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OS/2 Help File
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1993-12-06
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47KB
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335 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. WPSam ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
WPSam version 1.1
the Workplace Shell Administration Program
(C) Noller & Breining Software, 1993
Author: Bernhard Budnik
Internet: os2b@info2.rus.uni-stuttgart.de
Compuserve: 100101,3201
Fido-net: 2:246/1406
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
WPSam is an extension to the Workplace Shell of OS/2 that enables you to
maintain a set of different desktop settings on your PC. You may switch between
these Workplace Shells during one session (i. e. without restarting your PC).
You even don't have to stop running programs.
The different sets of Workplace Shell settings may be protected by passwords.
A lot of applications are imagineable for this program:
o One can create different desktops for different jobs he has to carry out on a
single workstation.
o A PC might belong to different users and each of them has a different taste
of a nice Workplace Shell.
o It is even possible to hold a private Workplace Shell on a network server for
each user in this network. And each of these users can get his private shell
on every PC in this network.
NOTE: This is the first release of SAM that runs on the OS/2 Workplace shell.
So there are a lot of features missing. The basic function of WPSam, namely the
administration of different Workplace Shell settings on your desktop is running
completely. So enjoy it's actual features and if you are missing some, please
read the list of planned features. If you miss one, please don't hesitate to
contact us.
We, Klaus Breining, Markus Noller and Bernhard Budnik, distribute common
written software under the name Noller & Breining Software. Although it is our
attempt, to release only full functional and thoroughly tested programs to the
public, a bug may always creep in. If you find any errors, please report them
to us.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
1. Open a fullscreen or windowed session.
2. Call the REXX-procedure 'REGISTER'.
If a version of WPSam has already been installed on the PC, you will see an
error message. This is, because OS/2 write-protects DLL-files, that are in
use by the operation system and thus can't be overwritten.
In this case:
3. Start your PC with the installation disk.
4. Press 'ESC' as soon as it is possible (to get a command prompt).
5. Start 'REGISTER' as already mentioned.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Setting up a new user ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
At first some words to the organisation of desktops: If you start your computer
you will see the default OS/2 desktop. This will be called the root desktop.
If you now click on a user desktop icon, the root desktop will be closed and
the new desktop started.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Creating a new user ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Creating a new user is a quite simple job: Open the templates folder and drag a
'User' template to anywhere. The system will then create a new user desktop.
Although a lot of people like an untidy desktop, it is a good idea to create a
new folder at least on your root desktop that will contain all user icons. The
best way is to create a new directory and to create a shadow of this directory
on your Workplace Shell.
For the unexperienced user:
1. Open the templates folder.
2. Open the drives folder.
3. Open the drive, where you want to put the directory.
4. Drag a folder template to the location, where you want to get the new
directory.
5. Click to the new created folder with the right mouse button while
pressing the Alt key.
6. Change the name of the new directory from Folder to anything else (e.
g. Users).
7. Click to the new directory with the right mouse button (i. e. open the
object's context menu).
8. Click to Create shadow
9. Select desktop from the list.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Setting up the new user ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If you open the settings notebook of a user icon you will see the tab marks of
a normal folder. Additonally, there are three new tab marks:
o Password,
o Adjustments and
o profile
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. Password settings page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> t2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The picture shows the password settings page in the user settings notebook.
Here you may add a password for the user desktop.
If you activate 'Enable password' with the check button control, the user
desktop may only be started, deleted or changed if one knows the password. The
password can only be changed, if the old one is known regardless of the state
of the 'Enable password' button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> t1 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Password settings page in user settings notebook.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. Adjustments settings page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> t2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The picture shows the adjustments settings page in the user settings notebook.
The Advanced settings accesses the following features:
o Enable renaming: If activated, the user name may be changed.
o Enable moving: If activated, a user icon may be moved to another location.
o Allow dropping: If activated, other icons may be dropped onto the user
desktop icon. This also means, that other users may add icons to your
desktop even if they don't know your password!
The settings in the group Startup programs are not used in the current version
of WPSam.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> t1 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Adjustments settings page in user settings notebook.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. Profile settings page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> t2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
OS/2 keeps its information about user specific desktop settings in two
profiles: OS2.INI and OS2SYS.INI. The latter is intended to hold all system
specific informations like the different color-schemes, the printers and queue
drivers etc. OS2.INI holds information about window positions, folder colors,
the actual color-scheme, fonts etc.
