and where do you find it on *
 *     the screen.?                                              *
 *                                                               *
 * Answers                                                       *
 *                                                               *
 *****************************************************************

Page 3-8


                      4. First Steps With clariSSA


                      4.1. Loading ANIM5 Animations

In this section you will learn how to load ANIM5 animations for further
processing. To begin, the following explains the operation of the file
requester.

Hold down the right mouse button,
Select 'Load Animation' from the 'Project' menu,
Release the mouse button

You could also use the keyboard short cut <RightAmiga + O>

A file requester will then appear.


                         4.2. The File Requester

 *** See Fig 4-1 ***

The borders of the file requester are coloured to indicate that it is now
active. I they are not coloured the requester is not active and must be
clicked on to activate it. In the file requester you will see the file
display field where you can make your choice from any available files. To
make your selection easier, the slider performs the same action as the
arrows on the right side; they scroll the display. Under the

Page 4-1

file list are the displays "Free" and "Bytes' and the input boxes for
"Drawer" and "File".

Displays:

Free = Indicates available storage capacity on the currently selected
data device (e.g. DFO: DHO: RAM:).

Size = Indicates the size of the currently selected file.


Input fields:

Drawer = Indicates current path options. This selection can be changed by
         clicking the left mouse button on the highlighted path name in
         the file list.

File =   Indicates the choice of file from within the selected path. The
         file can be selected either by keyboard input or double clicking
         the left mouse button on a file in the file name area. The file
         is then loaded. It is possible to click this name only once,
         whereby it is automatically entered into the file name input box
         and then load the file by clicking with the left mouse button on
         the "Load" button.


The remaining four buttons can also be used for file operations: "Open",
"Volumes", "Parent" or "Cancel."

Open:    To start loading a file (same as double clicking on the file
         name).
Volumes: Shows the available drives and assigns.
Parent:  To show the Parent directory of the current path.
Cancel:  To leave the file requester without loading.

Note that the usual Workbench gadgets such as window max/min., window to
front/back, window resize and window close are all available on the File
Requester.

Page 4-2

You will also find different pull down menus (detailed below) by clicking
on the right mouse button and moving over the menu strip at the top of
the screen.

Control: The switches arranged below in the file requester are listed
         here as pull down functions.

Design:  With the sub-menu items Disk Free, File Size and Shadow, you can
         customise your own file requesters (within limits):

         Disk Free: Indicator free ON/OFF
         File Size: Indic ator file ON/OFF
         Shadow:    Underlay the characters in the file list with shadow
                    ON/OFF

Utilities: "Sort list" ON/OFF sorts the displayed data into drives and
files them according to alpha-numeric criteria.

"Cursor Control" on enables file selection in the file list with the
cursor keys

  (!) If you are unfaariar with any of the previous technical terms such
      as Assigns, Files or Disk operations, you can read about them in
      your Amiga manual ( => See the chapter on AmigaDOS basics). If you
      are curious as to why the AmigaDOS2.0 file requester was not
      included in clariSSA, the answer is simple: to avoid depriving
      AmigaDOS1.3 users of the comfort of this service. It can be seen
      when working. with clariSSA that the user interface is very similar
      to AmigaDOS2.X.

After you have opened the file requester, you will need to select the
drive which holds the ANIM5 file you wish to work with. To load it,
double click on the file name . Another requester will appear asking
which Source buffer the animation should be allocated to upon loading.

Page 4-3

The Load File requester:

 *** See Fig 4-2 ***

'Master' indicates the name of the animation buffer where a 'finished'
SSA anim is stored. Source buffers A, B, C and D hold the individual
ANIM5 animations which will contribute to the final SSA animation. They
are loaded by allocating an ANIM5 animation to each source buffer.

Select "Load In Source A". The selected animation will be loaded. After
completion of the loading process, the following information is available
in the Anim information field :

Page 4-4

 *** See Fig 4-2 ***

(Displayed values differ from case to case)

The cycle gadget is now on source A.

Frame position:      1       = Current frame position
Beginning of range:  1       = Start frame
End of range:        100     = End frame
Number of frames:    100     = Length of animation in frames
Anim format:         ANIM5   = Animation format (ANIM5 or SSA)
Anim size:           2000000 = Size of animation in bytes
Frame size:          2000    = Size of current animation frame in bytes


Next to the Anim Info cycle gadget is an 'A' which indicates that an
animation is loaded into the Source_A buffer.

By moving the slider in the upper Control Bar (use the left mouse button)
it is possible to move through the animation frame by frame and view the
frames.

This step is not needed if the fast load is activated in the main setting
(see 'Settings / Preferences/Quick Loader).
To change the current source ANIM5 animation into an SSA animation you
simply need to click the left mouse button on the Recording gadget in the
Monitor window. The upper control slider will now move from left to right
automatically while conversion takes place and at the same time the frame
position counter increments in the Anim Info field. The SSA recording is
finished when:

  * The busy pointer disappears .

Page 4-5

  * The upper control slider has reached the far right.
  * The frame position has reached the total frame value in the Anim Info
    field.

Now the cycle gadget can be changed over from 'Source_A' to 'Master' .

   Anim cycle gadget

 *** See Fig 4-2 ***

It is not necessary to use the Anim cycle gadget to cycle through all the
sources before arriving at the Master buffer. Use the mouse in
combination with the <Shift> key to select backwards .

When you select 'Master' the following changes occur in the Anim Info
field:

Anim-System:   SSA = Super-Smooth-Animation activated.
Storage Size: Varies according to resolution used.

Frame Size:   Varies from frame to frame. Important later on.

Your first SSA animation is now completed!

                         4.3. Animation Playback

The animation can now be played by clicking on the Play gadget |> in the
Monitor window. There are several ways to control the animation depending
on which of the 'Settings / Set Play Mode' types is in force.
( => See Chapter 5 Playback Window).

Page 4-6

The result may now be a very smooth animation, though it may also be too
fast or jump at certain points.

These various results can be explained as follows:

Very Smooth
You have an animation which has the resolution, number of frames and
colours ideal for your computer configuration. Keep trying more
complicated images to see how far you can go!

Too Fast
You have converted an animation which appeared to run correctly in AMIN5
format but which now runs much faster because the SSA format plays it
back more efficiently. It may be possible to recalculate this animation
or stretch it out to a greater number of frames overall. If not, try
using the Slow Play mode in 'Settings / Set Play Mode'. In the future you
should take care to create animations that SSA can playback at 50 half-
frames per second.


Jumping
This happens either because your Amiga is too slow or it has insufficient
fast memory. Even an Amiga with a 6804O processor has limits which SSA
cannot completely eliminate. Fast RAM is used to speed internal data
transmission and helps to give better playback. The purchase of a faster
processor and/or more Fast RAM will help to solve this jumping problem.
An alternative is to work with lower resolutions and less colours though
this will of course affect the quality of your animations. Again, you
should continue to experiment and see how far you can go. You should also
read Chapter 6 (Tips And Tricks) for more information on playback speed.

Explanation of the half-frame system with example :

You now have an ANIM5 animation in the 'Source_ A' buffer and a SSA
animation in the 'Master' buffer. So let's explore the SSA half-frame
system of animation a little more.

Page 4-7

First stop the animation playback by clicking on the right mouse button,
then either use the Menu Bar to pull the clariSSA screen down to about
halfway up the screen (revealing the animation screen) or instead simply
press the <Space bar> . Now when you move the control slider with the
mouse you can see the animation moving. As you are still seeing your
Master animation, you might now be able to get a better idea of the
principles of the SSA half-frame system.

If you move the control slider slowly you will see how the animation is
built up of half-frames. If you are using a flicker fixer turn it off and
you will see that the screen image flickers as it tries to display two
half-frames simultaneously. Incidentally, one half-frame is referred to
as the Short Frame, the other as the Long Frame.

So you should now understand the way SSA functions and how its smooth
effect is created. If you want to see how it differs from ANIM5, simply
go to Source_A, locate the same position in the animation, and compare
the image with its counterpart in the Muster animation. It becomes clear
that because the differences between two half-frames are less than the
differences between two full ANIM5 frames then the frame changes become
softer and appear more natural to the human eye.

                   4.4. Loading Single Frame Sequences


Sometimes it is necessary to create animations from sequences of single
frames - whether digitised or computer-generated. clariSSA does this in
the following way:

Select 'Project / Load Animation' from the menu bar. The file requester
opens.
Select path.
Select frames from single frame sequence.
Select 'Load as Master' .
Then select number of frames to load and press <Return> .


The frames are then loaded and an SSA animation is produced which can
then be further processed.

Page 4-8

                     4.5. Swapping Animation Buffers

Single frames have to be Loaded first into the Master buffer before they
can be moved into one of the Source buffers. Then they can be processed
to form part of an SSA animation.

To do this the desired Swap command is selected from the Menu Bar
'Animation / Swap...' heading.

  *** See Fig 4-3 ***

When the new source is in the desired buffer it can then be processed us
required.

                       4.6. Saving SSA Animations


Animation saving is done via the Save Requester , which can be called up
from the Menu Bar under 'Project / Save Animation' , or by using
<RightAmiga + S> .

 *** See Fig 4-3 ***

Page 4-9


Saving an animation is very similar to loading one. A new name can be
typed into the File area in the Save Requester. If a file with the same
name already exists a safety message will appear. Saving might not take
place instantly as just before storage some optimisation of the animation
may take place (i.e. DMO) .


   (Notes)  You should now have a basic knowledge of the file requesters,
            loading ANIM5 animations, converting them into SSA
            animations, some knowledge of single frame animation and how
            to save an SSA animation. Time once more for another test of
            your progress.


