Document Background Background v1.32 Background and this text are copyright © 1996 Roland Haas 1. Copyright&disclaimer ======================= Copying Background may bee sold freely, as long as the contents of this archive is spread completely. There may be raised no charge other than a fee for copying. Background may be sold with other free redistributable software, as long as the conditions above are satisfied. This program may only be included in a commercial package if you have the written permission of the `author'. Disclaimer This product is sold "AS IS" without representation or warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. YOU USE THIS PROGRAMM ON YOUR OWN RISK 2. Introduction =============== What is "Background"? Background is a program similar NickPrefs by Nicola Salmoria. Unlike NickPrefs' WBPICTURE every workbench window can be connected with its own picture. Why? Background has been written, because at that time I did not have the opportunity of getting NickPrefs. As I finally had NickPrefs, the possibilities offered did not satisfy me. Because I did not know, whether there was a similar program I decided to write my own. 3. Requirements =============== Necessary are: · at least OS 2.0 · IFFPARSE.library in LIBS: Not necessary, but recommended are: · 1 MBYTE Chip-RAM · hard-disk 4. Installation =============== First you should copy the program Background to the WBSTARTUP drawer. Then start a text-editor and edit the file "ENVARC:Background.conf". (enter "ed envarc:Background.conf" in a shell) Information how to set up the file can be found in `Konfiguration'. After having created the file, you must either perform a reboot or copy the file from ENVARC: to ENV: 5. Konfiguration ================ Background gets information about the windows from the file ENV:Background.conf The OS has copied this file during booting from ENVARC: there. That means, that you, to make permanent modifications, will always have to edit the file in ENVARC: then you will have to copy it to ENV:. See also `Future'. 5.1. The file Background.conf The file must have the following format: First line : path_to_a_picture,TILE/S Second line : path_to_a_picture,TILE/S other lines : path_to_a_picture,pattern,TILE/S Path_to_a_picture specifies the IFF-picture, that serves as the background. If TILE is provided, then the picture will be used as a pattern, that will be repeated as long as necessary. Then the bottom edge must fit to the top one and the left to the right. If however TILE is omitted, all area not covered by the picture will be filled with the background color (grey). The pattern is a DOS pattern, that specifies, for which windows the picture is to be used. Possible patterns are for example: (Prefs|Presets) - the drawers Prefs and Presets Pictures.~(HAM) - all pictures. drawers except the drawers Pictures.HAM "#? % full, #? free, #? in use" - all disk windows Note the quotes around the last pattern, they are needed, because the pattern contains spaces. 5.2. Example ============ Work:gfx/Pix/Back1 TILE ;Standard picture Work:Gfx/Pix/Romantique ;Workbench window Work:Gfx/Pix/Disks "#? % full, #? free, #? in use" TILE ;All Disks Work:Gfx/Pix/Back2 (Prefs|Presets|Devs|System) TILE ;System drawers 5.1.1. The meaning of the lines The lines have the following meaning: Line 1 : specifies which picture is to be used, if none of the patterns fit. Line 2 : This is not necessary needed. When it exists, it specifies which picture to use, if the window does not have a title. This is true, for example, for the main workbench window. If background.conf looks like the following: dh0:Gfx/Pix/Back1 "#? % full, #? free, #? in use" TILE dh0:Gfx/Pix/Game #?Games#? TILE then, the windows "Games 50 % full, 24 M free, 24 M in use", will use the picture "dh0:Gfx/pix/Game". 6. Usage ======== Background can be used both from workbench and from the CLI. In both cases the keyword NOSCAN is accepted. This keyword prevents Background from scanning and changing the background of already opened windows. CLI: background NOSCAN/S WB: NOSCAN as a tooltype 7. Future ========= included surely: · Preferences editor à la NickPrefs · Changing the picture list without terminating the program probably included: · reduced program size and memory consuming Suggestions to the `author'. 8. credits ========== thanks to these people. Without them I would have never written this program. David Benn : for his ACE compiler, with which the program was written. See also `history'. My brother : No one finds as many errors ;-) Nicola Salmoria : For the Nickprefs, that made me writing this program. 9. Known bugs ============= · very small pictures (<64{x}64) will crash the program workaround: use DPAINT to duplicate the picture · no real bug: it is _not_ possible to remove a patch safely from the system. · when Background is started before the workbench nothing will happen 10. Author ========== Who wants to give a little Gift for his effort to a poor student, send money, programs etc to : Roland Haas Mühlweg 16 77948 Friesenheim Deutschland telephone: ++49 7821/68084 11. history =========== The beginnings of the program are unknown even to myself. All began in november '95, with a load routine for IFF-ILBM pictures. Here is the documented history since january '96: 20.01.1996: V1.15 working version (yea, well nearly) 20.02.1996: V1.20 Mungwall-hit and other things 24.02.1996: V1.21 again a Mungwall-hit 25.02.1996: V1.25 MatchWin and TestHook now assemblers 05.03.1996: V1.30 ViewPic ported to assembler 09.03.1996: V1.31 minor bug in CleanExit 16.03.1996: V1.32 bug in recognizing caller task Starting with V1.25 the routines, the of systems calls, are written in assembler. (A68k). Starting with V2.0 probably the whole program will be written in assembler.