@DATABASE "ShortQt! English Guide File"
@WORDWRAP
@NODE "Main" "ShortQt! v1.4"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b} ShortQt! v1.4 @{ub} @{" New " LINK "NEW"}

 © 1996 Esteve Boix

(Note that english is not my native language. I'm doing my best :-)

@{" About ShortQt! " LINK "ABOUT"}
@{" Installation " LINK "INSTALL"}

@{" Using ShortQt! " LINK "USAGE"}

@{" History " LINK "History"}
@{" To do " LINK "TODO"}
@{" Distribution / Disclaimer " LINK "DIST"}
@{" Registering " LINK "REGI"}				<<< Important changes here >>>

@{" Thanks... " LINK "Thanks"}
@{" About the author " LINK "AUTHOR"}
@ENDNODE

@NODE "NEW" "New in this version"
@TOC "MAIN"

v1.3 had some bugs, because I released it without much testing. Sorry about this.
ShortQt! v1.4 has a lot of internal/external changes, and it's been fully tested.
Thanks for the reports !

@{b}Major/Minor changes and bug-fixes in v1.4@{ub}

-Some minor/major bugs killed.

-Removed a little bug in D&D.

-ShortQt! crashed when checking programs under certain situations.

-Improved ShortQt!'s check function:
 In the previous version, this function gave some problems with complicated programs (for example checking files before uncompressing them). Now it is a lot more stable/powerfull.

-New 'Pause' mode: Very useful in multitasking mode. For example: First check 3 files (in multitasking), add a pause to the program (ShortQt! will simply ask you to continue) and wait for the checking to finish, then continue the normal program execution.

-Now you can't use HD/PC in any device other than DF0: (this is a DMS limitation).

-Sort volumes now works fine...

-Prefs window changed: Now it is subdivided in 3 'folders'.

-New 'Sure requesters' prefs entry. The 'Are you sure ?' requesters can be disabled.

-New Width and Height prefs entries. You can now configure the size of the CON window opened by ShortQt!.

-New OffsetX and OffsetY prefs entries. You can set the offset of every new window that ShortQt! creates in multitasking mode.

-ShortQt!'s program list is more selective in what it displays (i.e. it does not display info that is not necessary for the current action).

-You can reload ShortQt! prefs from the prefs window.

-New Fix'n'Next button in the Edit window.

-ShortQt's check window has been enhanced. It now features a list that informs the user (you :-) what's going on.

-The check/execution can be cancelled.

-Filenames longer than 'x' (user-configurable :-) chars will be clipped, so no super-extra-large requesters will appear.

-Wait between DMS in multitasking is now minimal, as ShortQt! knows when two DMS in multitasking will not collide.

-Dragging DMSFile, Repack to, DIZText and Crypt has changed: You have to drag the label, not the object.

-Dragging Action and CompressionMode is now possible.

-New 'Pause' Mode. Just take a look at @{"DMS Modes" LINK "MODE"}.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "ABOUT" "About ShortQt!"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}What is ShortQt! ?@{ub}

ShortQt! is my second MUI-based GUI-frontend for DMS (DiskMasher).

ShortQt! is not just 'Yet Another GUI For DMS'. It includes some features not found in any other GUI:

-It's main feature is the 'batch-processing-of-DMS-files'. Just imagine you have enough RAM and that you want to install a program that comes in 3 DMS. Just mount (through ShortQt!) 3 RAM-Drives, tell ShortQt! what do you want to do and press 'Execute'.
ShortQt! will decompress the 3 DMS without further using interaction !

-No 'Read/Write', but 'Compress/Decompress'.

-ShortQt! supports nearly all the DMS options.

-Can hide some options not found in DMS v1.11.

-Is highly configurable, and features a complete easy-to-use prefs window.

-Includes an 'Expert/Normal Mode' that hides some options to make the program simpler.

-ShortQt! features a volume list that the user can edit (add new vols, remove them, mount a device...).

-...

BTW, I read ShortQt! as Shortcut :-).
@ENDNODE

@NODE "Install" "Installation"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}Installation@{ub}

Very simple:

Just run the install-script and follow the instructions to install the program.

You don't need to create a special drawer for ShortQt!.

