Suzy B Software 2

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Suzy B Software 2 / Suzy B Software CD-ROM 2 (1994).iso / bootup / boot_a2m / mousebt4 / mousebt4.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1995-05-02 | 76KB | 1,577 lines

The Incredible Mock-Gem Auto Booter Mouse Boot IV Demo (C)1991 SRL-systems Written By Scott R. Lemmon Newdesk Compatible STe and Mega STe Compatible And Now Moniterm Compatible Even Uses TT Medium's Extra Colors! NOTICE: This is the documentation for Mouse Boot version IV, unlike earlier versions of Mouse Boot, version IV is not a Share-Ware program but is available to all who register their copy of Mouse Boot 3d.x (the Share-Ware version of Mouse Boot available for download - with many of the basic features of version IV) All programs mentioned in this document are not in the demo but are included with the registered copy. To register Mouse Boot please send a check or money order for $15 made payable to Scott R. Lemmon to this address... SRL Systems c/o Scott R. Lemmon 2121 Gillis st. Palatka, Fl 32177 USA All who register will recieve the complete Mouse Boot IV package. Anyone who has already registered any of the Share-Ware versions of Mouse Boot may recieve the new version IV by sending me a self-addressed mailer and disk with return postage (of $5 if that's easier). PART I. An Introduction To Mouse Boot. If you are familiar with the way autobooters work, you may skip this section and go on to "Installing Mouse Boot". System Requirements Mouse Boot can run on virtually any Atari ST, STe, Mega ST(e), or TT computer with at least 512k of memory - even accelerator boards and graphic boards should be no problem to Mouse Boot. On a TT, Mouse Boot can even run in "Fast RAM" for maximum speed. Mouse Boot is most useful when used with a hard drive, but it can also be successfully used from a floppy system. How Mouse Boot works The longer one owns an Atari ST\TT computer, the more accessories and AUTO folder programs one collects. Some may be used most all the time - others may only be used on occasion or only with certain programs. The problem is how to select only the ones needed for a given task. One way is to rename the auto programs and accessories you are not using to prevent them from loading. This method works, but doing this by hand every time you want a change is far too tedious to be practical. By using Mouse Boot, however, you can simply use the mouse to pick the files you want. With Mouse Boot you can keep all the AUTO programs and accessories you use on your disk drive and select only the ones you want to each time you boot the computer. You can even store groups of these programs into "presets" and select them with a single mouse click. Mouse Boot runs from the AUTO folder (for best results it should run before anything else). When you boot your computer Mouse Boot will list all of the AUTO programs and accessories in the system and allow you to pick the ones you want by clicking on them with the mouse. Any you do not pick will be renamed with an "X" on the end of their file extender - for example, an accessory named CONTROL.ACC would be renamed CONTROL.ACX or and AUTO program named TOSFIX.PRG would be renamed TOSFIX.PRX - this prevents TOS from loading them when booting. But that's just the start; Mouse Boot also lets you make lists of files like DESKTOP\NEWDESK.INF and ASSIGN.SYS files and then choose the one you want to use - this way you can have a separate desktop setup or fonts for different programs. You can also make lists of GEM programs to autorun and use Mouse Boot to quickly choose one when you boot. You can even run batch files and define custom file types to perform just about any other task you might want. As with the AUTO programs and accessories, all of these choices can be stored in presets - allowing you to change the entire setup of your computer system with a single click of the mouse each time you boot! With Mouse Boot you can even keep all of the accessories not being used in their own folder - just the ones currently in use will be in the root directory. This can greatly help reduce the clutter that can develop in the root directory of your boot drive; and best of all, Mouse Boot can do this without using up a single Byte of your system's memory - Mouse Boot needs no resident code to accomplish this. If you switch between color and monochrome monitors (yes, even if it's for TT high) Mouse Boot will allow you to have a default setup for each monitor and then automatically select the setup for the monitor currently in use! Mouse Boot not only works in the AUTO folder, but can also be run from the desktop like any other program, allowing you to re-boot if you make any changes (and knowing not to run again from the AUTO folder afterwards). It can even take advantage of some of the features found in ATARI's new desktop or alternate desktops like NeoDesk. For the adventurous, the Mouse Boot welcome screen allows you to display a picture when you boot - even play a Quartet song! The more serious minded need not worry, Mouse Boot works just as well without the welcome screen - since it's a separate program, you need not even bother to load the extra code. Mouse boot is very legal, and should work on any system - even if you use an external graphic board. It uses only VDI calls to draw the screen, not quasi legal A-LINE routines. It can even take advantage of extra screen colors if you have them (like in TT Medium). Most of all, Mouse Boot makes all this simpler that it ever has been before. Mouse Boot will automatically adapt to your system whether your using an 520 STfm with TOS 1.0 or a TT 030 in TT medium res. Most configuration is automatic, but many features can be changed to meet special needs - and all from within the program, no construction set to worry about. Mouse Boot's design is simple yet powerful, allowing you to do what you want quickly and with a minimum of muss and fuss - and, that is after all, the whole point. Last, and to some perhaps least, Mouse Boot looks really cool (after all - why should Atari programs be ugly). Atari's have better graphics than people realize - it's about time they were put to use. This isn't as important as how a program works, of course; but since a program like Mouse Boot must use it's own routines to have a graphic interface inside the AUTO folder, why should it just look like generic GEM dialogs - we see enough of them as it is. PART II - Installing Mouse Boot Before you do anything else, make backup copies of the Mouse Boot disk, and use only the copy. Place the original disk in a safe place. Next read through this section before attempting to install the program. To install Mouse Boot on your computer's boot drive, first place MOUSEBT4.PRG in your AUTO folder. Next, make a folder named MOUSEBT also inside of the AUTO folder (this is used to hold the extra files - like desktops - and to hold Mouse Boot's configuration file). If you wish to have a welcome screen appear when you boot, copy WELCOME.PRG into the AUTO folder and make a folder named WELCOME inside of the MOUSEBT folder. Into this folder place any DEGAS pictures you wish to display (at least one .P?1 for color and one .P?3 for monochrome if you use two monitor types). You can also add Quartet songs, for full details read the welcome screen section and then continue the installation. Re-ordering the AUTO folder... For best results, Mouse Boot should be as near to the first program in your AUTO folder as possible (only the WELCOME.PRG should be before MOUSEBT4.PRG). If you have any AUTO programs that you really want to run first, you can place them before WELCOME and MOUSEBT4 - Mouse Boot has a special way of dealing with them. To make this easy Mouse Boot will allow you to reorder the AUTO folder. Double click on MOUSEBT4.PRG to run it - you should now see Mouse Boot's main selector screen. The AUTO folder programs will be shown on the right hand side of the screen under a bar marked "Auto's"; they will be shown in the order in which they will run - it is this order we must change. To do this click on the Auto's bar - now only the auto programs will be shown. You can re-arrange them as you like by clicking on a file and then clicking on its desired location - the file will be inserted into the list at this point (not just swapped with the file already there). If you are using the welcome screen, place WELCOME at the top of the list directly followed by MOUSEBT4 - otherwise place MOUSEBT4 first. As of yet, no changes have been made on the disk, to actually start the re-order click on the large button at the bottom of the screen; a dialogue box will appear asking you to confirm or cancel the re-order. Click on REORDER to begin. This will take a several seconds - depending on how many files are in the AUTO folder; when finished, you will be returned to the selector screen and the new order will be shown. The order of the AUTO folder can be very important since AUTO programs are sometimes affected by the order in which they run - just changing the order of the programs