 ***********************************************************************
 *  Exercise Number 4                                                  *
 *                                                                     *
 *  1. How do you call up the file requester for loading an animation? *
 *  2. How do you select files with the Load Requester?                *
 *  3. If "Quick-Load" is not active, how can an animation finally be  *
 *     loaded into a buffer after its data has been requested?         *
 *  4. What does Source_A mean?                                        *
 *                                                                     *
 ***********************************************************************

Page 4-10

 ***********************************************************************
 *                                                                     *
 *  5 . What does Master mean.?                                        *
 *                                                                     *
 *  6. How do you swap between a Source and the Master?                *
 *                                                                     *
 *  7. What significance has an A or M next to the Anim cycle gadget?  *
 *                                                                     *
 *  8. How do you start a conversion to SSA format.?                   *
 *                                                                     *
 *  9. How does an SSA frame differ from that of an ANIM5 one?         *
 *                                                                     *
 * 10. What differentiates ANIM5 animations from single frame          *
 *     sequences?                                                      *
 *                                                                     *
 * 11. Can single frame sequences be loaded directly into Source_C?    *
 *                                                                     *
 * Answers                                                             *
 *                                                                     *
 ***********************************************************************

                  4.7. Single Frame interface Function

Every video user has probably heard the expression "Single Frame
Controller" in reference to the control of video recording. In clariSSA's
case this refers to its ability to precisely insert or remove half-frames
from within an SSA animation. Professional video equipment with these
functions can cost more than DM10000 (£4000). Now with an Amiga and
clariSSA's digital single-frame interface we are able to perform similar
picture edit functions and effects on internal animations.


Page 4-11

Single-frame sequences can be captured from video by a digitiser such as
VLAB, DCTV , etc. A video deck with a perfect still-frame capability is
best suited for this and jog/shuttle control may also be useful. Then a
video sequence can be digitised automatically and each frame saved
individually to give a series of single-frames in HAM format.

This single-frame sequence, for example 50 frames, can be input into
clariSSA to provide an SSA animation in 4096 colours and, with a suitably
fast Amiga (68030 Or higher ), can playback at a quality which approaches
the original with regard to smooth movement and colour. With extended
graphics modes such as those provided by DCTV or the AGA chipset the
quality can be even better and perhaps closely resemble the original
images.

If you have an SSA animation it can easily be edited - i.e. cut or
abridged. clariSSA offers several methods for performing these tasks.
Here are some examples.

Example:
After playing an animation you notice that frames 8 to 1 1 are wrong and
need to be removed (cut out).

First Method
Pull down the user interface (or use <Shift>+<Space Bar>) so that the
animation display screen becomes visible. Using the left mouse button
click on the left end of the Range Bar (the long white bar beneath the
Control Bar) and drag it towards the right. When you see the "Start
Frame" counter in the Anim Info field, read 8 stop dragging.

To set the End Frame do the same but drag the Range Bar from its right
hand side toward the left until the End Frame counter reads 11. You'll
see that the Range Bar slider is now quite small. What you have just done
is to select frames 8 to 11.

The selected frames are removed by clicking on the Erase button in the
Monitor window [X] . To then show the newly-cut animation in its entirety
either use 'Edit / Full Range' from the Menu Bar or use <Right Amiga + F>
instead before pressing the Play button.

Page 4-12

 *** See Fig 4-4 ***

Second Method
Move to Frame 8 with the Control Bar slider and select 'Edit / Current =
Start' from the Menu Bar. Then do the same to move to Frame 11, but this
time select 'Edit / Current = End'. The Area Bar will be adjusted
automatically.

 *** See Fig 4-4 ***

Press the Erase button in the Monitor window to remove the selected
frames, then press <Right Amiga + F> to tell clariSSA you want to see the
entire remaining animation. View the animation with the Play button.


After trying both of these methods you will have seen:

Control Bar

Page 4-13

 *** See Fig 4-5 ***

 * The Control Bar slider changes its size proportionally to the number
   of frames it represents . One frame causes the slider to fill the bar
   entirely whilst it will be one-tenth the size of the complete bar if
   10 frames are being used.
 * The slider can be moved.

Range Bar

 *** See Fig 4-5 ***

The Range Bar changes size either automatically when the Control Bar
Slider and Menu 'Edit /... , items are used or manually when the slider
is moved to the desired Start and End points with the mouse.

 * The Range Bar can only be squashed or stretched.
 * All changes are made interactively .


The Edit Menu
For selecting Start and End frames there are two commands in the Edit
menu.

Current = Start: Marks the current frame position in the Control Bar as
                 the first selected frame .

Current = End:   Marks the current frame position in the Control Bar as
                 the last selected frame .

Full Range: Resets the Range Bar to full width.

                        4.7.1. Record Function

Page 4-14

Only those frames which are currently selected will be converted into an
SSA animation. Conversion is carried out by pressing the Record button
***.

                          4.7.2. Erase Function

Only the selected frames of an SSA animation will be erased by pressing
the Erase button. If no range has been selected from &n animation,
nothing can be erased. I the whole animation has been selected, it will
all be erased from memory!

                        4.7.3. Format Conversion

clariSSA makes it possible to convert existing animations into other
screen modes or colour formats. However, in the current version it is not
possible to reduce the number of colours or scale down an image. It is
only possible to increase the number of colours or the image size. In
later versions these restrictions may be overcome.

Existing Conversions include:
Converting non-interlaced images into interlaced ones (important for SSA
calculations).


 * Non-overscan into overscan:
 * colours = > 4 colours.
 * colours = > 8 colours.
 * colours = > 16 colours.

Limited possibilities for changing overscan into non-overscan.
The following are not currently possible:

 * HAM => 16 colours or less.
 * EHB => 32 colours or less.

Page 4-15

ANIM5 animations can be recalculated into other modes. (e.g. HAM => EHB,
hires-intetlace => interlace, etc.). The procedure is always the same.

Choose 'New Animation' from the 'Project' Menu.

 *** See Fig 4-5 ***

 * Set the desired graphics mode .
 * Click OK. The selected mode will be applied to the Master buffer .
 * Choose an SSA animation from the source buffers (A, B, C, D,).

The animation will be automatically changed to the chosen format. It can
then be relocated into another source in order to attach it to a
different animation, of identical format, located in the Master.


Single frame anims ( ANIM5-type) have to be loaded into a source buffer
first and then Recorded to convert them to SSA animations, when they will
also have their graphic mode simultaneously adjusted to the current
format settings.

  **************************************************************
  *                                                            *
  *  Exercise Number 5                                         *
  *                                                            *
  *  1. What do "Current = Start" and "Current = End" mean?    *
  *                                                            *
  *  2. How is an Anim Range set?                              *
  *                                                            *
  *  3. How is an Anim Range deleted.?                         *
  *                                                            *
  **************************************************************

Page 4-16

  **************************************************************
  *                                                            *
  *  4. How is the graphic fromat of an animation changed?     *
  *                                                            *
  * Answers                                                    *
  *                                                            *
  **************************************************************


Page 4-17

                       5. Advanced Use Of clariSSA

               5.1. Steps for the Creation of Loop Effects

With clariSSA it is very easy to integrate Loop effects into normal SSA
animations.

Example:
An animation with 60 frames is ready for further processing. The range of
frames from 20-40 is to get a Loop effect. This is how to do it:


The steps are given below , the detailed procedure is
in the following instructions.


1. Select frames 1-40 (in the Source Anim)
2. Record selected frames (to Master)
3. Select frames 20-40 (in the Source Anim). You may need to use <Right
   Amiga + F> to see the full range once more .
4. Use the Rotate gadget *** (in the Monitor window) to reverse the frame
   order of the selected area. The control bar slider moves and the Frame
   Position number turns white.

 *** See Fig 5-1  ***


5. Record the reversed frames (to Master)
6. Select frames 20-60 (in the Source Anim)
7. Use the Rotate gadget *** to return the Source Anim to normal. The
   slider moves left again and the Frame Position number reverts to
   black.
8. Record selected frames (to Master) .
9. View the new animation. You will notice a back and forth movement
   within the animation. This is the Loop effect in action. This is one
   way to produce Loop effects .

Page 5-1

The other possibility is by using the supplied MFG macro "Pap Rap".

              5.2. The monitor window - Format Information

 *** See Fig 5-1 ***

Additional information on an animation is shown in the Format Information
window .

Format
Format indicates which graphic format is used in the currently active
animation. Firstly the resolution is shown (in pixels), then the number
of bitplanes.

View Mode
Returns the animation format in words.

Chip RAM
Show how much Chip RAM is being used by the animation.

File Size
The size (in bytes) of the animation.

DDO
Shows the amount of memory used in relocating the animation.


Page 5-2

              5.3. The Monitor Window - System Information

 *** See Fig 5-2 ***

This window shows details of the currently available memory - both Chip
and Fast. It is possible that if the memory becomes fragmented then it
cannot be used by clariSSA to store animations. A second line showing the
maximum amount of free memory in a single block is therefore also
provided.

                        5.4. The Play Mode Window

This selector is called up by selecting 'Settings / Set Play Mode' from
the Menu Bar.

 *** See Fig 5-2 ***

'Looping Playback' means that the animation is played continuously. It
can only be stopped by clicking the right mouse button.

'Mouse Start' means that the start frame of the animation is shown until
a further left mouse click starts the animation. The animation plays once
and then the last frame is shown continuously . A click on the right
mouse button aborts playback.

Page 5-3

'Slow Play' means that the animation will be played at a slower speed (25
frames/sec in PAL). This is especially useful with lower resolution
animations or those with smaller colour palettes. This method permits
clean slow motion as the frames do not jump, but are simply played back
slower . More on Slow Play in the 'Tips And Tricks' section.

DFP mode (Decode Frame Play)
When activated further playback modes become available:

With DFP                                   Without DFP

Normal playback speed.
PAL 50Hz standard half-frame               PAL 50Hz free half-frame
distribution                               distribution.

Slow Play
(PAL 1 6.6Hz standard half-frame           PAL 25Hz free half-frame
distribution)  distribution_               distribution

In animations with large amounts of data - i.e. large colour palettes and
high resolutions - turning DFP OFF results in an increase in speed,
though the effects vary from case to case. Experimentation should give
you a clearer idea of the benefits of DFP . DFP can also help when Slow
Play is activated. Again, try a few experiments to discover what works
best.


IFL
'IFL' is only of use to AmigaDOS1.3 users. When active it causes clariSSA
to make adjustments to certain conditions which are usually governed by
AmigaDOS. The mode is normally activated automatically when clariSSA is
run under AmigaDOS 1 .3.

FFStop
Interlaces the pause-frame.

Blackscreen
Inserts a black screen before the animation is started by clicking the
left mouse button.

Background
The virtual background is a trick to ignore a system-bug and can always
be active.

Harmony-Loop

Page 5-4

Soft-crossing between start- and endframe of the loop-animation.

Each of the Play modes is chosen by mouse-clicking on its respective
selection box. A check mark shows that the mode is active.

