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Text File | 1994-09-30 | 21.9 KB | 523 lines

NeoDesk® 4 release 002 Patch Program This program will upgrade NeoDesk 4 release 001 to release 002. It will ONLY upgrade release 001. This program is copyright © 1994 by Gribnif Software. All rights are reserved. It may be distributed free of charge, provided this and all other files are included and are not modified. Any questions or comments, please contact us at: Gribnif Software, P.O. Box 779, Northampton, MA 01061, USA Tel: (413) 247-5620, Fax: (413) 247-5622 GEnie: GRIBNIF Internet: gribnif@genie.geis.com What is needed to upgrade ========================= 1. An unmodified, registered, NeoDesk 4 Master Disk, release 001. This version of the patch program works only with English language versions of NeoDesk 4. Owners of other versions should contact their respective distributor. 2. A hard disk or a blank, double-sided, formatted floppy disk (to place the NEO_002.PRG and the NEO_002.DAT files on). How to upgrade your NeoDesk 4 release 001 to release 002 ======================================================== 1. Make sure you have made a backup copy of the NeoDesk 4 disk. 2. Place the NEO_002.PRG on your hard disk or on the blank floppy disk (it may need the extra disk space to write some temporary files). Also, copy the NEO_002.DAT file to the same directory. If you obtained a patch disk from us with only these files on it, you can use the patch disk directly, though if you have a hard drive, copying the files there will be quicker in the long run. 3. The patch program will run more quickly and with the fewest disk swaps if you give it as much free memory as possible. If you have less than 500K of free memory, you can disable AUTO folder programs and desk accessories to obtain more free memory. 4. Once you have finished upgrading your master disk to release 002, make a backup copy of this newer version. ** VERY IMPORTANT STEP, READ CAREFULLY ** 5. To install the newer version on your system, you MUST replace ALL the release 001 files in your system with the 002 files. To do this you can either: o Run the INSTALL.PRG on the newly updated disk. In several places, you may get messages saying that a file already exists. You should tell it to go ahead and overwrite the old file, in every case -->> EXCEPT FOR THE FILE NEODESK.NIC. If you tell it to overwrite the NEODESK.NIC file, this will permanently delete any custom icons you have added to NeoDesk! o To install the new version manually, you should replace any occurences of these files on your working disk: ACC\NEOCNTRL.ACC NEOQUEUE.ACC INF_LOAD\INF_LOAD.ACC NEODESK\ICONEDIT.RSC NEODESK.EXE NEODESK.HLP NEODESK.RSC NEOLOAD.PRG SETTINGS.RSC (New for release 002) TRASHCAN\TRASHCAN.ACC TRASHCAN.RSC INSTALL.SCR Mixing 001 versions of NeoDesk files with 004 versions is VERY likely to lead to problems. *** ULTRA IMPORTANT ** * * If you install NeoDesk 4 002 manually, don't forget to replace all * the copies of NEOLOAD.PRG, including the one in the AUTO folder of * your boot disk. * ********************** 6. You can now run NeoDesk 4, 002. You will have to reboot in order to do this. Please note that the resource files for NEOQUEUE, NEOCNTRL, and INF_CONV have not changed. This means that if you look at the copyright information dialogs for any of these programs, they will still mention NeoDesk 4.00, even though the programs themselves have changed. The best way to tell what version of one of these programs is, is by looking at the file date: the release 002 files will always have the date that you performed the patch. If you get an error message =========================== If your NeoDesk 4 disk has been modified in any way, the patch program may not be able to perform the upgrade. You will get an error message indicating that this has happened. In this case, you should mail us the disk so that we can upgrade it. To have your disk upgraded by us, you need to: 1. Send your original, registered, NeoDesk 4 disk. 2. Please enclose a U.S. check for $5 + $2 shipping & handling ($7 total). If this patch program was already purchased directly from Gribnif Software for $5, then you do not need to send any payment, just the NeoDesk disk. 3. Enclose a note with your name, address, and daytime phone number. In return you will receive an upgraded 002 disk. Changes in NeoDesk 002 ---------------------- New in NeoDesk: Two new dialogs have been added. These dialogs are only available when Geneva is not present. See the "Addenda & Errata" section of this file for more info: o The "Windows" dialog has a new button named "Gadgets" which allows you to access a sub-dialog to change the colors and keyboard equivalents of the gadgets. o The "Dialogs" dialog has a sub-dialog which allows you to change the colors, fill patterns, and other attributes of dialog buttons. New in the icon editor: o There are now "cycle" buttons next to the View and Draw popups. o The "Clear" option under the "Mask" menu has been