In some cases, it might be interesting to use a user desktop on different
machines (e. g. in a network). But here the system of two different profiles
implies a problem, because it is necessary that the user- and system-profiles
are able to keep track of each other. Suggest you use only one system-profile
on a single computer. If you now keep your desktop on a network drive and
access it from different machines with different system-profiles, this will
cause a system fault.
To avoid this, you may choose to use a private system-profile. In this case,
each user gets his own system-profile and thus it is possible to use the
resulting combination of system- and user-profiles on different machines.
Although switching between different system-profiles in a running system is not
supported by OS/2, we have tried to use it nevertheless and to do this as save
as possible, but it's still in an experimental stage. So you should use the
global system-profile (this is the default) whenever possible.
After you have entered a newly created desktop for the first time, you cannot
change this setting anymore.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> t1 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Profile settings page in user settings notebook.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Usage ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The usage of the program is very straight forward.
Starting a user desktop
Simply double click a user icon. If the user icon is not password protected, it
is started immediately. If it is the first invocation of a new desktop, the
appropriate INI-files will be generated.
If the user icon is protected by a password, you are first asked for the
password. Invocation of the desktop is rejected on a wrong entered password (of
course!).
Returning to the root desktop
Open the desktop context menu by clicking to an empty desktop area with the
right mouse button and choose the menu entry Root desktop (see the following
figure). After a 20 second delay the actual desktop will then be closed and
the root desktop will be started. The delay is necessary, because the Workplace
Shell has to stop its internal activities.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Deinstallation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sometimes it could be necessary that you have to deinstall WPSam. This can be
done as follows:
1. Delete all user desktops (click right to each icon and select delete).
2. Boot from your installation diskettes and start a command prompt.
3. Delete the files WPSAM.DLL and WPSAMF.DLL in your DLL-directory
(x:\os2\dll, where x is the boot-drive).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Planned extensions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
WPSam is a very new program (look at the version number!). So we have still a
lot of ideas, we want to implement into this program. Here are some examples:
o We want to get a better approach for the 20 second solution. Here we have to
look for a message internal to the PM that may inform us, that all internal
processing has been completed.
o At the moment, the position of windows that have been changed shortly before
switching to another desktop are not saved. We want to change this
behaviour.
o We want to add private system environments for the users. At the moment,
every user has to use batch files to add private environment settings or he
has to add them to the CONFIG.SYS.
o We have another System administration program. It is SAM, a fullscreen
program, that enables password checking and user administration at boot
time. We want to integrate this program into WPSam (you can already see some
unused entries in one of the settings pages).
If you are missing any features, please don't hesitate to inform us about.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This copy of WPSam is provided with a limited evaluation license. You may
create as many desktops as you want, but they will work only for 21 days. If
you like the program, you can then keep these desktops and register the
program. You will then be able to use these desktops again.
If you find WPSam useful and would like to register it, a license fee is
payable. Registration of this software will entitle you (or your corporation)
to unlimited use of current and subsequent releases of WPSam. It also gives you
best-effort support via CompuServe, Internet and Fido-net.
We offer two license types: individual and corporate. An individual license is
for the sole use of the named individual, whereas a single corporate license
entitles use by all employees/members of the named corporation/institution.
The introductory prices are as follows:
o Individual: 30.-$(US).
o Individual (student): 10.-$(US).
o Corporate: 150.-$(US).
o Corporate (shools and universities): 50.-$(US).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Registration form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Noller & Breining Software
Tannenstrasse 18
D - 71554 Weissach im Tal
Germany
According: Registration WPSam
Yes, I want to register WPSam. I know that this program is
released without any kind of guarantee. I enclose the
registration fee to this letter as a bank note.
(No cheques from outside Germany please ! Thank you)
I would like to receive the software on a
o 5╨╝" diskette
o 3╨╗" diskette.
Please send it to the following address:
Name, First Name: ____________________
Street, No.: ____________________
Postal Code, Town: ____________________
Country: ____________________
__________________________________
(signature, date)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Versions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
1.1 Addition of Workplace Shell support for OS/2 2.x
1.0 First public version of SAM for OS/2 1.x.