                        5.5. The Edit Mode Window

Several operations settings are available from this menu which can be
called up from Menu Bar 'Settings / Set Edit Mode' .

 *** See Fig 5-3 ***

Half-Frame Correction
When this is active successive half-frames are combined into one single
image to help make viewing during editing and other operations easier.

Foreground Edit (AmigaDOS2.X only)
If 'Foreground Edit' is toggled ON then the animation viewing screen
becomes active during frame position changes made with the Control Bar
slider. This enables the user to monitor the current animation position
without pushing the User Interface screen out of the way. While the mouse
button is still held down the animation can be moved back and forth by
moving the mouse to the left or right.

DDOLock
When DDO Lock is active no data can be relocated into memory - in other
words the current SSA animation cannot be DDO'd into memory . This
feature should generally only be used by those with limited amounts of
memory fitted to their Amigas.

Page 5-5

                       5.6. The Preferences Window

 *** See Fig 5-3 ***

S-frames in Background
If this function is activated, single frames are not displayed after each
is loaded, but are instead continuously loaded in the background i.e.
'invisibly'. if you need to see the frames while loading, simply
deactivate this function.

Quick Loader
When Quick Loader is in operation the whole of an animation is loaded
directly after it is has been selected. This is the normal loading
process. If the re is restricted storage space it is still possible to
work with several animations at once as long as Quick Loading is turned
o%. Then only the anim frame data, such as number of frames or the
animation format are scanned on entering the animation. If the anim's
position is adjusted with the Control Bar slider , the animation will
only be loaded as far as this new position, allowing it to be processed
further. An ANIM5 animation will be loaded only as far as it needs to be
in order to save the chosen portion as an SSA. The remaining frames would
only waste storage space. This function is mainly for Amigas with limited
memory .

Page 5-6

Sort Screens
After ending an anim work process, the anim display screen is
automatically placed directly behind clariSSA's user interface. This item
shoUld always be activated. But it is optional because, while the user
interface should always be the front screen, such automatic screen
shuffling could be distracting, for instance during playing back multiple
anims from an ARexx script.

Wove Window to Wouse
If a function window or other requester appears while an oversize screen
is open, the window will snap to the mouse pointer's position. This is
especially useful when auto-scrolling screens are in operation.


Screen for ColReq
If this item is activated a new screen is opened for the colour
requester, to represent several colours at once for selection. When
several colours are visible the editing of colour areas is much more
comfortable. If the item is deactivated the colour requester is only
shown on the user interface. The consequence of this is that only
one colour is shown and editing becomes more difficult.


DDO Volume
Buffer for DDO operations.

Support 24B Background
24Bit-Graphic in the background of the playing animation.

Securiiy Status
If security status is active, requesters will appear from time to time
asking you to confirm certain actionsi such as Delete and Save. This is
especially important while you are unfamiliar with the program. Once you
understand the consequences of such an action you might like to
deactivate this function.

Play Position
When animation playback is halted the Control Bar slider moves to the
currently displayed frame. This may be undesirable so by switching this
option off the slider will always remain in the last user-selected
position.

High Interactivity

Page 5-7

With macro and other operations which entail constant screen swaps and
opening new displays, screens can easily become hidden behind others.
Deactivating this function will let you placc the windows where you wish
and they will open there each time you need them. This can bring both
visual and speed advantages. (See the ScreenGrabber Demo).

Workbench On/Off
Turns the Workbench screen off, if available. If memory is tight turning
off the Workbench is often advisable.


Compression Mode
At the bottom of the requester is a cycle gadget for determining which of
three different compression modes will be used so that either speed,
storage size or a combination of both will be optimised in an SSA
animation.


Mode S=L=
Default position . Speed and size have equal Priority .

Mode S+L-
Priority is given to speed. Useful where some frames exhibit jumping and
need smoothing out. The payoff is that animation will increase in size by
between 5 and 20% .

Mode S-L+
With animation where no jumping is expected, this mode can be used to
gain a reduction in the storage size. With this setting the priority is
put on data compression.

Fix-Range
Fix the range of a selected area in the animation. As a result of it, you
can move only inside this area. If it's active, you can expand the area
with the anim-area-slider .

Page 5-8

2-Monitorsystem
With 24B-Graphiccards you can use one monitor for editing and one monitor
for showing the results (like a workstation)

 ***************************************************************
 *                                                             *
 *  Exercise Number 6                                          *
 *                                                             *
 *  1. What does IFL mean?                                     *
 *                                                             *
 *  2. What is DDO Lock?                                       *
 *                                                             *
 *  3. What is Security Status?                                *
 *                                                             *
 *  4. What is the result of setting Quick Loader ON in the    *
 *     'Settings / Set Preferences' requester?                 *
 *                                                             *
 * Answers                                                     *
 *                                                             *
 ***************************************************************

           5.7. Monitor Centering Function - 'Monitor /SMove'

When an animation is to be output via a genlock and is already loaded
into memory, clariSSA has an option for repositioning the animation
relative to the video signal itself. This is used as follows: (Note that
there must be always a PAL or NTSC-Monitor in the screen-mode preferences
of your system !)

 * First genlock the animation over the video signal.
 * Then change to SMove in the Monitor window or select 'Monitor / SMove'
   from the Menu Bar.
 * The SMove monitor adjustment screen appears:

 *** See Fig 5-4 ***

Page 5-9

 * Choose 'Visual Edit'
 * The animation screen becomes visible.
 * The animation screen can then be moved with the cursor keys or the
   mouse.
 * Confirm the new position by pressing the <Return> key .

The new position is only active when the SMove window is active, though
it will be remembered if SMove is returned to at a later stage. This
means that normally SMoved displays can be used while other functions are
being carried out.

A second centering method - 'Direct Edit' - is available so as to allow
the entire user interface to be moved in vision, and to allow the XY
coordinates to be observed. In this case the animation screen will also
move as the interface is moved. The procedure is similar to before :

 * Genlock the animation over the video signal.
 * Open SMove in the Monitor window or use 'Monitor/SMove' from the Menu
   Bar.
 * The SMove Monitor adjustment screen appears.
 * Select Direct Edit
 * The display next to Visual Edit is turned on.
 * Move the screen with the cursor keys. No mouse adjustment is available
   with Direct Edit.
 * Confirm the new position with the <RETURN> key .
Whenever SMove is active the animation will be played in the newly-
selected
position.

In both cases Undo or Help can be used to return to the last set
position. If Abort is chosen after making a new setting, or the <Escape>
key is pressed, a global Undo is carried out: i.e. the screen is returned
to its default position. Please note that every available screen will be
moved when SMove is activated. If you swap screens while SMove is in use
there could be problems using the mouse to select menu items or gadgets
since they could be pushed off the edge of the monitor area. To avoid
this SMove should be deactivated before each screen swap. You can also
use SMove to move other screens.

                         5.8. The ScreenGrabber

Page 5-10

An important feature of clariSSA is the ScreenGrabber. It allows graphics
to be grabbed from other programs which are running under multitasking.
For instance, a wire-frame rendering which is taking place in a 3D
program could be grabbed frame by frame and then processed into an
animation with clariSSA. The same principle might also be applied to
digitising software, time-lapse work, image processing programs and so
on.

The advantage with using the ScreenGrabber is that data does not have to
be buffered (or saved) before use.

   (!)   This function works well with all the programs we have tried. If
         you have trouble with some programs please let us know so that
         the problem can be eliminated.


The ScreenGrabber can be activated by selecting 'Edit / ScreenGrabber'
from the Menu Bar. The following window then opens:

 *** See Fig 5-4 ***

Screen names marked with <int> in the requester are screens which are
exclusively used by other programs . These are the ones which could cause
problems when

Page 5-11

using the ScreenGrabber. Screens with the label <pub> are Public Screens
and are designed for trouble-free access by other programs. With public
screens the public name of the screen is shown, not the name of the
program which it was launched from.

Update
Update can be use to update the names of the available screens in the
requester. This can be useful if some screens have been recently opened
or closed and you aren't sure what is currently available.

View
the contents of the screen selected in the screen requester can be viewed
by clicking on this button. Double clicking on a screen name achieves the
same result. After a moment the clariSSA display will return.

In Front
This switch causes the selected screen to become the front display
screen. This time clariSSA does not return - though it is still
available. This makes sense if this screen is to be used for several
screen shots which can be taken via Hot key capture.


Deactivate SGB
When selected: The ScreenGrabber waits for a trigger action. If another
window is activated, the previously selected screen is still captured.

Direct Grab
After activating the gadget "Start" the selected screen is grabbed into
the next frame space in clariSSA.
Trigger - cycle gadget

Hot key
When selected The ScreenGrabber waits for a trigger action. If the hot
key is pressed, the previously selected screen is grabbed.

Hot key + Active Screen
When selected: The ScreenGrabber waits for a trigger action. If the Hot
key is activated, the current active screen is grabbed.

Hot key + Frontscreen

Page 5-12

When selected: The ScreenGrabber waits for a trigger action . The front
screen is grabbed by way of the Hot key .

Hot key input Field

This is where the hot key to use can be entered. This is necessary
because other programs which may also be running at the same time could
have the same keyboard functions. Setting a unique hot key combination
will avoid any possible problems.

Hot key combinations can include any of the following keys plus letters
Or numbers as well as letters or numbers on their own.

LShift   =  Left <Shift> key
Rshift   =  Right <Shift> key
Shift    =  <Shift> key (right Or left)
LAlt     =  Left <Alt> key
RAlt     =  Right <Alt> key
Alt      =  <Alt> key (right or left)
RAmiga   =  Right <Amiga> key
LAmiga   =  Left <Amiga> key
Ctrl     =  <Ctrl> key
F1-F10   =  Function keys 1-10
Help     =  <Help> key
ESC      =  <Esc ape> key
Tab      =  <Tabulator> key
Space    =  <Space> key
Left     =  <Cursor left> key
Right    =  <Cursor right> key
Up       =  <Cursor up> key
Down     =  <Cursor down> key

Examples:

LShift s  =  Left <Shift> key + S key simultaneously .
RAmiga#   =  Right <Amiga> key + @ key simultaneously .
RAltUp    =  Right <Alt> key + <cursor up> key simultaneously .