can make the difference between a successful load and a bomb. Unfortunately, aside from trial and error, there is no guaranteed way to tell what the exact order of all the programs should be. The documentation for each auto program may help give you an idea on where to place it; but, if you have problems, it may be conflicting with a program running before or after it - try it someplace else in the list. To exit Mouse Boot and return to the desktop after reordering the files click on CANCEL. Mouse Boot is now ready to go, just reboot the computer and wait for Mouse Boot to run. The AUTO folder reorder method used is quite safe - the file's data is never moved, just the filename. In the worst case scenario (say, for example, the power went out during the reorder), you would most likely be left with a temporary folder named DEADMILK.MEN on your boot drive - a folder name you are unlikely to already have. Do not despair - simply copy any files inside it back into the AUTO folder, delete the DEADMILK.MEN folder, and try the reorder again. A Test Installation of Mouse Boot IV If you would like to run Mouse Boot to see how it works before placing it in the AUTO folder, just copy the MOUSEBT4.PRG to any place on your boot drive and run it from there. It should still be able to find the auto programs and accessories - you can even change them this way (Mouse Boot will offer to reboot the computer if you make any changes). If you place only the MOUSEBT folder inside the AUTO folder you can even save the presets and other Mouse Boot settings without placing Mouse Boot itself in the AUTO folder. After getting things set up the way you want, you can then move Mouse Boot to the AUTO folder. The Welcome screen as well can be run from the desktop in this manner to see how it works, although Mouse Boot will not run after it as it would from the AUTO folder. Upgrading from Mouse Boot 3D.x If you are already using a Share-Ware version all you need do to use Mouse Boot IV is copy it and the welcome screen to the correct place in the AUTO folder (the old Welcome screen will not work correctly with the new Mouse Boot). Also, since the name of Mouse Boot has been changed from MOUSEBT3.PRG to MOUSEBT4.PRG you may have to place the new name in your presets; there is an easy way to do this, just select MASS from the EDIT dialogue then select MOUSEBT4. Next, select all of the presets you have used - this will add the new name to the presets; lastly, select FILE and SAVE to save the new PRESET.DAT file. Be sure to read the READ.ME file for a listing of the changes from the Share-Ware program. BATCH.PRG and ARUN_II.PRG have also been updated since the Share-Ware version, if you use these copy them as well. PART III - Using Mouse Boot Selecting AUTO folder and Accessory Programs Once loaded, Mouse Boot should display all of the accessories and AUTO programs currently available - the active ones will be shown in inverse. To change any of them simply point and click - or drag the mouse pointer to change several at a time. You can turn on as many as you like - though unless you use a program like Multidesk, the computer can only load six accessories at once. After selecting the files clicking on CHANGE will first rename the files to .ACC/.PRG if selected or .ACC/.PRX if not selected, then exit Mouse boot: after which, loading of the selected AUTO folder programs will continue. Note that when Mouse boot first loads, it starts a countdown timer initially set to ten seconds. If no action is taken in this time, Mouse Boot will exit without making any changes. To stop this, just left click anywhere on the selector screen - right clicking will exit the program (like clicking on CANCEL). You can change or disable this timer if you wish (see section XI). On the selector screen, all files except the AUTO programs will be shown in alphabetical order. The AUTO programs will be shown in the order in which they run - this order can be changed by clicking on the AUTO's title bar (read the information on AUTO folder reordering in the "Installing Mouse Boot" section above). In rare cases you may have more ACC and AUTO files than can fit on the screen at one time, if this happens Mouse Boot will place a button in the upper left-hand corner of the screen allowing you to page between the two. Adding other file types. Besides Auto folder programs and desk accessories, Mouse Boot will also let you choose between other types of files. these "type" files can include DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF files, GDOS ASSIGN.SYS files, GEM autorun (GEMrun) files, Mouse Boot batch files, and two user defined file types. This allows you, for example, to have separate desktops for each program you use, change GDOS fonts by picking a different ASSIGN.SYS file, set up a GEM program to autorun, or even perform file functions like copy or rename by choosing a batch file. Mouse Boot looks for these files in the MOUSEBT folder - allowing you to select the one you want to use. This file is then copied from the MOUSEBT folder to its proper place and given its correct name; or, in the case of GEMrun and batch files, are used to perform there function. files inside the MOUSEBT folder are told apart by their extenders, since the file name itself can be any eight letter word that helps you remember its function. Mouse Boot recognizes six types of files - the extenders for each type are as follows... .INF Desktop/Nwedesk.inf files .SYS assign.sys files (GDOS) .1CF Custom file #1 (user defined) .2CF Custom file #2 (user defined) .BAT Mouse Boot Batch files .RUN GEMrun file (made and used by Mouse Boot to auto run GEM programs) The last letter of the extender may also be 'X' indicating that the file is not the currently active file of that type. Read the section on the Mouse Boot batch file processor to find out how to write and use Mouse Boot batch files - this is a powerful feature and can be used to perform many complex tasks upon bootup. GEM auto run (or GEMrun) files are made either by Mouse Boot itself (see below) or the ARUN_II.PRG - these files consist of a program's path and filename which Mouse Boot then inserts into the DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF file allowing GEM to autorun the program. (see "autorunning GEM programs" for full details). There are several ways to add files to the MOUSEBT folder... 1. If Mouse boot has been run from GEM (not as an auto program), you can add files by first clicking on the Mouse Boot title bar at the top- center of the selector screen - this will bring up Mouse Boot's configuration dialogue. Next select the "add file to MOUSEBT folder" option from the configuration menu; the file selector will appear allowing you to select the file to add. If Mouse Boot can't match the selected file's extender to ".INF" (for desktops), ".SYS" (for assign.sys) , ".BAT" (for batch files), or ".PRG/.APP" (for program files); Mouse Boot will allow you to treat it as a custom file type - read the "Configuring Mouse Boot" section for an explanation of custom file types. After you pick a file to add, another file selector will appear allowing you to rename the file and place it in the MOUSEBT folder - you can give it any name that describes its function (like LOWDESK for a low resolution DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF file). Mouse Boot will automatically add the correct file extender for that file type. Next, you will be returned to the first file selector to choose another file to add. After adding all the files you want, click on CANCEL to return to the configuration dialogue. If the file you choose to add is a program file, Mouse Boot will not place the file itself in the MOUSEBT folder. Rather Mouse Boot will make a "GEMrun" file (with the extender .RUX) to auto run the program you selected - read the "Autorunning GEM programs" section for details on how this works. Using the file selector Any time you must enter a program or file's path in Mouse Boot you can use the system file selector or any custom selector you may have installed (such as Universal Item Selector). This allows you to use whatever file selector you like best rather than forcing some built-in file selector upon you. There is one hitch to this; since the file selector will not work from the AUTO folder, you must run Mouse Boot from the desktop to use it. Because of this, the "add file to MOUSEBT folder" option is only available when Mouse Boot is used from the desktop. This is not as big of an inconvenience as it may first seem, since Mouse Boot can be used quite effectively from GEM. 2. If you have Atari's newdesk TOS or NeoDesk from Gribnif, you can add files to the MOUSEBT folder by simply dragging them to Mouse Boot's program icon. This is a very simple and fast way to do it - like above, Mouse Boot will bring up the file selector to allow you to rename the file to be placed inside the folder. If using Atari's newdesk TOS, you should first highlight the Mouse Boot program icon and set install application options to pass the full pathname of the file and to use the program's directory (not the top window's) - then save the desktop. These are the settings most programs will need, but for some reason clever Atari set the defaults to the more seldom used options - go figure. 