Commercial clip art and image libraries are available for use in creating desktop patterns. Since Desktop Pattern can import any ‘PICT’ format file, just about any image can be made into a desktop pattern after a little touching up. There are also commercial libraries of patterns available that can be used to generate desktop patterns without the need for touching up. Even though these patterns are intended for 3D imaging programs, desktop presentations and multimedia projects, they work beautifully with Desktop Pattern. One such library, Wraptures™ One is available on CD-ROM from Form and Function. A sampling of their patterns can be seen in the ‘3rd Party Patterns’ file on your Desktop Pattern diskette. You can contact Form and Function at:
Form and Function
1595 Seventeenth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
You can order the Wraptures™ One CD-ROM from EDUCORP at (800) 843-9497 or (619) 536-9999.
In addition, many individuals create wonderful and intricate desktop patterns that they freely share with others. A number of these patterns are included in the sample pattern file ‘3rd Party Patterns.’ If you like these patterns you can download many more by the same artists on America Online™ in the software libraries of the Computing & Software forum. Using the QuickFinder file search you can search for patterns using the keyword ‘patterns.’
Brian Lowry has created and posted hundreds of 32 bit patterns that make use of the full spectrum of colors available to those with 32 bit video cards. His patterns are posted under the screen name ‘BrianTTS.’
Additional patterns by Jon Loflin are posted on America Online under the screen name ‘ElementMan.’
Another source of patterns are startup screens that have been posted on online services such as America Online. The Earth pattern and the Nagel patterns in the ‘3rd Party Patterns’ are patterns created by pasting startup screens into Desktop Pattern. Typically you will then need to copy the pattern out of Desktop Pattern, paste it into a graphics program to touch it up, and then paste it back into Desktop Pattern. Other online services such as Prodigy®, can be a huge source of patterns. By invoking the screen capture function key combination that comes with your Macintosh computer (<Cmd><SHIFT><3>) you can capture any screen in Prodigy and it will be stored in a picture file on your startup drive. You can then open this picture using a paint program or import it directly into Desktop Pattern. The Art Gallery on Prodigy is a good place to find suitable artwork. Remember, however, that images on Prodigy are copyrighted and therefore their use and reproduction is restricted to those activities that constitute ‘fair use.’
Other patterns can be derived by applying the same screen capture technique to the various screen saver packages that are available. Many of these generate random patterns that are suitable for use as a desktop pattern.
We will periodically be posting pattern files on America Online under the screen name ‘CalicoPubl’, on CompuServe under the ID 71155,1351 and others will be posting them as well.
APPENDIX B: Troubleshooting
Can’t get the General control panel to edit color patterns after using Desktop Pattern.
The General control panel is designed to edit only 8x8 pixel color patterns. If you have installed a larger color pattern using Desktop Pattern, the General control panel will refuse to edit it and will revert to editing black and white patterns only. You need to used the Desktop Pattern control panel to install the ‘Gray 50%’ pattern or any other 8x8 pattern. The General control panel will now allow you to edit color patterns again. Under some circumstances you may need to reboot before the General control panel will allow you to edit color patterns. Make sure that you have turned off the randomizer for all patterns in the Desktop Pattern control panel. Otherwise, Desktop Pattern will change the pattern again at startup. You could remove the Desktop Pattern control panel from the System Folder or hold the <SHIFT> key down during the start up process to disable the randomizer feature.
Desktop Pattern icon doesn’t show up during startup.
If the Desktop Pattern icon doesn’t show up during the startup process, then the control panel has not been installed in the correct folder. Under System 7.0, the Desktop Pattern file should be located in the Control Panels folder within the System Folder. It can also be placed directly in the System Folder. Under System 6.0, the Desktop Pattern file should be located in the System Folder itself. Make sure that the System Folder in which you have placed the control panel is displayed as a folder with a small Macintosh when viewed from the Finder in ‘View by Icon’ mode. If it is not, then this System Folder is not the ‘blessed’ System Folder and is not being used to start up the computer. This could be because you have multiple copies of the System Folder on the disk. You should remove all but one System Folder and reinstall Desktop Pattern in that System Folder. Also make sure that the disk on which you have installed Desktop Pattern is displayed in the the topmost left position on the desktop. If it is not, then the disk on which you have installed Desktop Pattern is not being used to start up the Macintosh. Use the Startup Disk control panel to make this disk the start up disk.
A question mark appears on the Macintosh icon during startup.
The question mark indicates that you have not selected any of the patterns in Desktop Pattern to be used by the randomizer during start up. There is nothing wrong, but the start up code in Desktop Pattern will leave the desktop pattern set to the last pattern used.
Large patterns don’t display correctly.
The operating system automatically expands the pixel map that defines the color pattern to a pixel map with the same depth as the deepest video monitor. A 128x128 pixel pattern at eight bits will expand to a 128x128 pixel pattern at 32 bits if you have a 32 bit graphics display board installed. At eight bits, the pattern will occupy a little over 16000 bytes in memory. At 32 bits, the pattern will occupy over 65500 bytes. The operating system cannot accommodate patterns that contain that much information. So while an128x128x8 pattern can be displayed successfully when the monitor is set to eight bits, it probably will not work properly when the monitor is set to 32 bits.
The Desktop Pattern control panel sometimes quits unexpectedly.
Unfortunately, control panels are not full-fledged applications. They do not have their own application heap but have to share the system’s heap. This can lead to problems if not enough memory is available for the operating system. Fortunately under System 7.0 and System 6.0 with MultiFinder running, the system heap can expand when it needs more memory, and this problem should not occur very often. If you are not running System 7.0 or MultiFinder under System 6.0, this problem can occur quite often when viewing and manipulating large, deep patterns. This problem can occur even under System 7.0 and System 6.0 if you have loaded a number of applications and no more memory is available for the system heap to expand. Quitting some applications and relaunching Desktop Pattern can usually resolve the problem.