While the ScreenGrabber is waiting for a grab to be made (after the Start
gadget has been pressed once), all other functions can still be used
normally , as the

Page 5-13


ScreenGrabber is completely multitasking. When the Hot key is pressed the
ScreenGrabber starts automatically and sends all grabs directly into an
animation. During grabbing you will see the Anim Info field get updated.


   (!)   While the ScreenGrabber is making a grab it is imperative that
         the screen it is grabbing is not closed down as this will cause
         the program to crash.

                       5.9. The Colour Function


Because the colour palette of each half-frame in an SSA animation can be
different, clariSSA offers several functions for colour adjustment.
Except for the Colour Requester and the Colour Range Selection Requester
these are all macro controlled and are therefore dealt with in the
chapter 'Supplied Macros'. Just now we will deal only with the Colour
Requester. Other functions are described in the 'Additional
Multifunction Gadgets' section.

 *** See Fig 5-5 ***

In your first experiments with colour capabilities, we advise you to
switch on the Security Status item in the 'Settings / Preferences'
requester. The Colour Requester is accessed with 'Edit / Colour Palette'
from the Menu Bar. In both the Colour Requester title bar and in the
colour indicator the currently selected colour is shown. There are also
Red, Green and Blue sliders to adjust each component separately . The
Brightness control is used to adjust the relative brightness of the
current colour . The Number slider enables the user to move through the
colours in the current palette.

Page 5-14

It is possible to give each colour in the palette a name, which may be
useful for future reference. To do this a colour is selected Or adjusted
with the sliders. Then 'New' is pressed. Now a name for the colour can be
typed into the Name box (indicated by the coloured marker). Pressing
either 'S tart' or the <Return> key will add the new name to the list.

A colour is deleted from the list by first selecting it and then pressing
'Kill' and 'Start' in sequence.

"Direct Select" brings the current graphic screen to the front so that a
colour can be chosen with the left mouse button . The chosen colour
flashes while the mouse button is held down. After releasing the mouse
button, the user interface returns, and clicking on the Colour Requester,
the selected colour is shown and can be altered if necessary. It can then
be allocated to the current frame with 'Colours To Frame'. The second
option is to replace the changed colour into the entire animation or the
currently selected frames. This is necessary when the background
colour (Colour 0) of a whole animation has to be altered.

The 'View' button lets the user see where the current colour occurs in
the graphic. Press 'View' and hold down the left mouse key and any areas
of the graphic that are in the current palette colour will flash.
Releasing the mouse button brings back the user interface and Colour
Requester once more .


The 'View' button lets the user see where the current colour occurs in
the graphic. Press 'View' and hold down the left mouse key and any areas
of the graphic that are in the current palette colour will flash.
Releasing the mouse button brings back the user interface and Colour
Requester once more.

The 'Undo' is used to Undo the last colour change and 'Restore' provides
a global undo to bring the palette back to its original state .

'Start' triggers an action like 'New' or 'Kill'

'Stop' interrupts this action.


Colour Range Selection Requester
For some macro operations like Colour Cycling it is necessary to choose
the range of colours which are to be adjusted or used. This is what the
Colour Range Selection Requester is for. It will be brought onto screen
when items such as Colour

Page 5-15

Cycling or Colour Chaos are selected from the Macro Window in the lower
part of the User Interface screen.

 *** See Fig 5-6 ***

The actual colours for range selection are available in the colour bar.
Directly below is a slider for moving around larger colour palettes.
Colour ranges are selected as follows:

1. First click on the desired colour for the start of the range .
2. Then click in the left hand box next to 'Range'. The palette number of
   the chosen colour will now be shown in the box.
3. Select a second colour for the end of the range.
4. Click in the right hand box next to 'Range'. The palette number of the
   end of range colour will be shown.


The range is now selected.


To select the whole palette as a range simply click on the < - > symbol.


The range is confirmed with 'OK'. 'Cancel' exits the selection requester
without setting a range.

   (Notes)   Before working in earnest with macro operations, both
             requesters should be tried out thoroughly as they will be
             regularly used with clariSSA.

                         5.10 The Help Function

Page 5-16


 *** See Fig 5-7 ***

If you are not sure what a specific feature of clariSSA does, the Help
requester can provide you with extra information to save you looVng
through the manual. Most of clariSSA's features are covered by short
pieces of information which might just provide the help you need. Open
the Help menu window from 'Project / Help' on the Menu Bar or with
<RAmiga ?>. Double clicking on the relev ant subject will provide the
extra information. After reading the text the window can be closed by
clicking on the OK gadget.

There is also another way of activating Help texts if you are using
AmigaDOS2.X or greater. When selecting menu items press <Help> before
releasing the right mouse button. The Help information will then be
displayed. In either case all the relevant parameters and commands
associated with the chosen function will be shown where available - which
will help ARexx programmers and others to understand the intemal workings
of clariSSA.

                         5.11. Quitting clariSSA

Page 5-17

 *** See Fig 5-7 ***

The program can be exited in two different ways. The first - 'Project /
Quit & Save Settings' will save all the currently defined parameters
being used by the program - including the eurrent animations and window
arrangements. The next time you run clariSSA you will be asked if you
wish to load these settings and animations. This saves time when
continuing work on a project.

The other option is to use '%oject / Quit' to exit clariSSA without
saving the present settings. If the Security Status is in operation, you
will be asked whether or not you wish to exit and other questions before
the program is actually closed down. If you don't wish to have these
questions then deactivate the Security Status item in the SetUp
Requester.

Page 5-18

                    5.12. Notes for AmigaDOS1.3 users


If your Amiga still uses AmigaDOS1 .3 you should consider the following.

When working with clariSSA it can happen that the animation screen
'slides' into the background and cannot be brought back to the
foreground. The screems can be put in the correct order again by pressing
the Help Key . Y ou will also have some added limitations with regard to
using the program and animation speed. Some functions, such as ARexx,
extended Screen Grabbing, foreground edit and autoscroll may have to be
foreground altogether. And work with clariSSA will also be slower. We
recommend you upgrade to AmigaDOS2.X (if possible).

Some Peculiarities Under AmigaDOS1.3:

clariSSA can run under AmigaDOS1.3 but it was primarily designed for
AmigaDOS2.X. This causes some peculiarities which only concern
AmigaDOS1.3 users.

*ENVARC:>>> Please insert volume ENVARC: in any drive <<<.

If this message appears you should alter your User-Startup (found in the
S : drawer) as follows:

Load an ASCII text editor and then load 'S: User-Startup'.
Insert the following line towards the top of the file:

ASSIGN ENVARC: sys:envarc

There are likely to be other Assigns listed, so enter the new line near
them.

Save the User-Startup file again (in ASCII format!). Then start a 'Shell'
or 'Cli' and type the following :


MAKEDIR sys:envarc


Press <Return>

Page 5-19

After about 10 seconds reboot your Amiga and the new changes will come
into force and the error messages should no longer occur.

 *******************************************************************
 *                                                                 *
 *  Exercise Number 7                                              *
 *                                                                 *
 *  1. What are the differences between Visual and Direct          *
 *     edit in SMove?                                              *
 *                                                                 *
 *  2. When do new screen position settings become effective?      *
 *                                                                 *
 *  3. What possibilities do public screens offer in the           *
 *     ScreenGrabber?                                              *
 *                                                                 *
 *  4. Name the various ways a screen can be grabbed from          *
 *     another program?                                            *
 *                                                                 *
 *  5. What must not be done while using the ScreenGrabber?        *
 *                                                                 *
 *  6. What does 'Quit & Save Settings' means as opposed to 'Quit? *
 *                                                                 *
 * Answers                                                         *
 *                                                                 *
 *******************************************************************

Page 5-20

                            6. Tips & Tricks

This chapter gives you some practical information for obtaining better
performance from clariSSA.

                             6.1. Slow Play

When Slow Play is in use there may sometimes be a flickering of single
lines or pixels when displaying complicated animations. Using a non-
interlaced source anim can help because clariSSA can then be used to
change it into Interlace and, as a result, cause playback in Slow Play
mode to be smoother. Calculation time is also reduced when rendering in
non-interlace modes, though without a decrease in the quality of SSA
animations .

                     6.2. Increasing Playback Speed


It is possible that where only a small amount of Fast RAM is free, &
newly-created SSA animation may have to be stored in Chip RAM, resulting
in slower playback. It is possible to reshuffle the memory usage when any
extra fast memory becomes free - e.g. another program is closed down - by
using the menu item SSA / Move Anim to Fast RAM' .

A further function to increase Fast memory is to use 'SSA / Optimise Anim
Play'. A DDO-action to free Fast memory is carried out in order to move
animation data from Chip RAM to Fast RAM. At the same time further
internal processes are carried out to increase playback speed. Hence you
should activate this function before each final use of SSA animation.

These functions always refer to the current animation. Another important
point to check is whether the DFP mode is on or off. Some animations will
run better under certain circumstances with DFP on, others with it off.
If you are having problems, try changing the DFP setting. In borderline
cases SSA animations generally run faster with DFP mode turned off,
though it can mean that the animation becomes "fuzzy" . Using a non-
interlaced source can help alleviate this problem. Changing it to
Interlace from within clariSSA.

Page 6-1

                     6.3. Decreasing Playback Speed

Sometimes SSA animations may run too fast. Use of the Slow Play mode can
help here. Another speed reduction can be achieved by activating DFP in
the Playback requester. Then the animation runs at 16.6 frames/sec.

                      6.4. Help with Limited Memory


If you run out of memory while calculating an SSA animation, clariSSA
will notify you with a warning. Then you can take several measures to
free memory space..

 * Close other tasks which you don't really need.
 * Reduce the display resolution of Workbench (if possible).
 * Remove any RAM disk currently in use .
 * Remove any data from memory which is not needed.
 * Delete brushes or clipboards which may be in use by other programs.


When you have finished these actions click on 'Repeat' in the requester .
clariSSA will try to use the freed-up memory areas and you should be able
to continue with the animation.


       6.5. Eonversion from Non-Interlace To Interlace Animations

(see also 'Macros / Make Lace')

You can convert a non-interlaced animation (which is already in a Source
buffer) into interlace by first setting the Mode type to Interlace with
the 'Project / New Animation' requester. The Source anim now just needs
to be recorded to be changed into interlace. Once converted from non-
interlace there are no longer any restrictions regarding 'DFP mode'. A
gadget is also available in the MFG for this. You should take advantage
of this non-interlace to interlace conversion when calculating ray traced
animations as the rendering times can easily be halved without subsequent
quality loss.