3. The included program ARUN_II can also be used to copy desktops and assign.sys files into the folder as well as make GEMrun files. Because this is all ARUN_II does - for adding several files at a time to the MOUSEBT folder, it may be easier than using Mouse Boot. Read the "Auto Run II" section for directions on using this program. 4. The last method is to copy and rename the files into the MOUSEBT folder yourself, you can add all types but GEMrun files in this manner. If you are converting from a different booter program and alread have lists of desktop or assign.sys files, you can just copy them into the MOUSEBT folder. Also, the sample Mouse Boot batch files included on the Mouse Boot disk can be quickly placed into the MOUSEBT folder this way. If you want to delete a file from the MOUSEBT folder simply delete it as you would any other file - open a window to the folder and drag the file to the trashcan. Selecting "type" files Once you've placed the files in the MOUSEBT folder selecting which file to use is very easy - just click on it. With "type" files, unlike auto programs or accessories, only one file in each of each type can be active at any one time - after all, you can't use two desktops at once; but, if you don't want to use one of the types, you can turn all files in it off. To start off with, DESKTOP files will be shown. Holding down the left mouse button on the DESKTOP title bar will bring up a menu of all other types available - only those which are in use will be shown (For example, if you have no ASSIGN.SYS files in the MOUSEBT folder, the -GDOS- file type will be left out). To make a selection simply release the mouse button over top of the choice you want. Also, quickly clicking on the type title bar (not holding the mouse button down) will cycle through all available types to allow you to get a quick overview of which files are being used. another way to change the type currently shown is by pressing function keys 1-6 while in the main screen (also known as the selector screen). You can switch to any type this way, even one currently not in use. Here's a list of the key's corresponding file type. F1 - DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF F2 - GEM programs to autorun F3 - ASSIGN.SYS files (labeled -GDOS-) F4 - Mouse Boot batch files. F5 - Custom type #1 F6 - Custom type #2 If more files are in the type list than can fit on the screen (more than 18), you can scroll the type column by holding down the left Mouse button to the right of the type column and moving the mouse up or down - this is a dynamic scroll and the more you move the mouse the faster it will go: because of this it is very easy to get anywhere on the list quickly. Also, if you switch between two or more large lists they will be adjusted so the currently active file in each list will always be visible on the screen. Each type can have a maximum of 60 files (it is very unlikely that this limit would ever be exceeded). If you look at the bottom of the selector screen, you will notice a row of six buttons - these are the "main controls" for Mouse Boot and the next section explains what each one does. PART IV - Mouse Boot buttons Mouse Boot uses different buttons from what you may be used to - Mouse Boot's buttons have a "3-D" look to them. When you click on one with the mouse, it will appear to "push in" instead of just inverting colors like a standard GEM button. In most other respects Mouse Boot's buttons behave just as a GEM button would - to select one just click on it with the left mouse button (for a few buttons, the right mouse button will also perform a function, this will be noted in the documentation). Also, if you move the mouse away from over top the button before releasing the mouse, the button will "pop" back up without activating the function it represents. Here is what the buttons on Mouse Boot's main selector screen do... CHANGE -When this button is pressed, the screen will clear and the message "Renaming File - Please Wait" will appear. This will activate all the highlighted files on the selector screen and then exit the program. CANCEL -This exits the program making no changes to any of the files. In the main selector screen and in the preset dialogue pressing the right mouse button will also do this. PRESET -This will bring up the "Preset dialogue" which allows you to activate or display a stored file preset. Read the next two sections for a full explanation of this. EDIT -Allows you to create and modify the presets. The next section deals with this. FILE -This allows you to save or reload the PRESET.DAT file. This file contains all configuration data for Mouse Boot - this is explained in the next sections as well. REVERT -this will set all of the highlighted files on the selector screen back to the way they were when Mouse Boot was first run. Until you click on CHANGE or a preset, no actual changes are made to any accessory, auto, or type files. Revert allows you to see which files are currently in use. PART V. - Setting Mouse Boot's Presets There are probably certain arrangements of accessories and AUTO folder programs you commonly use - this arrangement may change depending on which programs you intend to run. Mouse Boot allows you to store these arrangements in presets. With presets, you can store file combinations you often use (including AUTO folder programs, accessories, DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF files, ASSIGN.SYS files, etc.) and then instantly select the one you want. When Mouse Boot first loads it looks for a file named PRESET.DAT in the MOUSEBT folder; if it can't find one all of the presets will be empty and named "Unused". To store files into a preset simply highlight the files you wish to use on the selector screen and click the "EDIT" button. A Mouse Boot dialogue box will appear with four options shown in buttons at the bottom. To store your preset, first click on the STORE button followed by the preset you wish to store the active files into (one of the twenty buttons above the STORE button). If the preset was formerly empty you will also be asked to enter a new name for that preset. There are three pages of 20 presets each, to switch pages use the arrow buttons or function keys 1-3. The STORE button can also be used to erase a preset and return it to an "unused" state. Just right-click on the STORE button and select a preset to erase. To change the name of any of the presets, click on the "RENAME" button and then click on the preset you wish to rename. Another dialogue box will pop up asking you to type the new name (one of the few times you need really touch the keyboard!) - if you press ENTER or click on the dialogue box with the mouse before typing anything, no change will be made. Otherwise, the name you type will become the new name for the preset. You can assign the preset a "Hot Key" by capitalizing any letter in the name or using a number as part of the name, afterwards when you press that key the preset currently shown on the screen with that letter or number will be selected. Each of the three preset pages has its own set of hot keys (otherwise with 60 presets you could run out of letters) - to select a preset on a different page using just the keyboard you can first press F1-F3 to select the page then press the preset hot key. This allows you to quickly select a preset upon booting without using the mouse. The last button in the edit dialogue - EXIT, just returns you to the selector screen when you have finished. Mass Merge and extract The MASS button in the EDIT dialogue performs a mass merge or mass extract on a selected group of presets. If, for example, you add a file to your AUTO folder after setting all of your presets up, it could take some time to add this new file to all of the presets you want to use it with. This is where Mass comes in - when you first press MASS, a blank selector screen will appear with a message at the bottom asking you to choose a file to mass merge or extract. As soon as you choose a file another dialogue box will appear asking you to choose which presets to add or extract the file from - click on all that apply and then click on the button at the bottom of the dialogue. how it works... The MASS function will toggle the file you choose into or out of each selected preset. If the file you selected was already in the preset it will be extracted; otherwise the file will be added to the preset. To see the contents of a preset while in MASS just hold down the right mouse button over top of the preset you wish to look at - this lets you check the result of a merge/extract - when you release the button you will be returned to the MASS screen. Also note that if the preset pages are switched inside of MASS and then switched back, the state of the buttons (i.e if they were up or down) will be lost: don't worry - the files you changed will still be