ShortQt! requires:

    -AmigaDOS v2.0+ (v37+ to use the locale.library)
    -MUI v3.2+
    -DMS v1.11+

Note: ShortQt! should work on a v2.0 (v36) system, but this has not been tested. Please let me know if you experience any problem with this version of AmigaDOS.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "USAGE" "How it works"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}Using ShortQt!@{ub}

Well, ShortQt! is different from other DMS frontends, but once you've used it a couple of times, it becomes easy to use. Here you'll find some help:

General notes on...

	@{" ShortQt! usage " LINK "GENUS"}

	@{" Main Window/Edit Window " LINK "MWEW"}
	@{" DMS Modes " LINK "MODE"}		<<< Important changes here >>>
	@{" Volumelist/Volumes " LINK "VOLS"}
	@{" Program execution " LINK "PEXE"}
	@{" Dragging and Dropping " LINK "DND"}

Configuration...

	@{" General " LINK "CONF"}
@ENDNODE

@NODE "GENUS" "ShortQt! usage"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{u}ShortQt! usage@{uu}

ShortQt! is quite different from others DMS front-ends. You normally use these GUIs to read/write a single device, but a lot demos (for example) come in 2 or more discs, so you find yourself repeating the same operation again and again.

ShortQt! has a different approach to this problem. You create a 'program' to tell it what you want to do: This program may contain different operations, for example checking 4 DMS and then uncrunch them in 4 rads. Once the program is finished, you simply have to press 'Execute!'. ShortQt! will then check the program (see @{"Program execution" LINK "PEXE"}) and it will execute it.

Of course, the Amiga is a real multitasking computer, so ShortQt! can launch as many DMS are necessary (in the multitasking mode), and of course it can execute the program line by line, using a single DMS command each time (->less memory and better for slower processors, just imagine your Amiga compressing 14 DMS at a time !!!).

@ENDNODE

@NODE "MODE" "DMS modes"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{u}DMS Modes@{uu}

ShortQt! supports all the DMS modes (except ViewTEXT, by now).

Only a note: In the Modes cycle you'll find a non-DMS mode, 'Pause'.

This mode introduces a pause in the execution of the script, and it only works (for obvious reasons) in multitasking mode.

Why does ShortQt! supports 'Pause' ?

Simple: Just imagine that you want to test the DMS that you are going to uncrunch before actually uncrunching them. In multitasking mode this would be impossible (in previous versions) to do in a single program, because testing and uncrunching would occur at the same time (more or less).

The solution is to add a 'Pause' line between the test and the uncrunc lines.

Test DMS1
Test DMS2
Test DMS3
Pause
Decompress DMS1
Decompress DMS2
Decompress DMS3
@ENDNODE

@NODE "MWEW" "General Notes"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{u}Main Window/Edit Window@{uu}

ShortQt! main's window is the 'Program' window. Contains a list with the current program (the list is DragSortable).
You can create a new 'Empty' program-line pressing 'New'. Then, press 'Edit' and the Edit Window will be openend.
This window contains the DMS commands GUI and a volume list.

The changes that you make to the program-line must be fixed (pressing 'Fix !').
If you press "Fix'n'Close", the line will be fixed and the Edit window will be magically closed :-).
'Fix'n'Next' fixes the changes in the current line and selects the next one.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "VOLS" "Volumes"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{u}Volume List@{uu}

This (DragSortable) 'Volume list' contains the volumes you have defined. You can define new volumes pressing 'New' and editing the new entry or pressing 'Duplicate' to clone an already existing volume definition.
You have to enter the name of the volume and the mountlist that will be used when you press 'Mount' (this is not necessary for devices like df0:, of course :-).

When you press 'Mount', ShortQt! will simply make a 'Mount mountlist' command (not a 'Mount device FROM mountlist !!!)

Pressing 'Kill' will execute the KillCommand set in the volume-definition window (Note: If you want you can write '%s' in the place where you want the volume name in the killcommand. This is usefull if you create a number of dups of a volume in the list. You'll have to modify only the name, no the killcommand for the new ones).

PC/HD options in the Edit window are only available for 'df0:'.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "PEXE" "Execution"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{u}Executing the program@{uu}

Once you have completed your program, you can execute the program pressing 'Execute'.