                              clariSSA 1.1
                                proDAD
                       Scanned and Edited By DIT
                               13-08-94
                         For Fireflash of OTT
                    2/3
                            Table Of Contents

Page 6-2

                         6.6. Producing a pause

There is an MFG switch in the Edit page called 'Insert'.

This macro products a type of pause at the current position. It first
asks how long the pause is to be in half-frames. Generally speaking, 50
half-frames correspond to a pause of one second. Please note that a
"pause" frame, which contains movement causes undesired jittering
effects. If you still want to produce a pause, the last frames before the
start of the pause have to be recorded as double frames.

For in-depth information:
If two identical frames are recorded in SSA one after another, you
effectively create a complete frame that has no movement. This frame can
then be expanded into a pause with the Macro 'Insert'.

                  6.7. Number of Frames In An Animation

You should always be careful to use an even number of frames when
creating an SSA animation. Otherwise operations like DMO , or certain
editing functions will not be carried out correctly and looping play will
not work properly.

                   6.8. Multitasking With AmigaDOS2.X


On start-up, clariSSA opens an 'AppIcon' on the Workbench called clariSSA
EYE. The screen which is used by clariSSA can be selected directly by
double clicking on this icon, which avoids having to search through a11
the available screens. An SSA or ANIM5 animation icon can be "dropped"
onto the clariSSA EYE from and clariSSA will appear and the selected
animation will load all in one operation, fully integrating clariSSA into
AmigaDOS2.X operations.

                      6.9. Dialogue-Based Processes

Page 6-3

The MFG window contains a number of buttons which can be used as
alternatives to launching some of the tasks already mentioned in other
areas of this manual. They can be used to load animations, change colour
settings, control the ScreenGrabber, etc.

                 6.10. Adapting clariSSA To Your System

After installing clariSSA onto hard disk, you may like to set the search
paths which are used frequently by clariSSA. The 'Set Paths' MFG is on
the Dialogue page. Under the headings 'SSA', 'ANIM5', 'Adorage' and
'Single Frames', you can select your preferred search path. Continue
until all the desired paths are defined. Then click on "Incorporate
changes into clariSSA" and a new set of named gadgets appear in the MFG
windows, such as 'Load SSA'. If you now use one of these gadgets, the
loading immediately refers to your preferred path.

               6.11. Graphics Formats and Recommendations

  +------------+------------+------------+------------+
  | Format     | Normal     | Overscan   | Video*     |
  + -----------+------------+------------+------------+
  | LoRes      |  320 x 512 |  362 x 560 |  368 x 566 |
  | HiRes      |  640 x 512 |  704 x 560 |  736 x 566 |
  | SuperHiRes | 1280 x 512 | 1408 x 560 | 1440 x 566 |
  +------------+------------+------------+------------+

 * Video overscan is the maximum Amiga graphics size and should really
   only be used when it is imperative that full video screen is obtained
   - otherwise you will just be wasting memory and may also lose playback
   speed.


 * Old chipset . A500/A1000/A2000/A2500/A3000


  +------------+------------------------------------------+
  | Bitplane   | 1     2     3     4    5     6           |
  | Depth      |                              (HAM/EHB)   |
  +------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------------+
  | LoRes      | + + | + + | + + | +   | +   | +          |
  | HiRes      | + + | + + | + + | -   | n   | n          |
  | SuperHiRes | - - | -   | n   | n   | n   | n          |
  +------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------------+

Page 6-4


 * New chipset - (AGA) A1200/A4000

  +------------+------------------------------------------------------+
  | Bitplane   | 1     2     3     4     5     6          7     8     |
  | Depth      |                               (HAM/EHB)        (HAM) |
  +------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----------+-----+------+
  | LoRes      | + + | + + | + + | + + | + + | + +       | +   | +    |
  | HiRes      | + + | + + | +   | +   | +   | -         | -   | -    |
  | SuperHiRes | + + | +   | +   | -   | - - | - -       | - - | -    |
  +------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----------+-----+------+


* DCTV Format

  +----------+-----------+
  | Bitplane | 3    4    |
  | Depth    |           |
  +----------+-----+-----+
  | HiRes    | + + | - - |
  +----------+-----+-----+


The above observations are based on animation playback speeds relative to
those of a 25MHz A3000.

 + +  Very good:    Good playback even with large frame changes.
 +    Good:         Nice animation flow but with extreme frame changes
                    animation speed may decrease.
 -    Satisfactory: Animation cannot be displayed without jerking when
                    there are large changes .
 - -  Bad:          Frame changes in excess of 30% of the whole screen
                    cannot be played back without jumping. Larger changes
                    can only be played at 25Hz or 16.6Hz.
 n    None:         Format not possible in this size.

Page 6-5

                     7. ARexx Control & Programming

For best results, clariSSA requires ARexx.

Some commands need ARexx to function correctly. AmigaDOS 2.X (or
greater) is supplied with ARexx. Previous DOS versions require that ARexx
is purchased separately. ARexx must be run before clariSSA. One way of
starting ARexx is to double click on the RexxMast icon which is usually
found in the System Drawer. A simpler - and often better - method under
AmigaDOS2.X is to drag the RexxMast icon into the WBStartUp drawer so
that it will be run automatically every time the Amiga is booted. You may
have to add the line "DONOTWAIT" to the icon's Info file. A third
alternative is to add a line to your User-Startup sequence which will
run RexxMast directly, for example:

SYS: System/ARexxMast

See your AmigaDOS manual for more information on starting ARexx .

                            7.1. Introduction

clariSSA offers a multitude of ARexx commands to address all functions of
the program. They are supplied in order to increase clariSSA's
flexibility, to allow the user to make their own specialist functions and
to provide ARexx compatibility so that clariSSA can exchange data with
other software which also has an ARexx command set.

The simplest way to learn how to use these instructions is to study the
printed sample macros and the tutorial scripts. But first you should
learn the basics of ARexx from your ARexx or System manual. Only then
will you be able to begin making flexible, versatile and functional
macros of your own.

     (Notes)  If you find that you have to repeat an operation several
              times when using clariSSA you may find that it may be
              possible to save time and make the task easier by using
              ARexx instructions.

Page 7-1

                              7.2. Overview


Command              Brief Description               Page

ARexxMacro           Execute ARexx Macro             7-12
ARexxString          Execute an ARexx Macro          7-12
BOOLRequest          YES/NO Requester                7-15
clariSSAEnd          Quit clariSSA                   7-5
CloseAnin            Erase an Animation from Memory  7-10
CloseColorRequester  Close Colour Palette Requester  7-23
COLRequest           Control Colour Range Requester  7-24
DeleteArea           Delete Range                    7-13
FailAt               Set Error Threshold             7-16
FileSelect           Select a File                   7-19
FormatRequest        Opens the Format Requester      7-20
Gadget               Create or Modify a Gadget       7-11
GadgetTitle          Name a Gadget                   7-18
GetAnimInfo          Return Animation Buffer Info    7-14
GetArea              Return Current Anim Range       7-14
GetColor             Return Current Anim Colour      7-23
GetDirectory         Searches for Directory Entries  7-17
GetEditMode          Returns Current Edit Mode/s     7-15
GetFileInfo          Returns Anim Format Info        7-13
GetMonitorDisplay    Returns Current Monitor Mode/s  7-15
GetPlayMode          Returns Current Play Mode/s     7-15
GetPref              Returns Current Prefs Settings  7-17
GetScreenGrabber     Returns Current SGB Settings    7-22
HelpRequester        Open Help Requester             7-21
Information          MFG Title Bar Commands          7-18
INTRequest           Input Colour Values Requester   7-16
LoadAnim             Load Animation                  7-5
LoadDefs             Load a clariSSA.def File        7-11
Message              Provides Message Requester      7-12
MoveAnimMark         Moves An Animation Marker       7-20
MSRequester          Control MFG Requester           7-23
NOP                  No Operation is Carried Out     7-5

Page 7-2

Command              Brief Description               Page

OpenAnim             Defines Basic Anim Data         7-20
OpenColorRequester   Open Colour Palette Requester   7-23
Play Anim            Playback an Animation           7-7
Record               Convert to SSA                  7-7
RemakeDisplay        Clean Up User Interface         7-9
RequestStatus        Switch Requesters ON/OFF        7-23
SaveAnim             Save an Animation               7-6
SelectAnim           Select Animation from Buffer    7-16
SetAnimMark          Set a Marker in an Animation    7-20
SetArea              Set Range in Animation          7-6
SetColor             Change a Colour In a Frame      7-23
SetBasicScreen       Set Screen Position             7-10
SetEditMode          Set Edit Mode                   7-8
SetMonitorDisplay    Set Monitor Mode                7-9
SetPlayMode          Set Play Mode                   7-8
SetPref              Set Settings                    7-12
SetScreenGrabber     Control he ScreenGrabber        7-21
SetWorkLock          Select Inputs ON/OFF            7-22
SetWorkScreen        Bring Anim screen to Front      7-10
SSAControl           Execute an SSA Function         7-19
STRRequest           Input Characters From Macro     7-16
SwapAnim             Swap Animation Registers        7-10
ViewFrame            View Specified Frame            7-7

                            7.3. Syntax Guide

The following syntax for Format and Mask descriptions is very similar to
AmigaDOS commands ( => see AmigaDOS Reference Guide) but for functional
reasons cannot be followed absolutely.


                              7.3.1. Format

 <>     = Variable input string.
          Example: <DataInput> => Data input is required.
          (The angle brackets <> are not actually entered).

Page 7-3

 "< >" =  Variable input string which must be in quotation marks.
          Example: Menu <Name Text>"
          => The <Name Text> MUST be defined inside quotation marks.
          (The angle brackets < > are not actually entered).

 []    =  Optional input.
          Example: Set play mode [REQ]
          => The option REQ can, but does not have to be, given.
          (The square brackets [ ] are not actually entered).

 {}    =  Parameter, which can be repeated often in this instruction.
          Example: BOOLRequest {"<Text>" "< Text >"}
          Any amount of texts can be entered here.

 <#>   = Numerical value.

 <+#>  = Positive numerical values only.

 |     = A vertical line means 'Either/Or'
         Example: [ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
         As this is an optional parameter you can do without it. If you
use these parameters only one may be used at a time.

