WWWworkbenchIB v 1.0
(IB=version that runs on IBrowse )

by Andres Pääbo ©98 Shareware-US$5


Introduction


PREFACE

This project developed as a result of my doing some commercial work creating websites with lots of graphics (see later for some of my websites). In the process of creating websites with a nice graphic appearance, it is necessary to view what you have visually. Thumbnail systems have the problem that you have to deliberately create the thumbnails. Also not all software support the same thumbnails (ie for loading and saving). Thirdly, if you move files, the thumbnails will not move with the file (except for newicons, and thumbnails that are actually put onto the workbench icons--but when thumbnails are put on workbench icons, the workbench slows down ...and so it goes....)

But for website work how necessary are permanent thumbnails anyway? Websites are designed to travel over phone lines, and most images used should be under 15k so as not to try the average internet user's patience. Website images arrive quickly. So they do not need thumbnails. They only need to be scaled to a fixed size and layed out on the screen for easy viewing. The HTML parameters of WIDTH= and LENGTH= for images, make borwsers natural image scalers. So why not load all images, from their source, and generate a temporary html document with images required to be scaled to a specified WIDTH and HEIGHT. It is relatively easy to do, and some others have done so.

But when I began doing so, I started running into real world problems and requirements. What is the file name? What is its filesize? How would yoou use browser displays of directory contents? What about non-images in the directories? What about directories? What about navigation? What can we do with the thumnail display when it is created? One answer led to another and another and eventually the result is WWWworkbench.

It is called this because in its final form it resembles a workbench. You open many browser windows each with thumbnail -size displays, and perfprm typical directory editing actions on them--just like regular workbench windows. IBrowse allows all the gadgets to be removed from the browser window, and it really looks like a workbench window!!! However, the limited nature of IBrowse arexx command makes it behave a little less like a workbench than I would have wanted.

But note--because each window is a browser window, if TCP is running, you can bring in a web page among the pages. If the web page is your own and you have FTP access to the directory, ant FTPMount (see more later) you can integrate your website directory with your local ones in your operations. WWWworkbench startes with only a limited number of arexx commands in the browser. (basically all WWWworkbench needs is the command for a new window, load a new document, query title, and that;s about it--the rest is Arexx and Amigados). Additional commands offered by the browser add frills, like sizing the window, etc.

I'm not a programmer. And this is not a true program. It is a system of interrelated and interdependent scripts and html documents triggered by links on the browser display, and feeding the browser script-generated html documents. And this is the FIRST version, so many improvements in tightening and improving scripts, operations, etc. are inevitable.



HOW CREATED

Programmers tend to design a computer program from the point of view of acheiving a very fast and efficient script that does many things. But the ninterface and operations may not be as good as when the project starts with the iinterface, and works backwards. I'm not a programmer, but come from the real world of art; so my prime interest is the interface and operation. Making the operation and interface the greater importance may result in less efficient opeerations underneath, but the way I look at it its that if the arexx script takes a second longer to do something, so what? If we are talking only about an additional second here and there, that is insignificant in this application, because the user does not race along anyway. It is inevitable from the way I build the thing, that the script is initially messy and in some respeects not doing something the best and fastest way. I am still a student of arexx. WWWworkbench was built up interractively. First you get something happening and then add and change this and that. It becomes more and more complex and messy; but when it is running properly it can be rewritten, tightened up, after turning attention to the script operation as opposed to the user interface. The objective is to get the final operation first, and then to tighten up the scripts afterward.

FEATURES



WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES

AREXX SCRIPTS AND WWWw

It is important to note that unknown arexx scripts are dangerous . By running an arexx script, you are allowing the creator of that script to operate your AmigaDos commands. (And this is also true of installation scripts when you install software--poor docs don't tell you what the installation script will do.) Anyway, the most dangerous thing would be if a bad, or evil arexx script deletes directories. My suggestion is that before you run any unknown arexx script search it for the word ALL, because 'Delete ALL' will not ask your permission to delete a directory. Normally arexx scripts will delete only files that they created in Ram: or Ram:T . So for your information, here is what WWWworkbench does in terms of creating or deleting directories and files: It creates a temporary directory, Ram:W4 , and EVERYTHING WWWworkbench generates and/or deletes is put in there. It doesn't even use an environmental variable. Instead a file called 'resultstring' is created and overwritten in this location. The only creation or deletion action that WWWworkbench does outside of Ram:W4 is to save a permanent configuration file ( W4-config.txt ) to the WWWworkbench directory.The directory Ram:W4 will remain until you reboot or explicitly delete it. The few script files in RAM:W4 are so small in filesize that they barely take up any memory. If it is a problem for anyone, just open Ram: and delete it.