there. You can always right click on a preset to make sure. At any rate, none of the changes made are permanent until you save the PRESET.DAT file. Saving and Reloading the presets You may have noticed after you stored your first preset or renamed a preset that the mouse pointer all of the sudden has a little 'S' under it. This means that the presets have been modified and need to be saved to store the modification permanently. That's what the FILE button on the main screen is for. Clicking on FILE will give you the option of saving or reloading the PRESET.DAT file which contains all configuration data for Mouse Boot. The 'S' on the mouse is a non-intrusive way of reminding you to save before leaving the program, the 'S' will appear any time you make a change to Mouse Boot that requires a save to be permanent. If you get an error saving the presets, check to make sure you have a folder named MOUSEBT in the AUTO folder - since this is where Mouse Boot saves the preset file, the folder must exist to save any changes. Reloading the PRESET.DAT file will allow you to undo any changes you may have made to Mouse boot. If you inadvertently change something you didn't want to, just click on reload to restore the settings. PART VI. - Using the presets To use a preset, click on the PRESET button at the bottom of the selector screen - this will bring up a dialogue box with the presets listed plus the buttons SHOW and CANCEL at the bottom. After saving some presets Mouse Boot will automatically bring up this screen when run - allowing you to make a quick selection. To use a preset simply click on it (or press its hot key) - this will activate the files in the preset and exit Mouse Boot. CANCEL just returns to the selector screen, while clicking on SHOW followed by a preset button will cause the files contained within that preset to be highlighted on the selector screen. This can be used to modify a preset "on the fly" or to edit and copy presets when used in conjunction with the EDIT and STORE buttons. As an example of an "on the fly" change, say you have a preset to run a desktop publisher with the accessories you like to use with it. Now let's suppose you're about to do a very memory intensive document and would like to ditch a few of the accessories just this one time. Simple, just click on SHOW and the DTP's preset button; then click off the extra accessories and press CHANGE - no need to modify any of the presets. Editing tips and tricks Because of the way the user interface of Mouse Boot is set up, presets can easily be copied and edited. To copy from one preset to another, for example, first click on PRESET then on SHOW and choose the preset you want to copy. The files in the preset will now be highlighted on the selector screen - you can make any changes here if you wish. Next click on EDIT then STORE followed by the preset you wish to be the destination. Many presets may have only slight differences between them; so doing this can save a great deal of time. Preset limits A maximum of 40 files can be held in each preset at a time. 40 should be all the files you reasonably need (it's actually a convention I adopted from one of those other nameless auto-boot utilities and is kind of arbitrary). Only the active files are stored in the PRESET.DAT file, all other files will be set to inactive. To add files to the list, use the SHOW button, add the files, STORE it back to the preset, and then SAVE; or if you want to add a file to a number of presets at once use the MASS button then SAVE. Default Selections Presets one and two of group 1 (that's the one in the upper left hand corner and the one directly under it) have a special function. When Mouse Boot first loads it starts a countdown timer; if the timer runs out or if the space bar is pressed, Mouse Boot will set the files to the first preset if you are using a color monitor or the second preset if you are using a monochrome monitor. This allows you to have a default setup for each monitor type - if you have only one type of monitor you can use the other preset for anything you want. Pressing the left mouse button will stop the time-out, and the right mouse button will exit without making any changes. PART VII. - Other Features This section covers various miscellaneous feautres of Mouse Boot. Hide (and not go seek) Some Files (especially auto-boot files) you may want to always remain active - for example, the Mouse Boot program itself or a TOS patch program. Since Mouse Boot uses standard GEMDOS routines to rename files, any file set to read-only status will not be changed. To take advantage of this, Mouse Boot won't show any auto-boot or accessory files that are set to read-only status - allowing you to effectively hide these files from Mouse Boot. It's a good idea to do this for all of the files you want to stay on permanently; you can always set them back to READ/WRITE status if you want to. (Note: when reordering AUTO programs, all files including ones set to read only will be shown so that they can be reordered as well). The On-Board Mouse accelerator Mouse accelerators are nice to have, and at higher resolutions they are hard to do without. Since Mouse Boot normally runs in the AUTO folder before any mouse accelerator program you may use (and must do so on a TT), Mouse Boot has an "On-Board" mouse accelerator built into it. This is a non-resident accelerator that is only active inside the Mouse Boot program itself. Mouse Boot will start with the accelerator turned on if run from the AUTO folder, and turned off if run from GEM - since any mouse accelerator you normally use will be active from GEM already (and two accelerators going at the same time can be too much of a good thing). In either case, you can toggle the acceleration on or off by pressing the UNDO key inside of Mouse Boot. PART VIII. - Mouse Boot Configuration. Certain features of Mouse Boot can be customized to meet your needs. To configure Mouse Boot first click on the Mouse Boot title bar at the top- center of the screen. This will show a list of options. ADD FILES TO THE MOUSEBT FOLDER: This option will only appear if Mouse Boot was run from the desktop. It will allow you to use the file selector to add a file to the lists in the MOUSEBT folder (like dragging a file to the Mouse Boot icon). Desktop, assign.sys, Mouse Boot batch files, and GEM programs to autorun can be passed to Mouse Boot this way. Read "adding other file types" in section III for a full description of this. MOUSE BOOT/WELCOME TIMERS: If you click on the Mouse Boot timer button you will be asked to enter a number 0-99: this is the number of seconds the program waits when first started - setting the timer to 99 will cause Mouse Boot to wait forever. If Mouse Boot is run from the desktop, there will be no time-out (since it would be of no use here anyway). Keypress only mode If you set the Mouse Boot timer to zero, Mouse Boot will only run if you press a key on the keyboard before it loads in the AUTO folder (the space bar is usually handy for this - but most any key will do). Otherwise, Mouse Boot will just display a brief message and set the default preset (if configured to do so - see below). This allows you to bring up Mouse Boot only when you want to make changes. If run from the desktop, Mouse Boot will work normally. The welcome screen timer can also be set, and like Mouse Boot a value of zero will only show the welcome screen if a key had been pressed beforehand. SET TO USE .ACX FOLDER: This allows you to set Mouse Boot to keep all inactive accessories in a special folder on your boot drive - this helps keep the root directory less cluttered. Read part XI. for a full explanation on how to use this option. SELECT DEFAULT PRESET: this allows you to choose whether Mouse Boot will select the default preset after time-out or just bypass with no action. FAST DRAW START SCREEN: When Mouse Boot is first started it will show the main selector screen - if there are any presets saved it will then show the PRESET dialogue. To save time you can set Mouse Boot to just draw the PRESET dialogue when it starts (the selector screen will only be drawn if you click on SHOW or CANCEL). This speeds things up a bit (especially on a ST in Monochrome); if you are using a TT or screen accelerator, however, the time saved will be negligible. If running Mouse Boot from a 16 or greater color screen, you will also be given the choice of plain or textured dialogue boxes (see section XIV). CUSTOM FILES #1 & #2: In addition to desktop.inf and assign.sys files, there are other types of files it can be useful to switch between. Because of this, Mouse Boot supports two user-defined file types. These can be any type of file - a CONTROL.INF file or a DTP configuration file for example. To make a user-defined file type first copy the files into the MOUSEBT directory renaming them with a descriptive file name and the extension .1CF for custom type one or .2CF for custom type two (for example a DTP.INF file may look like MYDTP.1CF or MYDTP.2CF). Mouse Boot will rename the inactive files to .1CX or .2CX