                       7.3.2. Masks and Parameters


 <Option>/K   = Keyword i.e. An action is started: (File Requester is
                opened)

 <Option>/S   = Switch, i.e. ON|OFF|TOGGLE.

 <Value>/N    = Numerical value.


 <Parameter>M = Multiple commands - i.e. several specific arguments can
                follow. (Relates to <> - brackets).

 <Text>T      = Arbitrary text which must be in quotation marks.


 <Command>/C  = Internal clariSSA instruction.

Page 7-4

 ,(Comma)     = No parameter necessary.

As quotation marks you can use " ", ' ', etc.

The following names appear regularly throughout the Use of clariSSA and
represent the various animation buffers available.

ANIM == Actual | MASTER | SOURCE_ A | SOURCE B | SOURCE_ C | SOURCE_ D
         <-------------Animation buffer------------->


Keywords and their significance :

 REQ     => Requester display/demand
 VIEW    => Display
 AREA    => Area
When combining NAME <File> and REQ, the following applies:

<File> can (or rather must) be a path. Using REQ afterwards opens the
file requester starting with the previously defined file name or path, so
that the selection can continue from this path or drawer. If no REQ is
given the path as well as the file name must be completely given.

                      7.4. Individual Instructions

clariSSAEnd
Format:
Mask:            ,
Description:     Ends the program.
Function:        This instruction has no further parameters. If unsaved
                 animations are in memory the user is prompted so that he
                 can then take an appropriate action .

NOP
Format:
Mask:            ,
Description:     No operation is carried out.

Page 7-5

Function:        If functions are possible but not desired this
                 instruction can be set as dummy.

LoadAnim
Format:          [<ANIM>][REQ][NAME[<FILE.>][FRAMES[<+#]]
Mask:            ANIM, REQ/S, NAME/K, FILE/T, FRAMES/K, #/N
Description:     This instruction reads an animation or single frames
                 from a file and puts it in a source buffer .
Function:        ANIM
                 ANIM enables an animation to be loaded into the intended
                 animation buffer. If no buffer is entered the file
                 description is loaded into the buffer.
                 REQ
                 The file requester opens for file description if you
                 enter the keyword REQ with the instruction.
                 NAME
                 After the instruction NAME a file name must be entered.
                 This file name will also appear in the file requester
                 and can be changed there.
                 FRAMES
                 After FRAMES the number of single frames which are to be
                 loaded can be entered. If you enter a nil or no value
                 the number requester appears.


SaveAnim
Format:          [<ANIM>][REQ][NAME<FILE>]
Mask:            ANIM, REQ/S, NAME/K, FILE/T
Description:     This instruction saves an animation which is in memory
                 onto a storage device.
Function :       ANIM
                 Anim defines which animation is saved from the
                 corresponding animation buffer. If a buffer Is not given
                 the current animation is saved.
                 REQ
                 The file requester opens for file description if you
                 enter the keyword REQ with the instruction.
                 NAME
                 After the instruction NAME a file name must be entered:
                 this file name also appears in the file requester and
                 can be changed there.

Page 7-6

SetArea
Format:          [AREA<+#|Actual][[FROM<+#>|Actual]
                 [TO<+#>|Actual]][FULL][UP|DOWN|TOGGLE]
                 [ACTIVE<+#>]
Mask:            AREA/K, #N, Actual/S, FROM/K, #N,Actual/S, TO/K,
                 Actual/S,
                 FULL/S, UP/S, DOWN/S, TOGGLE/S, ACTIVE/S, #N
Description:     Permits the definition of a range from the animation for
                 further processing.
Function :       AREA
                 AREA permits the definition of an area, which is then
                 listed in the Area Monitor selection. Values from 1 - 16
                 are possible.
                 Actual
                 If Actual is used, this corresponds to the currently
                 active area.
                 FROM TO
                 FROM and TO refers to the beginning and the end of an
                 area. Either positive values or actual values are
                 possible .
                 Actual
                 With the Actual instruction you can define the actual
                 shift position as an area boundary .

                 FULL
                 The FULL instruction is used to select the whole
                 animation range.
                 UP|DOWN
                 UP|DOWN gives the direction of movement within the
                 previously selected area (Forward/Backward)
                 TOGGLE
                 TOGGLE reverses the movement.
                 ACTIVE
                 ACTIVE selects an area, which is then shown up in white.
                 This area corresponds to the currently selected area.

ViewFrame
Format:          <+#>|[UP|DOWN[<#>]][COPS<#>]
Mask:            #/N, UP/S, DOWN/S, #N, COPS/K
Description:     Enables a specific frame to be viewed.
Function:        UP|DOWN

Page 7-7

                 If you use UP|DOWN, the slider moves relative to the
                 current position. If no value is entered after UP|DOWN,
                 the slider is only moved on one frame.
                 COPS
                 Only shows the colour of the frames # .

Record
Format:          [AREA][INSERT<+#>][COPS]
Mask:            AREA/S, INSERT/K, #/N, COPS/K
Description:     This instruction changes the content of an animation.
Function:        If an area is selected the Record instruction records
                 the chosen area into the Master buffer. The key word
                 INSERT extends the animation from the current position
                 by the given number of frames. The colours are recorded
                 through COPS.

PlayAnim
Format:          [<+#][SCREENS]
Mask:            #/N, SCREENS/S
Description:     This instruction causes playback of the Master
                 animation.
Function:        If no value is entered after the instruction the
                 animation is played according to the setting of
                 SetPlayMode. If a numerical value is entered, this
                 represents the number of the repeats. Use the SCREEN
                 instruction so that the screen  sequence can be
                 corrected again after playback the instruction.

SetPlayMode
Format:          [MOUSESTART ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [FOREVER ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [IFL ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [SLOWPLAY ON|OFF|TOGGLE
                 [DFPMode ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [REQ] [CLOSE]
Mask;            MOUSESTART/K, ON/S, OFF/S, TOGGLE/S, FOREVER/K,
                 IFL/K, SLOWPLAY /K, REQ/S , CLOSE/S
Description:     This instruction permits definition of playback modes or
                 playback attributes .
Function:        MOUSESTART
                 If this option is chosen, animation is started by a
                 mouse click.
                 FOREVER

Page 7-8

                 The animation is played endlessly, (End with right mouse
                 key).
                 IFL
                 This operation is relevant only when using AmigaDOS 2 .0
                 or greater. On starting clariSSA you See which DSO
                 Version is installed and set ON or OFF accordingly.
                 SLOW PLAY
                 Plays animation of half speed (PAL: 16/20 frames/sec).
                 DFPMode
                 Set frame distribution.
                 REQ
                 Opens the play mode window.
                 CLOSE
                 Closes play mode window.

SetEditMode
Format:          [FRONTEDIT ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [HFR ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [DDOProtect ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [REQ][CLOSE]
Mask:            FRONTEDIT/K, ON/S, OFF/S, TOGGLE/S, DDOProtect/K,
                 HFR/K, REQ/S, CLOSE/S
Description:     Permits the selection of different operation tools.
Function:        FRONT EDIT
                 The display screen is brought to the front with each
                 slider movement, so that it can be fully viewed. This
                 only works with AmigaDOS2.O or greater.

                 HFR
                 Half-frame recovery. After each slider movement a
                 corresponding half-frame is shown as a full frame. The
                 colour palette changes and the flickering between two
                 half-frames is suppressed.
                 DDO Protect
                 Activation or deactivation of DDO latch. An animation is
                 not removed from memory.
                 REQ
                 Opens the Edit-mode window.
                 CLOSE
                 Closes the Edit-mode window.

Page 7-9

SetMonitorDisplay
Format:          SYSTEM | FORMAT | SMOVE
Mask:            SYSTEM/S, FORMAT/S; SMOVE/S
Description:     Activities the desired dialogue field in the Monitor
                 window.
Function:        SYSTEM
                 Display of actual animation data.
                 SMOVE
                 Frame centring/adjustment.

RemakeDisplay
Format:          MONITOR | SCREENS | SLIDER | GADGETS
Mask:            MONITOR/S, SCREEN/S, SLIDERS/S, GADGETS/S
Description:     Redraws the user interface.
Function:        MONITOR
                 In dialogue field.
                 SCREEN
                 Moves animation screen behind interface.
                 SLIDERS
                 The two sliders.
                 GADGETS
                 The mUltifunction gadgets: recommended after
                 modification.


SetWorkScreen
Format:          ON|OFF|MOVE<#><#>][TO<#><#>][FRONT|BACK]
Mask:            ON/S, OFF/S, MOVE/K, #/N, T0/K, #/N, FRONT/S, BACKS/S
Description:     Affects the screen specific values of the animation
                 screen.
Function:        ON|OFF permits the animation screen to be turned on and
                 off.
                 MOVE|TO
                 MOVE moves the screen to a relative position while TO
                 moves the screen to an absolute position.
                 FRONT|BACK
                 FRONT|BACK moves the screen into foreground or
                 background.

Page 7-10

SetBasicScreen
Format:          [MOVE <;> <#>] [TO <#> <#>] [FRONT|BACK]
Mask:            MOVE/K, #N, TO/K, #/N, FRONT/S, BACKS
Description:     Influences the screen relative to the clariSSA screen.
Function:        MOVE|TO
                 MOVE moves the screen relatively while TO moves the
                 screen to an absolute position.
                 FRONT|BACK
                 FRONT|BACK moves the screen to the foreground or
                 background.

CloseAnim
Format:          [{<Anim>}]
Mask:            ANIM
Description:     Erase an animation from memory.
Function:        If this instruction is used together with Master or
                 Source_A, B, C or D buffers the Corresponding animation
                 will be erased. If no parameter is given the current
                 anim is removed. If the animation was previously
                 altered or newly created, a security request is
                 made before erasing.


SwapAnim
Format:          <ANIM> <ANIM>
Mask:            ANIM/A, ANIM/A
Description:     Swaps the contents of two anim buffers.
Function:        SwapAnim MASTER SOURCE_D.
                 Moves the animation which is in the Master to Source D.
                 At the same time Source D animation moves to Master .
                 This instruction also works when only one animation
                 buffer is occupied, thus an anim can be restored.


LoadDefs
Format:          [NAME <File>][REQ]
Mask:            NAME/K, File/T, REQ/S
Description:     Loads a .def file containing the last-saved SetUp
                 parameters for clariSSA.
Function:        NAME
                 This instruction has to be followed by a file name.