removed. Instead, there are now separate options to "Clear Data", "Clear Mask", and "Clear Both". o There are options in the "Image" menu to do horizontal and vertical flips. o You can now replace all occurrences of one color with another. Start by selecting the new color in the grid to the right, then click and drag this color to the color you want to replace. Problems Fixed -------------- In NeoDesk: If Geneva is not present: o The cycle windows gadget works. o NeoDesk can now be used as a desk accessory. o Dragging desktop icons will not sometimes lose the drag box. If neither Geneva nor MultiTOS is present, and you have a computer other than a Falcon, then changing resolution by using the Video Mode dialog works properly. If Geneva is present, you can now run a program in single-tasking mode with the "Unload for execute" option turned on. Copying a disk drive to the clipboard starts the operation right away. Searching the contents of a group is now correctly flagged as an invalid operation. Editing the environmental variables in 40-column resolutions now works right. The dialog also undraws properly when closed. Using non-Bitstream fonts in NeoDesk 4 when Speedo GDOS 5 is active works much better now, however early versions of Speedo 5 produce dots across the screen occasionally. The Sort order gets saved in INF files. Saving an INF file with a group open works properly when the INF file is later loaded. When an INF file for a resolution which permits windows which are larger than the current resolution is loaded, the windows are limited to the current maximum size. Pressing Undo in the Macros dialog will no longer select the "Remove" button. The program loads more quickly when run from a floppy disk. Showing an ST High resolution picture on a normal ST with a color monitor now works. The NPI dialog has been expanded vertically so that the Parameters section will look right in ST Medium/Low resolution. Dialogs with wrap-around editable fields now always draw the cursor correctly. It is now possible to choose from all of the GDOS fonts you have loaded, not just the first 16 (memory permitting.) Also, the full 32 characters of the font names are visable. Macros to run programs and to close all windows work now, without producing an alert afterward. Editing the 20-character name of an item in a group no longer interferes with the icon it has in the window. Also, NPI files in a group always get the right icon now. Using Show Information on an open folder will no longer crash if you select the "Ok!" button. Reading disk directories has been sped up slightly. When a file name conflict occurs during a copy/move, the items' dates and sizes are now visible when using ST Medium/Low resolution. The width of the custom window gadgets for x2, Select All, etc. will always be wide enough for the icons inside the gadgets, even if the rest of the window gadgets are not. Avoided a bug in the TOS 4.04 Blitmode() call which would cause the system color palette to get reset to its defaults whenever an INF file was loaded. Fixed NeoDesk so that deletions using the recoverable trashcan will update NeoDesk's windows properly when done and not sometimes crash instead. Made a change in memory allocation that should lead to less fragmentation. If NEODESK.EXE is not present when any module is trying to load, you will get an error message. Previously, this would only happen when NeoDesk first ran. In the NeoDesk Icon Editor: Copying a 2-color icon image to 4- or 16-colors in the icon editor by using the clipboard works properly. Similarly, creating a 4- or 16-color icon from a 2-color one (when there had previously not been one) works. Using Show Information on an icon in the icon editor is now correctly flagged as an invalid operation. Quitting the icon editor will no longer cause icons on the desktop to disappear. Deleting all or some of the NeoDesk Icons will no longer potentially cause a crash when you open a new window. The editor window will be the correct size when used in TT Low or Falcon 40-column true color modes. In INF_LOAD: The INF Loader now converts icons from NeoDesk 3 INF files properly. In the Recoverable Trashcan: The TRASHCAN no longer gives an "Illegal AES function" alert when used on a Falcon. In NEOCNTRL: NEOCNTRL and NEOQUEUE will no longer give an "Illegal AES Function" alert when run on a Falcon with TOS <= 4.04. The corner clock now works in true color modes on the Falcon. The control panel no longer thinks the Falcon has a Blitter chip. Chalk up another bug in TOS 4.04. NEOCNTRL will now let you change the state of the Blitter and T25 if you have this exact combination of enhancements available. Changing the date when in yy/mm/dd format works. Addenda & Errata to the Manual ------------------------------ o Page 5 of the manual incorrectly refers to REGISTER.PRG. You simply need to run INSTALL.PRG and it will ask for registration information. o Page 7, Section 2.5.2., the first example should read: setenv PATH=C:\NEODESK4 This can be