respectively. As with desktops and assign.sys files you can have up to 60 of each file type. Next run Mouse Boot and press the title bar, and select custom file type 1 or 2. Next enter any descriptive eight letter name - this is the name that will appear in the file type title bar in the upper right hand corner of the selector screen (like Desktop and -GDOS-): this is not a filename but just a way for the user to tell what each type is used for. Once you enter a name you then will be asked to enter the path to which the custom file type will be written (i.e. copied form the MOUSEBT folder to this destination); this must be a valid path plus a file name (C:\DTP\CONFIG.DAT could be an example path for a DTP file) - after you enter a path you will be returned to the config. screen. NOTE: any time you need to enter a path in Mouse Boot it is best to run the program from the desktop - not the AUTO folder, as this will allow you to use your file selector to set the path (sometimes I click on the ACC bar not to change the path but just to get to Universal to do some copying!). To use a custom file type, simply click on the file type title bar in the upper right hand corner of the screen and select the name of the file type you defined (it will only display the name if there are any files of that type in the MOUSEBT folder). Next click on the particular file you want to use. Remember, if you store a preset, any highlighted file type - including custom types - will be stored in that preset. - MultiDesk mode - in custom file type two, if in place of a path you type MLT, it will act in MultiDesk mode allowing you to choose between Multidesk Deluxe files. To use this feature first place different multidesk setup files in the MOUSEBT folder renaming them to FNAME.MLT - where fname is a descriptive name. Also copy the multidesk batch files (named M_*.MLT) from the Mouse Boot disk to the MOUSEBT folder - make sure you have BATCH.PRG there too. To then select a Multidesk file, first click on the MLT file you wish to use; then click on the batch file for the resolution you will be using (or click on M_AUTO to use the current screen resolution). The batch file can be modified with any text editor as needed - in fact there is no reason to limit yourself to MLT files, almost any file which name depends on the screen resolution could be used this way. Read the section on the Mouse Boot batch file processor for more information on its usage. REMEMBER: After doing any configuration to Mouse Boot, the mouse pointer will have a little 'S' under it - be sure to save the PRESET.DAT file before exiting the program. PART IX. - LOADING ACCESSORIES. Mouse Boot has three ways to deal with accessory (.ACC or .ACX) files. The first, and most simple, is to keep all accessories in the root directory of your boot drive (where GEM expects them to be). This is the default method Mouse Boot uses and no configuration to Mouse boot should be needed if you use this method. The second method is for people who use some other program (like MultiDesk or Stuffit) to load accessories from some place other than the root directory. For Mouse Boot to still be able to switch the accessories on and off you must tell it the new location. To do this, just click on the "ACC's" bar at the top of the screen - if no "ACC's" bar is present you can right click on the "AUTO's" bar. Next, enter the path where you store your accessories (or use the file selector if you ran Mouse boot from the desktop). Now click on FILE then SAVE to store this change. The third method is a unique feature of Mouse Boot IV. This method lets you keep all inactive accessories (those named .ACX) in a folder of their own and only have active accessories (those named .ACC) in the root directory. Since only a few accessories are active at any one time, this will keep your root directory far less cluttered than before; also, unlike using Multidesk or Stuffit, this method uses no extra memory to work. Mouse Boot will move files you select or de-select between the two directories automatically - because GEM can move files on the same drive by just renaming them, Mouse Boot can move the accessories this way as fast as simply renaming them (like in method one). To use this method follow these simple steps... 1. make a folder on your boot drive to hold the inactive accessories - it can have any name or be anywhere as long as it is kept on the boot drive. Then move all .ACX files to this folder - check to insure that only .ACC files remain in the root directory and only .ACX files are in the folder. If some accessories have .RSC files or other files that go with them leave these files in the root directory - only move the accessory itself. 2. Run the Mouse Boot program from the desktop then click on the Mouse Boot title bar at the top center of the screen. Select the "Set to use .ACX folder" button and at the dialogue box click on YES. Next click on DONE to return to the selector screen. 3. Next, as in method two, click on the "ACC's" bar at the top of the screen and set the pathname to the inactive accessory folder you made. 4. click on FILE then SAVE to store the new settings - that's it. The next time you run Mouse Boot it will automatically move only active accessories to the root directory keeping all the rest in the folder. If you have any problems - for example, if Mouse Boot is not showing all the accessories or they are not being renamed correctly - check to insure that both the ".ACX folder" option and the accessory path are set correctly. Also, check to make sure you left no .ACX files in the root directory and have no .ACC files in the folder. If you add more accessories to your system at some future time, copy them to the folder naming them .ACX - make sure any files with an .ACC extender are in the root directory only. This method can work nicely in conjunction with Multidesk. Since MultiDesk can load files named .ACX and can load them from any location; you can set Mouse Boot and MultiDesk up to allow you to use Multidesk to load most accessories from the folder and Mouse Boot to select groups of special accessories to be placed in the root directory with MultiDesk for faster access. PART X. - Auto-running GEM programs Using Mouse Boot you can also select a GEM program to run upon boot up. To do so either drag it to the Mouse Boot program icon (if you have Newdesk or NeoDesk) or choose the "add file to MOUSEBT folder" option by first clicking on the Mouse Boot title bar at the top-center of the selector screen. Then use the file selector to pick the program you want to run - this will automatically make a GEMrun file needed to run that program. Another way to make a GEMrun file is to use the ARUN_II program. This was the only way (aside from a text editor) to make a GEMrun file in the Share-Ware version of Mouse Boot. With Mouse Boot IV it is not really needed as the files can be made from within Mouse Boot itself (as described above). It has been included in the Mouse Boot IV package as an alternate method of adding files to the MOUSEBT folder. All a GEMrun file consists of is the pathname of the program to run as well as some other stuff the computer expects in the desktop/newdesk.inf file. Here is an example... #Z 01 C:\FAKE\ZIPPY.PRG@ This is saved with any descriptive filename you choose (usually the same name as the program to run) and the extender .RUN or .RUX - for the above example it might be... ZIPPY.RUX To use the file to run the program, simply select it from the GEMrun type in Mouse Boot. If you have TOS 1.4 or higher you could also just use a desktop file with a program already installed to auto run (though this is a less flexible way to do it). If you do use the GEMrun method, make sure that the desktop files in the MOUSEBT folder do not already have an autorun path in them - any text editor or word processor can easily be used to remove any you do find. If you use TOS 1.0 or 1.2 you can also autorun GEM programs in this manner, but you must place the MSESTART.PRG in the AUTO folder as the last item. If you are unsure which version of TOS you have, at the Atari desktop under the DESK menu click on "Desktop Info..."; if the copyright date goes no higher than 1987 you will need to use MSESTART to auto run GEM programs. MSESTART.PRG is a replacement for STARTGEM and is released as a PD program, read the MSESTART.DOC on the Mouse Boot disk for full details on how it works. NOTE:since the autorun file name is located in the DESKTOP\NEWDESK.INF file, you must have a desktop file selected for a change in the autorun file to have effect. Also, when adding desktops to the MOUSEBT folder double check to insure that no program is already installed to autorun. PART XI. - Auto reboot and Bypass. One of the unique things about Mouse Boot is that it can be used from GEM. You can use it from the desktop as you would from the auto folder, but if you make changes the computer must be rebooted for the changes to take effect. In this case, Mouse boot will display a dialogue box with three options - warm boot, cold boot, or no (reboot). If