Page 7-11


                 REQ
                 Opens the file requester for individual choice, If no
                 name is given, the SetUp definitions are loaded
                 automatically and activated (always from clariSSA,def).


Gadget
Format:          PAGE <#>|CLEAR|[<#>|AUTO|CLEAR[CLEAR|
                 ["<Title>" <Command>]]]
Mask:            PAGE/K, #/N, CLEAR/S, #N, AUTO/S CLEAR/S, CLEAR/S,
                 Title/T, Command/C
Description:     Allows modification of one or several multifunction
                 gadgets.
Function:        PAGE
                 Indicates in which page the following alterations should
                 be done.
                 GADGET PAGE<+#><+#>CLEAR
                 Erases the #. gadget in page #.
                 GADGET PAGE<+#>CLEAR
                 Erases page #.
                 GADGET CLEAR
                 Erases all gadgets.
                 AUTO
                 AUTO is given instead of page, then the next free space
                 is automatically used. The identification name of the
                 gadget follows this information. This has to be supplied
                 in quotation marks. The instruction which will be
                 carried out when this gadget is chosen. The instructions
                 themselves must not be in quotation marks but the
                 additional parameters must be given in quotes i.e. >>
                 Gadget PAGE 2 AUTO "Anim Load" LoadAnim REQ <<.



ARexxString
Format:          "{<Instruction>;}"
Mask:            Instruction/M
Description:     Executes an ARexx string macro.

Page 7-12

Function:        This instruction processes the given ARexx instructions.
                 You must put the instruction string into quotes. Longer
                 instructions have to be split by Semi-colons, (You can
                 find out more about this in the ARexx section in the
                 Commodore AmigaDOS manual.)

ARexxMacro
Format:          [NAME<File>][REQ}
Mask:            NAME/K, File/T , REQ/S
Description:     Executes an ARexx Macro from a file,
Function:        The keyword NAME permits the name of the file, which is
                 to be interpreted as a Macro. If you use the REQ
                 command, the file requester opens for individual file
                 selection.

Message
Format:          "<Message>"
Mask:            Message
Description:     Given the user a message in the form of a requester.
Function:        The text which is to be indicated must be given in
                 quotes. It is possible to give several lines of text,
                 each in separate quotes. Each line of text is shown as
                 an individual line in the requester. If this
                 instruction is called you must bear in mind how ARexx
                 interprets quotation marks, otherwise mistakes could be
                 made.


SetPref
Format:          [NAME<File>]
                 [EBBACK ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [SECURITY ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [SLIDE ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [SCREENS ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [USEPLAYPOS ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [INTERACTION ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [SnapWindow ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [WORKBENCH ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [COLREQOS ON|OFF|TOGGLE]
                 [REQ][CLOSE]
Mask:            NAME/K, File/T, EBBACK/K, ON/S, OFF/S, TOGGLE/S,
                 SLIDE/K, REQ/S, CLOSE/S
Description:     Changes the SetUp settings. For more information see
                 Chapter 6.

Function:        NAME

Page 7-13


                 The file name can be entered directly with NAME, without
                 the file requester appearing or a load/save action
                 running.
                 EBBACK (S-Frame in background)
                 EBBACK can be modified with ONlOFF|TOGGLE.
                 SECURITY
                 SECURITY can be modified with ON|OFF|TOGGLE.
                 Snap Window
                 The Screen is centred on the active window .
                 WORKBENCH (=> See Page 5-7)
                 Switch Workbench on|off.
                 SLIDE
                 SLIDE can be modified with ON|OFF|TOGGLE.
                 SCREEN
                 Screens are automatically sorted.
                 USE PLAYPOS
                 Last frame position is used as the current slider
                 position on playback.
                 INTERACTION
                 Set interactively level.
                 COLREQOS
                 COLRequester will open its own screen.
                 REQ
                 Opens the SetUp window.
                 CLOSE
                 Closes the SetUp window.

DeleteArea
Format:          AREA
Mask:            AREA/K
Description:     Erases a selected animation range .
Function:        The selected range of frames is deleted.

GetFileInfo
Format:          [NAME<File>][REQ]
Mask:            NAME/K, File/T, REQ/S
Output:          e.g. "File" ID SSA FORMAT 32O 256 6
                 VIEWMODE HAM FRAMES 20'
Description:     Returns format info on animation file .

Page 7-14

Function:        NAME
                 File name input.
                 REQ
                 Open File Requester and Format Requester .
                 The values returned by this instruction are mainly of
                 importance for ARexx use.
                 ID       = SSA|IFF5|ILBM
                 FORMAT   = Resolution in Pixels and colour depth in
                            bitplanes.
                 VIEWMODE = HAM|EHB|HIRES|LORE|SUPERHIRES|LACE
                 FRAMES   = Number of frames in a % le or animation.

GetAnimInfo
Format:          [<ANIM>]
Output:          e.g. "File" ID SSA FORMAT 320 250 6 VIEWMODE
                 HAM Frames 20 POS 2 MEM 10987'
Description:     This instruction returns information about an Anim
                 buffer.
Function:        ANIM
                 Animation buffer. If no buffer is chosen, the current
                 one is used. The values returned by this instruction are
                 mainly of importance for ARexx input.
                 ID       = SSA|IFF5|ILBM
                 FORMAT   = Resolution in Pixels and colour depth in
                            bitplanes.
                 VIEWMODE = HAM|EHB|HIRES|LORES|SUPERHIRES|LACE
                 ES       = Number of frames in the file or animation.
                 POS      = Current position.
                 MEM      = Shows the amount of memory used by the
                            animation. (=> DDO SetUp - Chapter 3).

GetArea
Format:          [AREA <+#>]
Mask:            AREA/K, #/N
Output:          "FROM 10 TO 20 UP"
Description:     Finds the current range/area.
Function:        AREA
                 Numbers of the chosen range. If no parameter is given
                 the current range is used.
                 FROM
                 1st value = Start Frame .

Page 7-15

                 TO
                 2nd value = End Frame.

GetPlayMode
Format:
Mask:            ,
Output:          Mousestart ON FOREVER OFF IFL ON"
Description:     This instruction returns the currently set Play mode.
                 (=> see SetPlayMode).


GetEditMode
Format:
Mask:            ,
Output:          FRONTEDIT ON HFR OFF"
Description:     This instruction returns the currently set Edit mode.
                 (=> see SetEditMode).

GetMonitorDisplay
Format:
Mask:            ,
Output:          "SYSTEM"
Description:     Returns the currently set Monitor Mode .


BOOLREQUEST
Format:          {"<Text>"<Text>"]
Mask:            Text/M
Output:          "YES" or "NO"
Description:     Generates a requester for the user .
Function:        Text is output as a line of text in the requester. This
                 line of text must be given in quotes. Several lines of
                 text can be defined (which must always be in quotes).
                 The user can answer the requester with Yes or No.
                 Depending on this choice the BOOL Requester returns Yes
                 or No. BOOLRequest can be used to get choices from the
                 user. If the Exit gadget is chosen an error is
                 registered.

Page 7-16

INTRequest
Format:          {"<Text>"<Text>"]<#>
Mask:            Text/M, #/N
Output:          "10"
Description:     Permits the input of a colour value from a macro.
Function:        Text is a line of text which will appear in the
                 requester and which must always be in quotes. It is
                 possible to give several lines of text (which all have
                 to be in quotes) separately . The last parameter is
                 interpreted as a number value and is at the same time
                 the start value. The numeric value can only be a whole
                 number. If the user ends with OK a new number value is
                 returned. If the input is closed with the Exit gadget an
                 error is returned.

STRRequest
Format:          {"<Text>"<Text>"}<String>
Mask:            Text/M, #T
Output:          "Hello"
Description:     Permits input of a character string from a Macro.
                 (=> see INTRequest).


FailAt
Format:          {<+#>}<REQ}
Mask:            #/N, REQ/S
Output:          "10" old value
Description:     Set, returns the error threshold.
Function:        The error threshold enables error suppression for errors
                 which are not desired. This is especially important with
                 error numbers below 10. Such errors are helpful in
                 finding functions which are not available under this
                 setting. If you set the error threshold to 10 only the
                 "real" error messages are indicated. The keyword REQ
                 enables a direct entry of the error threshold into a
                 requester. If this instruction is carried out, it
                 returns the last value. The error threshold has no
                 influence over a running Macro. Only the feedback to the
                 user is displayed.

Page 7-17

SelectAnim
Format:          {ANIM}|ALL[REQ TILE" <Text>"]
Mask:            ANIM/M, ALL/S, REQ/S, TITLE/K, Text/T
Output:          "MASTER"
Description:     This instruction locates or selects an Anim Buffer.

Function:        ANIM
                 Several Anim buffers can be released for further
                 selection. If you use ALL, all buffers are released for
                 further selection.
                 REQ
                 With REQ the Anim Selection requester is called up so
                 that names can be chosen directly. If the instruction is
                 used without parameters, the current animation buffer is
                 selected.

GetPref
Format:
Mask:
Output:          "EBBACK ON SECURITY OFF NAME "work:"
Description:     This instruction returns the currently chosen preference
                 settings.
                 (=> See SetPref).


GetDirectory
Format:          [NAME<path>][REQ][TITLE<Titlename>]
                 [PTEXT<SwitchText>]][DIRS]FILES][FULL][CUT]
Mask:            NAME/K, Path/T, REQ/S, TITLE/K, TitleName/T, PTEXT/K,
                 Switch Text/T, DIRS/S, FILES/S, FULL/S, CUT/S
Output:          '1 FILE"RAM:a01" FILE "RAM:a02" DIRS "Anim"
Description:     The instruction searches for entries in a directory .
Function :       NAME
                 With this keyword the Path is put into the directory.
                 You can also chose a path and directory .
                 REQ
                 REQ opens the file requester for individual choice of a
                 directory.
                 PTEXT
                 This can be freely defined in order to create flexible
                 searching in your macros.
                 DIRS/FILES
                 The parameters DIRS and FILES represent the search mask.
                 The directories are entered as soon as DIRS is chosen,
                 while with

Page 7-18

                 FILES only the file is entered. However, you can use
                 both parameters at the same time.