ShortQt! will ask you the 'run-mode':

Batch: ShortQt! will execute the program line by line displaying a requester before executing a new line.
Multitask: ShortQt! will execute the whole program, launching as many DMS's as necessary (one per line).
Of course this option requires more memory (and a '060 if you want to process a 20 lines program :-).

You'll note that in multitasking mode ShortQt! waits 1.5 seconds before executing the next DMS. This is to avoid some crashings I've experienced (seems to be a bug in DMS :-P ).

ShortQt! can check the program before actually executing it. ShortQt! checks:

-If a file is missing (DMS/DIZTexts).
-If a device is not present.
-If devices will collide (i.e., specifying twice the same device in multitasking mode).

The program can be checked pressing the 'Check prog' button. The program is checked in 'Batch'-mode, so no device collision is detected.
Anyway, the program is automagically checked when you execute it (if you want to, via preferences, of course).

If ShortQt! finds a problem with a progline, it stops checking and this line becomes active.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "DND" "Drag&Drop facilities in ShortQt!"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{u}Using Drag&Drop@{uu}

From v1.3, ShortQt! features Drag&Drop facilities. Using D&D, you can easily change a part of the program without having to type and fix every change.
For example, imagine that you want to change the device of the 3rd line in your current program:
Simply open the edit window and drag the new device (from volumes list) and drop it over the line that you want to change. ShortQt! will do the rest. Easy ? I think so !

Only a comment: When you drag anything over the program list you'll see a so-called 'dropmark'. The change will take place in the line INMEDIATLY OVER this mark, so dropping anything when the DropMark is at the very top of the list does nothing.

Fields draggable by now:

	-Devices
	-DMS file.
	-Repack file.
	-DIZText file.
	-Password.
	-Action (cycle)
	-CompressionMode (cycle)

I've implemented D&D facilities because it's EASY and because I felt that ShortQt! used to lack a method for changing things fast and easily. Now changing the destination devices for a whole program is a child's play, isn't it ?

Note: To drag a field, you have to drag the LABEL. This is to avoid some problems with MUI 3.x's D&D.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "CONF" "Configuration"
@TOC "USAGE"

@{b}Configuration@{ub}

Selecting 'Settings/ShortQt!' will bring the ShortQt! config window.
This window contains some user-configurable settings for ShortQt!, sudivided in 3 groups:

@{u}DMS Executable:@{uu} The full path for DMS.
@{u}Def DMS dir:@{uu} Default directory for your DMS files.
@{u}Def Device:@{uu} Default device (used by default when pressing 'New' in the main window).

@{u}Default action:@{uu} The action that you want to be the default (Compress, Test, etc...)
@{u}Default mode:@{uu} Default compress mode

@{u}Auto Close CON:@{uu} The CON windows opened by ShortQt! for every DMS will be closed once the process has finished.
@{u}v1.11/Newer:@{uu} Shows/Hides some options not found in v1.11 of DMS (v1.11 is available on the AmiNet).
@{u}Check/Don't check program:@{uu} This option makes ShortQt! check the program before executing it. Until now, ShortQt! checks:

-If volumes are mounted
-If specified DMS-files exists
-If specified DIZTexts exists
-If devices will collide (is unwise to specify the same device twice in multitasking mode, isn't it ?).

Sometimes is necessary to avoid the checking, but be carefull !

@{u}Expert Mode:@{uu} Shows/Hides some options in the Edit Window.
@{u}Autoload def-prog:@{uu} Whenever you start ShortQt! or you clear the current script and this setting is set, ShortQt! will create a single-line program for you. This program uses all the defaults present in the preferences window.
@{u}Open edit win:@{uu} Do you want the edit window opened when you start ShortQt! ?
@{u}Sure requesters:@{uu} Enables/Disables the 'Are you sure ?' requesters. ShortQt! assumes that you would answer 'Yes'.
@{u}Max chars:@{uu} Filenames longer than this value will be clipped, in order to avoid extra-large requesters.
@{u}Width:@{uu} You can set the CONWindow's width.
@{u}Height:@{uu} You can set the CONWindow's height.
@{u}OffsetX:@{uu} X Offset of every new window created by ShortQt! in multitasking mode.
@{u}OffsetY:@{uu} Y Offset of every new window created by ShortQt! in multitasking mode.