you choose to reboot, Mouse Boot will set itself and the welcome screen to bypass the next time they are run - this stops Mouse Boot from running twice (once from the desktop, then again from the AUTO folder after the reboot). Also, if there are any programs that must run in the AUTO folder before Mouse Boot, Mouse Boot will offer to reboot if they are changed - this, as before, will cause Mouse Boot to bypass itself and prevent itself from running twice. Bypassing Mouse Boot and the Welcome screen. Both Mouse Boot and the Welcome screen can be bypassed by pressing the '*' key on the keypad before the programs load - this is just a fast way to skip over the programs temporarily. If using both Mouse Boot and the welcome screen, pressing '*' once will bypass just the welcome screen and pressing it twice will bypass both programs. PART XII. - Extra screen colors If you are one of the fortunate ones out there with a TT or a high color graphic card you may have been wondering how long it would be before programs started to use all those extra colors; well, wait no longer - Mouse Boot IV checks to see how many colors it can access. If it has more than four, it will make use of them - to see what I mean, just run the program (For those out there without a TT or graphic card, you can get a taste what it would look like by running Mouse Boot from low res - it won't work, of course, but the dialogue box you get telling you it won't work will use the extra colors). Also, to speed screen draws, the textured fill pattern used inside of the dialogues can be turned on or off (on a TT, screen draws should be quite fast anyway). Just press the Mouse Boot title bar and select "Fast draw start screen"; an extra dialogue will appear after the first one asking you if you want plain dialogues - if you click on yes then save the changes, Mouse Boot will use plain gray dialogues the next time it is run. This option will only appear if Mouse Boot is run from a screen with at least 16 colors. PART XIII. - Using the welcome screen with Mouse Boot The Mouse Boot program itself does not have a welcome screen so no one is forced to use a feature which is, after all, just a gimmick; but I kind of like some gimmicks, so the Mouse Boot package comes with a program named WELCOME.PRG (ok, I admit it was just an excuse to do a nice little title screen for Mouse Boot ). Put it just before Mouse Boot in your AUTO folder - It's a separate program and need not be used at all. Next Place any Degas picture (compressed or uncompressed - P?1 for color or P?3 for monochrome) in a folder named WELCOME inside the MOUSEBT folder, The Welcome screen program will search for and load a random picture from the folder and display it for a set amount of time (the default is ten seconds). There are two sample pictures included - MOUSEPIC.PI1 and PI3; 4 channel Degas color cycling is also be supported. Once inside the welcome screen, pressing the left mouse button will cause Mouse Boot to load if it follows in the AUTO folder - pressing the right mouse button will not only quit the welcome screen but bypass Mouse Boot as well. The two programs work together as a unit, though because they are separate you can use Mouse Boot to turn the welcome screen on or off - just like any other AUTO folder program. Although the welcome screen is designed primarily for standard ST resolutions, it will work at other resolutions. If in TT Medium it will switch to ST Low to show the picture and then switch back again (this is the same as in ST Medium). If using TT high or a Moniterm card the Welcome screen will display a standard high resolution DEGAS picture centered and framed on the screen. - Quartet Songs and the Welcome Screen - Those who really like gimmicks, can have the welcome screen play a randomly selected Quartet tune when the computer boots... Quartet is a software package that lets you sequence digitized instrument sounds into four tracks of music (which is why this type of program is sometimes called a music "tracker"). This allows you to create very real sounding music with nothing more than a stock ST. The Mouse Boot welcome screen can play songs created by this software package. Quartet uses two files - a voice set (with the extender .SET) which contains the sound samples, and the song file (with the extender .4V) which contains the song itself (sequence data). One voice set can be used by several different songs. To use this feature you must have SINGSONG.PRG, a quartet voice set, and one or more quartet songs that use the voice set in the WELCOME folder. About five seconds after the welcome screen is run, a random Quartet song will be loaded and played - the delay lets you skip this if you're in a hurry. The song will play until the space bar is hit or all four voices remain silent for about one second (since Quartet songs have no official "end" and loop forever you can use this to indicate the end of a song, just add a few rests to each voice). To play a song earlier or to play another random song just press the ALTERNATE key inside the welcome screen. Also, you can set it so the welcome screen only plays a song if you press ALTERNATE by setting the Welcome screen timer to time out before the song would normally load (this is set inside of Mouse boot - see section XI). You can have as many songs as you wish in the WELCOME folder, but they all must use the same voice set - also watch that the voice set and song do not exceed your computer's available memory ( a song file must be under 40k - the rest of the memory goes to the voice set ). If there is not enough memory to load the entire voice set, the welcome screen will load as much as it can, but the song may sound distorted if it uses any of the samples not loaded. Some sample Quartet songs and voice sets are included - more can be down-loaded from BBS'es; and, of course, you can use the Quartet program to make new songs. If you don't want to use the Quartet player feature, just don't put SINGSONG.PRG or a Quartet voice set and songs into the MOUSEBT folder. If the welcome screen fails to find any of these files it will just go on its merry way. The SingSong program is a public domain Quartet player routine written by the authors of Quartet (an altogether excellent program by the way) and can be used by other programs to play Quartet songs. There is one problem I have found with it though, on some systems (usually systems with TOS 1.0 and a Z-Ram memory upgrade) the player will bomb half the time it is used (four bombs): If this occurs on your system, don't use any Quartet songs or set the welcome screen to time-out before the song loads (at least this way you can press the alternate key if you want to take a chance). Also, do not try to run SINGSONG.PRG itself as it is not an independently executable file - it may only be called by other programs designed to use it. QUARTET HINT - everyone says the sharp key in Quartet Doesn't work, everyone is wrong. To make a note a sharp continue to hold down the left mouse button and press SHIFT+'#' then release all keys and "presto" a sharp (it takes a little practice). PART XIV. - Quick Reference Of Mouse Boot Commands Here is a list of the buttons in Mouse Boot and a brief description of there function... Left Button - enter selector or select button/file Right Button - Exit Program with no changes (only in selector or preset screens - in MASS will show a preset's files) '*' key ----- Bypass Program SPACE BAR ---- In PRESET dialogue will select default preset (Color or Mono). Allowing Mouse Boot to time-out will also do this. Type title -- Choose between desktop.inf, assign.sys, custom, batch, or GEMrun file types - only available ones will be shown. (F1-F6 will also do this). AUTO title bar reorder programs in the AUTO folder ACC title barchange path to look for accessory files. (can also right click AUTO bar to do this) - Mouse Boot Buttons - Mouse Boot title bar - - - Configure Mouse Boot CUSTOM TYPE #1 --------- define custom type one CUSTOM TYPE #2 --------- define custom type two FAST DRAW START SCREEN - skip drawing selector screen upon start up. SELECT DEFAULT PRESET - upon timeout, select default preset or skip. SET TO USE .ACX FOLDER - keep inactive accessories in a folder. (see part XI. for full details) MOUSE BOOT TIMER ------- seconds Mouse Boot waits WELCOME TIMER ---------- seconds Welcome screen waits DONE ------------------- return to selector screen CHANGE - - - - - - activate selected files and exit the program (with option to re-boot if run from the desktop). CANCEL - - - - - - Exit with no changes. PRESET - - - - - - Enter preset dialogue. Presets ------- Do Preset Chosen. SHOW ------- Display preset to Selector Screen. CANCEL ------- Return to Selector Screen. ARROWS ------- Switch between preset banks (F1-F3 do this as well) EDIT - - - - - - - Enter EDIT dialogue box. RENAME --------- Rename a Preset. MASS --------- Mass merge or extract a file from presets. STORE --------- Store the active files on the selector screen to a Preset (also will erase a preset if right clicked). EXIT --------- Return to Selector Screen. ARROWS --------- Switch between preset banks (F1-F3 do this as well) FILE - - - - - - - Enter the load/save dialogue. SAVE ----------- Save the current settings of Mouse Boot. LOAD ----------- Reload program settings CANCEL --------- Return to selector screen REVERT - - - - - - Reset active files to there initial settings PART XV. - the Mouse Boot Batch File Processor In order to give Mouse Boot maximum flexibility for advanced users and yet retain its small size and simple operation, Mouse Boot has the ability to invoke a batch file processor. Files with the extender .BAT can be placed in the MOUSEBT directory and then chosen via Mouse Boot in the same manner as desktops and assign.sys files. The batch file processor can perform many file operations such as copy and rename - it can even allow you to perform operation based on screen resolution. To use it first place BATCH.PRG inside the MOUSEBT folder, and then copy any batch files you wish to choose between into the MOUSEBT folder as well. After Mouse Boot has finished its normal job of renaming files, it will run the batch processor program; this, in turn, will search for and load a file with the extension .BAT (all other batch files will be named .BAX) from the MOUSEBT folder. As with all things mouse boot - you only need worry about this feature if you want to use it, otherwise, with no batch files or without BATCH.PRG in the MOUSEBT folder, Mouse Boot will operate exactly as before. An alternate way to use BATCH.PRG is by using Install Application, or with the newdesk TOS or NeoDesk by dragging a batch file to BATCH.PRG. BATCH.PRG can also be placed in the AUTO folder if you need the batch file to execute after some other program has first run (like a RAMdisk - read the section "a note on using RAMdisks with Mouse Boot"). If you do use it in the AUTO folder, be sure to remove it from the MOUSEBT folder to prevent the batch file from running twice. To create a batch file use any text editor (or a word processor, but save the file in ASCII format). A Mouse Boot batch file has the following format - #command pathname pathname #command pathname #end This area can be used for comments All commands, which may be typed in upper or lower case, are preceded with a '#' and are followed on each line by whatever inputs they require. Any other text will be ignored and can be used for comments - "#end" marks the end of the file. By placing the bulk of your comments after the #end command you can speed batch file execution since that part of the file will not be loaded by the Batch processor. The number of inputs varies from command to command - some may only require one path while others may need several lines of input. Check the command listings below for directions on each command. A number of sample batch files have been included with Mouse Boot to perform certain useful tasks. You can modify any of these files with a text editor to meet your specific needs. What follows is a list of the commands the batch processor recognizes and a description of these usage. BATCH FILE COMMANDS #COPY <source pathname (including wildcards)> <destination path (minus the filename)> This is the wild card copy command, all the files matching path1 will be copied to path2. It can be used to load Ramdisks or copy any file (or group of files to any active drive). Example: (copies Acc's from root dir to a folder) #copy c:\*.AC? c:\accfolder\ #DELETE <pathname to delete (including wildcards)> This will delete selected files from a directory - you can use wildcards to specify which files are to be deleted. This command, however, will not delete files in any other directory than the one specified - so C:\*.*, for example, would not erase the entire partition (unless you kept everything in the root directory). Example: (delete all files with the extension .BAK) #delete f:\wordproc\*.bak #ECOPY (copy and modify extension) <source pathname (including wildcards)> <destination path (minus filename)> <extension to give destination> This command works like COPY except that all files copied will be renamed with the extension specified. - this (along with ERENAME) can be used to turn files on or off. Example: (copy all ACC or ACX files to a directory naming them all ACC) #ecopy c:\*.ac? e:\accstuff\ acc #ERENAME (Extension rename) <pathname (including wildcards)> <new extension> This command will rename all matching files with the specified extension - useful for switching files on or off Example: (shut off all auto folder programs named "Phil") #erename c:\auto\*phil*.pr? prx #RENAME <old pathname (including wildcards)> <new pathname> Just your basic rename command - nothing too special, but the "new" pathname may use a different path from the "old" effectively moving a file by only moving its name (and not its data), but the drive should be the same. Though this only renames a single file, the source path may use wildcards - the first file matched will be used. Example: #rename c:\phildog.erk c:\wafer\philcat.erk #RCOPY (copy and rename) <source pathname (including wildcards)> <full destination pathname> Copies a file giving it a new name in the process, like rename this is a single file command but the source can use wildcards - this feature could be used, for example, to copy the active desktop in the MOUSEBT folder (since there will only be one) to some destination giving it the name DESKTOP.INF. Example:(and even sillier than the last one) #rcopy c:\philber?.knz F:\moose\lama\yak\wafting\deeppile.rug #DCREATE <pathname> Create a directory (folder) in the specified path - really only useful during bootup to make directories on a ramdisk. Example: (make a folder "maudlin" inside "echidna") #dcreate d:\echidna\maudlin #MOVE <source pathname (including wildcards)> <destination path (minus filename - must be save drive as source)> This command uses rename to "move" files from one place on a drive to another. It will move all files that match the wildcards in the source pathname to the location in the destination path. This is much faster than copying the files as only the names (not the actual data) of the files are moved. This will only work, however, if both the source and destination are on the same drive. If you want to move files between drives, first use the COPY command and then the DELETE command using the same wildcards for both commands. Example: (move .acx files into a folder on the same drive) #move c:\*.acx c:\acxflder\ Resolution Conditional Commands: The batch file processor will let you perform certain actions only if the screen resolution is correct. This can allow you to have a specific set of commands to be run for each screen resolution. #IF REZ <screen resolution name> #endif This command will only perform the commands between #IF REZ and #ENDIF if the current screen resolution matches the name under #IF REZ. Please take note that #IF REZ commands should not be nested. The resolution names the command knows are: st low - standard ST "LOW" st medium - standard ST "MEDIUM" st high - standard ST "HIGH" tt medium - TT MEDIUM resolution tt high - TT HIGH resolution ultra high - anything higher (like some Moniterms?) TT LOW is not supported as it is not really useful as a boot resolution and ST LOW is only supported for the hell of it. Also note that BATCH.PRG has no way of knowing if the resolution will be switched by a desktop.inf or newdesk.inf file so the resolution used will be the one used at the time BATCH.PRG runs. Example: (copy an INF file if the resolution is St Medium.) #if rez st medium #rcopy c:\echidna\fish.med c:\fish.inf #endif #ON REZ (on resolution) <Screen resolution name one> Stuff to do #break <Screen resolution name two> other stuff to do #break <Screen resolution name ...