                 FULL
                 FULL means that the file names are identified by their
                 complete paths on output. The output can be influenced
                 by the supplement CUT. If this supplement is used, all
                 files which occur alphanumerically before the selected
                 file are ignored on return. (Compare Current = select
                 with mouse click in the requester). The first value in
                 the output is always a number, which describes the
                 difference to the current file.
                 CUT
                 If Cut is included, the number value is always zero.
                 After this comes the actual output string with the
                 keywords FILS or DIRS. The paths or file names are
                 always defined in quotation marks.


Information
Format:          [VIEW]
Mask:            VIEW/S
Return:          "clariSSA 1.00 (01.10.92) AREXX: clariSSA"
Description:     Gives information pertaining to clariSSA.

GadgetTitle
Format:          [PAGE<+#>|AUTO|CLEAR][TITLE<GadTitle>][VIEW<+#>]
Mask:            PAGE/K, #/N, AUTO/S, CLEAR/S, TITLE/K,
                 GadTitle/T, VIEW/S, #/N
Output:          "PAGE1 TILE" "Page 1"
Description:     This instruction activates or deactivates an MFG title
                 bar.
Function:        If an MFG Title Bar is deactivated with its matching
                 page, the attached MFGs are no longer available. If the
                 page is activated again, the attached functions are once
                 more available for use.
                 PAGE
                 Number of the desired page.
                 AUTO

Page 7-19

                 Uses the next available page.
                 CLEAR
                 Deactivates the MFG title bar, but not its matching
                 MFGs.
                 TITLE
                 If TITLE is used a title text must be entered between
                 quotation marks. If a page is to be displayed with a
                 title bar, the VIEW parameter and the page numbers which
                 belong to it have to be used.


FileSelect
Format:          NAME<path>][TITLE<Titlename>][PTEXT<Switchtext>]
Mask:            NAME/K, Path/T, TITLE/K, Titlename/T,
                 PTEXT /K, Buttontext/T
Output:          "RAM:File"
                 The output consists of a string which contains the
                 complete file name including it's path.
Description:     This instruction allows a file name to be chosen.
Function:        NAME
                 Path followed by file name.
                 TITLE
                 Name of a file requester.
                 PTEXT:
                 Action text e.g. Load, OK, Save etc.

SSAControl
Format:          [DoDMO][RESP][OutDDO][OutAllDDO][DDOAlloc]
                 [DDOPlayAlloc]
Mask:            DoDMO/S, RESP/S, OutDDO/S, OutAllDDO/S, DDOAlloc/S,
                 DDOPlayAlloc/S
Output:          "10000 Bytes" or "NoAnim"
Description:     SSA internal functions are controlled with this
                 instruction.
Function:        DoDMO
                 Carries out a DMO operation. .
                 (=> See Chapter 3. DMO Operations)
                 RESP
                 Closes all devices and files which are still open.
                 OutDDO
                 Erases unnecessary data from the current animation .

Page 7-20

                 (=> See Chapter 3. DDO Operations)
                 OutAllDDO
                 Erases unnecessary data from all animations in memory.
                 DDOAlloc
                 Tries to relocate animations into Fast RAM.
                 DDOPlay Alloc
                 Forces relocation of the animation into Fast RAM and
                 carries out a play optimisation at the same time.


SetAnimMark
Format:          <+#>
Mask:            #/N
Description:     This instruction sets a marker in the animation (1-10).
Function:        The marker is set at the current frame position. Every
                 animation can have up to l0 markers set.

MoveAnimMark


Format:          <+#>
Mask:            #/N
Description:     This instruction moves a marker in the animation.
Function:        Moves a marker set with SetAnimMark.

FormatRequest
Format:          [FORMAT<Width><Height><Depth>]
                 [VIEWMODE SUPERHIRES|HIRES|LACE|HAM|EHB]
Mask:            FORMAT|K, Width/N, Height/N, Depth/N, VIEWMODE/K,
                 SUPERHIRES/S, S/S, LACE/S, HAM/S, EHB/S
Output:          "ID SSA FORMAT 640 256 2 VIEWMODE HIRES"
Description:     Opens the format requester for output.
Function :       FORMAT
                 Resolution of the graphic in width, height, depth
                 (pixels).
                 VIEWMODE
                 Representational attributes
                 SUPERHIRES  = horiz 1280
                 HIRES       = horizontal 640
                 LACE        = vertical 512/400

Page 7-21

                 EHB         = 32+32 colour
                 HAM         = dynamic hold and modify mode

OpenAnim
Format:          [<ANIM>][FORMAT<Width><Height><Length>]
                 [VIEWMODE SUPERHIRES|HIRES|LACE|HAM|EHB]
Mask:            ANIM,FORMAT|K, Width/N, Height/N, Depth/N,
                 VIEWMODE/K, SUPERHIRES/S, HIRES/S, LACE/S,
                 HAM/S, EHB/S
Description:     Defines the basic data of the animation for further
                 processing.

Function:        This instruction serves to adapt or change an animation
                 into other graphic forms.
                 ANIM
                 Animation used for format change. NB only the Master
                 animation can be used for this. If no buffer is given
                 the Master is used.
                 (Several options in sequence versions).
                 FORMAT
                 Resolution of graphic in Width, Height, Depth.
                 VIEWMODE
                 Pepresentational attributes
                 SUPERHIRES  = horiz 1280
                 HIRES       = horizontal 640
                 LACE        = vertical 512/400
                 EHB         = 32+32 colour
                 HAM         = dynamic hold and modify mode

HelpRequester
Format:          [REQ][CLOSE]
Mask:            REQ/K, CLOSE/K
Output:          "REQ"
Description:     Controls the Help tool.
Function:        REQ
                 Opens the Help window.
                 CLOSE
                 Closes the Help window.

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SetScreenGrabber
Format:          [REQ][CLOSE][STRUCTURE<#>][TRIGGER<#>]
                 [RECORD][PubScreen<NAME>][UPDATE]
                 [WindowPubScreen<PName>]
Mask:            REQ/S,CLOSE/S,STRUCTURE/K, TRIGGER/K, RECORDS/s
                 PubScreen/K, NAME/T, UPDATE/S, WindowPubScreen/K,
                 PName/T
Description:     Controls the ScreenGrabber tool.
Function:        This instruction controls the grabbing of screens from
                 other multitasking programs without the need for
                 intermediate storage.
                 REQ
                 Opens the ScreenGrabber window.
                 CLOSE
                 Closes the ScreenGrabber window.

                 STRUCTURE
                 Memory address of the screen structure.
                 TRIGGER
                 Trigger mode.
                         1 = Direct Grab
                         2 = Turn Off SGB
                         3 = Hot key
                         4 = Hot key + Active Screen
                         5 = Hot key + Frontscreen
                 RECORD
                 Record should not be confused with the gadget "Start".
                 If Record is used in connection with trigger between 1
                 and 3, the currently defined screen is recorded at once.
                 The active screen is recorded at once with a trigger of
                 4. A trigger of 5 immediately records the frontmost
                 screen.
                 PUBSCREEN
                 Name of the public screen e.g. Workbench.
                 UPDATE
                 Updates the screen list in the requester field.
                 WindowPubScreen
                 Opens the ScreenGrabber on the given public screen as
                 visitor.

GetScreenGrabber
Format:

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Mask:            ,
Output:          e.g. 'REQ TRIGGER 4 HOT KEY "shift f6"
                 PUBSCREEN "Workbench"'
Description:     Returns the current setting of the ScreenGrabber.

SetWorkLock
Format:          ON|OFF|TOGGLE
Mask:            ON/S, OFF/S, TOGGLE/S
Description:     Stops input from menu, mouse and keyboard.
Function:        Provides interrupt-free processing of macros.


SetColour
Format:          {<Number><Red><Green><Blue> }
Mask:            Number/N, Red/N, Green/N, Blue/N
Description:     Specified colour changes are made to a frame.
                 NUMBER
                 Register (0 to max).
                 RED, GREEN, BLUE
                 Colour value (0-255).

GeTColor
Format:          [{<Number>}]
Mask:            Number/N
Output:          "1 99 210 65" => Register1, 99 Red, 210 Green, 65 Blue.
Description:     Returns the selected colour value in a frame.
Function:        You can indicate with numbers which colour register
                 should be read. If no parameter is given the current
                 colour number selected in the colour requester is used.

RequestStatus
Format:          ON|OFF|TOGGLE
Mask:            ON/S, OFF/S, TOGGLE/S,
Description:     Turns the enquiry requester on or off.

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Function:        The enquiry requester is not always desired in Macros.
                 This instruction enables suppression of inquires. If OFF
                 is set all requester enquires must be confirmed with OK.
                 Only memory requests or 'big' mistakes are displayed in
                 the requester.

OpenColourRequester
Format:
Mask:            ,
Description:     Opens the Colour requester.

CloseColourRequester
Format:
Mask:            ,
Description:     Closes the Colour requester.


MSRequester
Format:          TITLE{<"t1" "t1">}PTEXT{<"g1" "g2">}
Mask:            TITLE/K, t1/T, PTEXT/K, g1/T
Output:          "2" =>Gadget 2. was selected.
Description:     Produces a selection requester for branching in Macros.
Function:        The lines of text after the TITLE are shown as comment
                 so that the requester can be used to give an
                 instruction.
                 PTEXT
                 The input PTEXT introduces the gadget definition. Each
                 paragraph is shown with a switch and is dimensioned
                 according to length of text.

COLRequeset
Format:          [Regester <#+>][FROM<#+>TO<#+>][TITLE"Text"]
Mask:            Register/K, #/N, FROM/K, #/N, TO/K, #/N, TITLE/K, Text/T
Output:          "234"=> Colour Area.
Description:     Selection of colour register Or colour area for
                 processing.
Function:        With the keyword 'Register" a colour register can be
                 preset. When selecting colour ranges the FROM/TO
                 parameters must be used. After using 'Register' or
                 'FROM/TO' the requester changes its

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                 state. A comment can be given after TITLE. Depending on
                 the setting of "COLREQOS" in SetPref the COLRequester
                 may use its own screen for a better view of the colours.


                        7.5. Example of an SSA-Macro

'OpenW1' in the MFG window "Main Page" using the name "Open Windows"

Options Results
Address clariSSA
        SetWorkLock ON
               SetPlayMode REQ
               SetPref REQ
               SetEditMode REQ
               HelpRequester REQ
               SetScreenGrabber REQ
        SetWorkLock OFF
exit

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