combined with other paths that may already be in the line, such as: setenv PATH=.,C:\UTILS,C:\NEODESK4 o Page 9, Section 2.8, the example is incorrect. It should read: setenv NEOPATH=<path where NEODESK.EXE is stored> ^^^ Also, it should be added that if you are going to use NeoDesk 4 as a desk accessory, you must also run NEOLOAD.PRG in the AUTO folder of your boot disk. If you have TOS 1.4 or newer, then you must also turn the "Fastload" attribute of NEODESK.ACC off. This can be done by using NeoDesk's "Show Information" dialog. o Page 79, Section 4.1.3.3, second paragraph, change to: Clicking on the font button will display the names of the available fonts... (NeoDesk 002 will read as many fonts as you have configured to load, memory permitting) o Page 81, Section 4.1.3.4, second paragraph, change to: from a pop-up list of the available system, GDOS, or Speedo GDOS fonts. Add to end of section: If you are not using Geneva, then the "Gadgets" button will allow you to modify the colors and keyboard equivalents for window gadgets. o Page 81, Add Section 4.1.3.4.1: Window colors and keyboard equivs. ---------------------------------- This dialog gives you control over the colors and fill patterns of the gadgets in NeoDesk's windows. It also allows you to change the keyboard keys that can be used to achieve common window operations. If you use Atari's XCONTROL panel and have a CPX module to set the window colors, then NeoDesk can read these settings. Choose the "Use system window colors" button if you would prefer to control the colors of NeoDesk's windows with the CPX. In this mode, only the 3D attribute of the gadgets can be changed. By clicking on the "Topped" button, you can toggle the display between editing the attributes of topped windows and non-topped windows. In order to be compatible with the method used by Atari to control window colors, some of the window gadgets NeoDesk uses inherit the same colors as other gadgets. For instance, if you change the color of the Full box, the color of the Cycle gadget will also change. To copy the attributes of one gadget to another, click and hold the left mouse button on the currently selected gadget. An outline box will appear, which can be dragged to the destination gadget. The keyboard equivalent for the currently selected window gadget can also be changed. If one is available, you will see the current setting in the bottom of this dialog. Note that selecting the area above the vertical scroll drag box ("page up") allows you to change a different keyboard equivalent than selecting the area below that gadget ("page down"). The "Read" button will allow you to press the keyboard key to assign to the currently selected window function. The "Clear" button will erase the current key. The dialog will show the string "???" to indicate that the key is undefined. You should remember to Save Configuration after making changes to this dialog so that your changes become permanent. o Page 82, Section 4.1.3.5, add: If you are not using Geneva, then the "Button Colors" button will allow you to modify the colors of the buttons used in NeoDesk's dialogs. If you have Geneva, then you can use the Task Manager's "Dialogs" option to change these settings. o Page 83, Add Section 4.1.3.5.1: Dialog Colors ------------- This dialog allows you to set the way in which various components of other dialogs are displayed. NeoDesk allows you to have separate appearances for several types of objects contained within dialogs. The "Type" box contains a list of the four different types of objects that can be assigned these special attributes. The "Sample" shows you one object of each of these types, so that you can gauge how they will look in actual dialogs. The "Attributes" section is where you can specify how the currently selected object should look: o Outline: produces a line around the outside of the object. o Shadow: a shadow on the lower-right edge of the object. o 3D: a three-dimensional effect. The text of the object will "move" when it is selected. o Round: the corners of the outer edge are rounded, instead of square. Note that if Outline is also used, the thick part of the object's border is moved to the outside. o Opaque: affects how text is drawn. When this flag is set, the area around the actual dots that make up a character of text are left white. Otherwise, the fill pattern of the object will show through. o Pattern: this is a pop-up menu which lets you choose from any of the eight pre-defined fill patterns. You can also move from one to the next by clicking on the left or right arrow buttons. o Fill: this is a pop-up menu with all of the colors available in the resolution you are currently using. (Some colors will be black if the current screen resolution does not support at least 16 colors at once.) You can use this option to define what color is used when drawing the fill pattern of the currently selected object. o Text: the color of any text appearing in the object. o Border: the color of any border