Installation & Configuration


INSTALLATION

CONFIGURATION

Useage

GENERAL

The concept here is that you have several windows open at the same time, reduced from screen size so you can view two or three directories at the same time. You can then perform operations between them--copy or move pictures from one directory to another, delete this or that, rename for greater clarity... A good approach for such operations is to place two vertical half-screens side by side , dividing the screen in two. Set the number of pictures in a row to about three or four (depending on how small the thumbnails.). Note that the moment you apply the changes to the configuration window, it takes effect (but only until you turn the computer off, since the changes aare initially in Ram: To make the changes permanent use 'Save New Config' (which actulaly runs StartWWWworkbench again, which contains a COPY command that puts whatever is in Ram: to the W4config.txt file in the WWWorkbench drawer on your hard drive). Anyway, the point is that since changes are immediate you can change the thumbnail size, number across, and the maximum filesize allowable to be loaded to thumbnail--ANYTIME. You can even keep the configuration screen minimized and tucked away in a corner. The act of saving (IBrowse) the edited page immediately rewrites the config file in Ram, which the WWWworkbench.ibrx script reads every time it opens a new directory. Thus you are not stuck with a configuration!

The following is an inventory of specific things you can do:

VIEWER OF CONTENTS OF DIRECTORIES

INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILES:



GENERATION OF THUMBNAIL HTML DOCS FOR ARCHIVES

WWWworkbench generates the directory displays into html documents which then the browser loads. You can choose to suppress deleting these, and allow them to accumulate in the Ram:W4 directory so you can copy them to a hard drive location to build a local website with a menu of links that could serve to view picture archives. Enter your desire to not delete these html docs in the configuration file.

DIRECTORY MANAGEMENT AND EDITING

Each display provides a number of menu items that trigger AmigaDos commands -- Delete -- CopyTo -- MoveTo -- Rename -- Clone -- MakeDir -- DelDir (delete directory). The system is designed so that you select the desired file from the file requester. Where applicable, multiselect is allowed. Note the destination directory for copy and move are another open window, which you can select. Prompts will help you understand how it works, so there is no need to cover all the details here.

NAVIGATION NOTES



SPECIAL AREXX BUTTON
(this concept is in development-send in your shareware to keep updated)

This button is designed for you to select a special arexx script which will act on an image. You first select the operation, and then select the image that you want the script to act on. The script waits for the url of the window to change, and assumes the change is the image that is to be acted apon. I provide two scripts--one passes the image to Image FX and the other passes it to PPaint. It is just a quick way of loading either program after viewing the directories with WWWworkbench.

EDITING REMOTE WEBSITES VIA FTPMOUNT

Once you have provided WWWworkbench the paths to the remote website directory in terms ofboth the URL and the FTPMount: path, WWWworkbench will go to and load a remote directory just as if it is local. The only way you will know you are going to a remote directory are the FTPMount prompts which indicate what is happening with your FTP connection. Also, of course, things will happen much mroe slowly as everything has to travel through the phone lines.

Because the approach used is that FTP is used for editing the directory, but HTTP: is used for fetching files to view, WWWworkbench works only on remote directories which are BOTH accessible to you via FTP and HTTP (ie the World Wide Web) This means you have established a personal or commercial website on your server.

UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING IS PRETTY TAME

As mentioned elsewhere, when I tried to load a remote file into the browser (IBrowse ) by the url "file://localhost/FTPMount: websitedrawer/website" the browser crashed. I did not continue to figure out why, because I decided anyway that it was better for the browser to access the files via HTTP: (ie via "http://websiteserver/website")directly instead of getting it indirectly, anyway. I believe the way I have done it is very ordinary and safe. FTPMount only recieves Amigados commands, which is the true concept behind FTPMount, and has no direct connection with the browser. And all the browser does is what it was meant to do--to load files via HTTP: And between the two WWWworkbench processes script data, generates html documents and sends AmigaDos commands to FTPMount or local files, and sends the browser about three arexx commands. Thus all participants are behaving in the way they were intended. And that makes the operation of WWWworkbench very normal and tame underneath.
Registration, Legalities, etc.

SHAREWARE

Become a registered user and recieve any new improvements to the version 1 (based on IBrowse as it exists currently (Sept 98). WWWworkbenchIB (IBrowse Version 1,0) is offered according to the shareware concept. The price set is $5 US. For registration just send me a letter with payment and your information---MOST IMPORTANT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS because that is the only way I will send you the material. Questions? Ask me:email. WWWworkbench is a design is based on real world experience, and it is not a toy. Examples of websites of mine (click hre and they will appear in this window--you have to expand the window to fill the screen)

an international resort
a medium size resort
my own website of wildlife paintings

SEND LETTER TO:
Andres Pääbo
Box 478
Apsley, Ontario
CANADA, K0L 1A0

EMAIL


STANDARD LEGALITIES.....