> etcetera. #endif This command, like #IF REZ, is useful for choosing between actions depending on resolution; however, it works a bit different. Only the commands between the matching resolution and the #BREAK or #ENDIF command will be performed, and any number of resolutions may be listed. The resolution names are the same as with #IF REZ. Example: Chooses between YAK.INF files depending on resolution. #on rez st medium #rcopy d:\yak\yakmed.inf C:\yak.inf #break st high #rcopy d:\yak\yakhigh.inf c:\yak.inf #break ultra high #rcopy d:\yak\yakmon.inf c:\yak.inf #endif Special Commands: In order to help "debug" your batch files two commands have been included to allow you to see what it's doing. Otherwise only errors will be shown on the screen during batch file processing. #ECHO -this will toggle display of the batch file on or off. When on, the batch file will be echoed to the screen along with the names of all files matching any wildcard commands. #PAUSE -this will stop batch processing until a key is pressed (to let you read the screen) This is may seem like a simple set of commands (for example, wildcards in the destination path are not supported) but it is not intended to be a fully functional CLI - it does, however, allow mouse Boot to perform very complex tasks upon boot-up and should meet most needs. If interest is high enough, I will write a more advanced version. Quick command listing: #copy - wildcard copy command #delete - trash a file or files #ecopy - copy and add a new filename extension #erename - change the extension name on a group of files #rename - change the name of a file #rcopy - copy and rename #dcreate - make a folder #move - move matching files to a new location on the drive #if rez - do commands only if screen rez. matches #on rez - do commands between matching rez. and #break #break - used between #on rez and #endif to separate resolutions #endif - marks end of area affected by #if rez or #on rez commands #echo - show batch file on screen during processing #pause - wait for a keypress #end - marks end of batch file A Note on Using RAMdisks with Mouse Boot In order for Mouse Boot to copy files to a RAMdisk, there must be a RAMdisk present when the Batch File Processor runs. Because of this, you must place the RAMdisk program you use in the AUTO folder before Mouse Boot. Mouse Boot can still turn it on or off - you will be offered to reboot to install the change if you modify any program runs before Mouse Boot. Another, perhaps easier, way to copy to a RAMdisk is to move BATCH.PRG from the MOUSEBT folder to the AUTO folder placed after your RAMdisk program. Using this method, the RAMdisk can load after Mouse Boot has run; when Mouse Boot attempts to run the batch file the message "No Batch Processor Found!" will appear in the upper corner of the screen - don't let this worry you, BATCH.PRG will find and run the batch file when it runs from the AUTO folder after your RAMdisk has been installed. Other types of batch files can also be run this way - just be sure BATCH.PRG is turned on inside the AUTO folder when a batch file is selected. Use whichever method suits you. There may be even more way to arrange things, feel free to experiment. PART XVI. - Using the ASSIGN.SYS file linker (ASLINK.PRG) This program is meant to be used along with Mouse Boot, but is not required - it will copy up to four other files to selected destinations based on which ASSIGN.SYS file is being used. Some programs - like Timeworks publisher II - require other files besides just the assign.sys file to switch fonts. This is an extra feature and if ASLINK.PRG is left out of the AUTO folder Mouse Boot will work fine without it. To use it place ASLINK.PRG in the AUTO folder anywhere after Mouse Boot. Next make a folder in the MOUSEBT folder named ASLINK. Then run ASLINK.PRG from the desktop - on the screen should be four buttons and a quit button. To set the destination path for the first extra file you wish to copy, press the first button and use the file selector to set the path and filename you wish to copy to. The button should now display the full pathname you have chosen - repeat the process for a second, third or fourth file if you need them using the other buttons. Also, you can reset a button to being "Unused" by right clicking on it. If, during this time, you make any changes - you will be prompted to save the changes when you leave the program (by clicking on the Quit button). Use the file selector to find the ASLINK.PRG - the changes are saved within the program itself. Because of this, do not "pack" the program with a program compressor until after you have set it up as you will not be able to save any changes to a compressed program. The last step is to copy all extra files to choose between into the ASLINK folder in the MOUSEBT folder - renaming them to *.AS1 to match the path you selected for the first button, *.AS2 for the second button, and so on - in place of the '*' place the name of the assign.sys file they are to be matched with. For example, say you have two extra file to copy along with two separate assign.sys files and... assign.sys file #1 is named SQUIRREL.SYS assign.sys file #2 is named MOOSE.SYS for squirrel.sys you would need files with these names in the ASLINK folder... SQUIRREL.AS1 SQUIRREL.AS2 and for moose.sys you would need files with these names... MOOSE.AS1 MOOSE.AS2 Now, when you select assign.sys file MOOSE or SQUIRREL from Mouse Boot and have ASLINK.PRG turned on in the AUTO folder, not only will the assign.sys file be copied to the root directory but the matching files will be copied and renamed to the pathnames you placed in buttons one and two of the ASLINK program. When run from the AUTO folder, ASLINK will turn itself off by renaming itself to ASLINK.PRX after performing the copy. The reason for this is to help prevent the same files being copied over top of themselves every time you boot the computer (since the files only need to be copied when the assign.sys file is changed, you can set up Mouse boot's presets to switch ASLINK on whenever you switch fonts). If you wish to prevent ASLINK from turning itself off, just rename ASLINK.PRG to some other name. For any other assign.sys files that do not need extra files copied along with them, just use Mouse Boot to turn ASLINK.PRG off and only the assign.sys file will be copied. PART XVII. - Auto Run II (ARUN_II.PRG) This program was first written to help make GEMrun and STARTGEM files for Mouse Boot. Since STARTGEM is no longer needed to autorun programs, and since GEMrun files can also be made from within Mouse Boot itself, I've revised the function of ARUN.PRG somewhat. It still makes GEMrun files, but now it also provides a way to copy DESKTOP.INF or NEWDESK.INF files and ASSIGN.SYS files into the MOUSEBT folder allowing you to give them a new name and automatically adding the correct file extender. If you keep ARUN_II.PRG in or near the root directory of your boot drive, it is easier to use than copying the files to the MOUSEBT folder and then renaming them by hand, also it allows less chance for mistakes. NOTE:Using ARUN_II is an alternate method of adding files to the MOUSEBT folder. The primary way is from within Mouse Boot itself. Do this by either dragging the files to the Mouse Boot program icon (for NeoDesk and newdesk users) or use the "add file to MOUSEBT folder" option in Mouse Boot's configuration dialogue. The program no longer makes STARTGEM.INF files since they are no longer needed by Mouse Boot (if you want to find out why read the MSESTART.DOC). Now everyone can use the GEMrun method regardless of which TOS version they have. directions for use: First decide what type of file you want to add to Mouse Boot - a GEM program to autorun, a new desktop file, or a new assign.sys file. Next choose the appropriate button for that file type. Next a file selector will pop up and you will be asked for a file to add: use the file selector to choose the file then click on OK (or click on CANCEL if you change your mind). Next, the file selector will re-appear and you will be asked for the name of the file to save - in the case of GEMrun files this will usually match the name of the program to run, for desktop or assign.sys files the name should describe what that file does (for example LOWDESK for a low resolution. desktop or DTPFONTS for an assign.sys file). ARUN should automatically find the MOUSEBT folder and will tack on the correct filename extender for you. If you click on OK the file will then be placed in the MOUSEBT folder with the new name. Next, the file selector will re-appear allowing you to add another file of that type to the list. Just click on Cancel when you have added all the files you need. This will return you to the main screen to choose another type or quit the program. That's really all there is to it, Using ARUN_II might seem a bit redundant as Mouse Boot alone can do the same thing - but some may prefer to use this method so I've kept as part of the Mouse Boot package. ARUN_II, for example, is easier to use if you are planning to add several files at once to the MOUSEBT folder. Also, ARUN_II need not be kept on the boot drive like Mouse Boot. COPYRIGHT AND LEGAL DISCLAIMER Since Mouse Boot uses standard GEM file commands and never deletes a file (unless copying over an old DESKTOP.INF or ASSIGN.SYS file with a new one or by telling it to do so in a batch file), There is little chance that Mouse Boot could do any harm to your system or files. However, in an overly litigious society one can never be too careful - so here it goes. SRL systems (namely Scott R. Lemmon) does not warrant that any of the Mouse Boot Programs or related programs will be free from error or will meet specific requirements of the user. The Programs are provided on a solely "AS IS" basis. In no event shall SRL systems or Scott R. Lemmon be liable for any damages resulting from, or relating to the use of the Programs. The Mouse Boot IV program package consists of MOUSEBT4.PRG, WELCOME.PRG, BATCH.PRG, ARUN_II.PRG, ASLINK.PRG and INSTALL.PRG - these programs and their corresponding files are the exclusive copyright of Scott R. Lemmon (doing business as SRL systems). SINGSONG.PRG is a Public domain player routine for song files generated with the Quartet music package by Microdeal. MOUSESTR.PRG is a modification of the program STARTGEM.PRG and is released as public domain.