surrounding the object. Note that some attributes of some types of objects are overridden by NeoDesk itself, and therefore changing them will have no effect. You should remember to Save Configuration after making changes to this dialog so that your changes become permanent. o Page 95, Section 4.1.4.3, add: The popup menu in the NPI dialog moves you between several groups of settings which will affect how the program gets run. All of these settings will override the way in which NeoDesk would otherwise run the program: o The Main section controls how the program is executed, in a manner similar to Install Application. o The Parameters section can be used to alter the way file names get passed to the program. Any text entered here is always sent, as-is. You can also use a $ followed by a number to indicate a particular passed filename, or $$ to indicate all passed file names. For instance, you could use the string "copy $1 $2" to indicate to a CLI that the first file should be copied to the second one. The "Extended argument passing" option allows more parameters to be passed than the standard limit of 126 characters. A program must specifically support this method. o The Miscellaneous section gives you control over the hardware options that are enabled when the program gets run. Some programs do not work correctly when the CPU is at a certain rate or when the NeoDesk Control Panel's corner clock is on, so this allows these things to be changed. Not all of these options have an effect on all computers. o The Environment section allows you to specify a group of up to ten environmental variables specifically for this instance of the program. Note that if you use NeoDesk 4 with a multitasking environment, like Geneva, then the Miscellaneous settings will not seem to work correctly. This is because the settings are changed back to their normal state as soon as NeoDesk regains control which, in a multitasking system, is immediate. With Geneva, you can solve this by setting the program itself to be single-tasking with Geneva's Task Manager. o Page 121, Section 5.4.3, add: The button to the right of the View button will cycle between the available choices. o Page 123, Section 5.4.3.1, add: The button to the right of the Draw button will cycle between the available choices. o Page 124, Add Section 5.4.3.3. Recoloring an image Sometimes, it is necessary to change all occurrences of one color in an icon to another color alltogether. To aid in this, the icon editor has a special copying feature. Start by choosing the new color from the color palette. Now, click and hold the left mouse button. Drag the resulting outline to the color palette entry you want to replace with this new color. If you let go of the left mouse button while the mouse pointer is outside of the color palette box, no change will occur. o Page 124, Section 5.4.4.1, replace the "Clear" item with: Clear Data - Clear just the data portion of the icon Clear Mask - Clear just the mask portion Clear Both - Clear both the data and the mask Under Rotate, add: H-Flip - Flip the image horizontally. In "View" modes other than "Both", only the current portion of the image is affected. V-Flip - Flip the image vertically o Page 125, Section 5.4.4.2, remove the "Clear" item. o Page 150, Section 7.1, add: [CONTROL][ALTERNATE][DELETE] Perform a warm restart of the computer [CONTROL][ALTERNATE][UNDO] Perform a cold restart of the computer o If you are going to use Speedo GDOS, you need to have version 4.11 or newer in order to use the scalable fonts allowed in the Windows and Desktop Notes dialogs. Version 4.1 will not work properly. o If you own Geneva, you must update to release 003. If you still have an older version, you can update using a patch program which is available on GEnie, Compuserve, and other BBS'es. You can also get the patch program from us for a minimal charge. o If you use Warp 9 3.81 or older and Geneva together, you should turn on Warp 9's "Zoom boxes" option. Otherwise, dialogs in NeoDesk will not undraw correctly. The same effect can safely be achieved by turning the "Grow/shrink boxes" option off in the Task Manager's "Miscellaneous" dialog. o In order to change the colors of NeoDesk's window gadgets, you should use WCOLORS.CPX or an equivalent replacement. There are two important things to note, however: 1. If you are not using MultiTOS or Geneva, then you must have a copy of NEOLOAD.PRG in your AUTO folder in order for the colors to be read properly. This is because of a deficiency in TOS versions prior to 4.0. 2. If you are not using Geneva, and you do not want to use WCOLORS.CPX, then you should use the "Window colors" dialog. This can be accessed by choosing the "Gadgets" button in the "Window preferences" dialog. The "Use system window colors" button controls whether or not the settings from WCOLORS.CPX are read by NeoDesk. If this button is selected, then changing the settings of the window colors in WCOLORS.CPX will only take effect when NeoDesk loads an INF file.