Note1: ShortQt! knows the size of the screen that contains its' windows. This is taken in consideration when computing the position of a new window in multitasking mode (i.e. windows will no totally overlap).

Note2: ShortQt! uses a MUI method to save these preferences. This will probably change in a newer version of the program.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "History" "History"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}History@{ub}

v1.0:

       First public release.

v1.1:

       More defaults
       Kill-volume option
       DMS version preferences entry
       ShortQt! can check programs
       Autoload default program

v1.2:

       More defaults
       New Fix'n'Close button
       2 bugs removed
       Continue/Cancel in batch mode
       CON Windows a bit smaller

v1.3:

       ShortQt! supports Repack now.
       Drag & Drop implemented.
       Check button.
       Sort volumes button.

v1.4:

       Bugs removed.
       'Sure' requesters can be avoided.
       PD/HD only available for 'df0:'.
       CON window's size configurable.
       Changed ShortQt!'s prefs window GUI.
       Improved Check function (gave some problems :-P )
       Proglines list display is better now.
       Reload prefs button.
       Window is blocked while mounting/killing devs.
       Fix'n'Next button added.
       Many enhancements to check/exe window.
       OffsetX and OffsetY user-configurable.
       Easier to drag draggable objects :-)
       Action and Compmode draggable too.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "DIST" "Distribution"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}Distribution/Disclaimer@{ub}

This software is subject to the "Standard Amiga FD-Software Copyright Note".
It is @{b}Mailware/Shareware@{ub} as defined in paragraph 4b.
For more information please read "@{"AFD-COPYRIGHT" LINK AFD-COPYRIGHT/Main}" (Version 1 or higher).

You will find this AFD-Copyright in this archive.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "REGI" "ShortQt! is Mailware/Shareware"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}Registering@{ub}

I've decided to use 2 registering methods for ShortQt!.

@{b}Mailware@{ub}

Just send me an e-mail/postcard with your name (and whatever else you want, of course).
I'll send you a keyfile that will disable the 'Please register' messages.

Of course, mailware registration is _ABSOLUTELY FREE_.

@{b}Shareware@{ub}

The second registration method is Shareware.
By registering this way you'll receive a keyfile that will both disable the 'Please register' messages and enable some missing functions:
Load and Save programs.

These two options are not very usefull for normal users, but for 'power' users that makes heavy use of DMS are very handy, because they can make a library of programs to automatically extract most used disks.

The registration fee is _only_ $5. You can send me the money the way you want, but I prefer postal order or including the money in the letter.
If you can't receive the key via e-mail, please enclose $2 more and enough stamps to send a disk with the program to you.


Both keyfiles will work with all future versions of ShortQt!.

As a registered user, I'll send you an e-mail for every new release/information/new of ShortQt!.

@{b}Important@{ub}

From now on translators of ShortQt! to other languages will become (if they want, of course) SHAREWARE-REGISTERED users of the program.

If you translate the catalogs of ShortQt! or this guide (or both :-) please let me know it. Translations will be included in the next version of the program, and translators will receive their key.
Ask me before actually translating anything, because the work may be already started by somebody else.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "Thanks" "Thanks"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}Thanks@{ub}

My special thanks go to :

-Pedro Luís Mieza: A brave betatester/sugester :-)

-Fredrik Orinius: For the sugestions/bug reports.

-Gus: For the MWB icon :-).

-Kenji: For the sugestions :-)

-Dietmar Knoll: For the AFD-Copyright notice.

-Javier Marcet: For correcting my mistakes with the spanish catalog.

-Wouter van Oortmerssen: For AmigaE !!!

Also thanks to the registered users of ShortQt! (and all my other programs) for using ShortQt! and for their suggestions.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "AUTHOR" "About the author"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}About the author@{ub}

As usual, I *need* feedback from the users.
User contributions are very important to me, as they help me to find the 'way' to make ShortQt! better.

Please send suggestions, criticisms, ideas, gifts, icons, registerings, and postcards to:

     Esteve Boix Sánchez
     C/Alcalde Armengou n11 7-1
     08240 Manresa (Barcelona)
     Spain

You can contact me through to following e-mail address:

     axe@arrakis.es

You're invited to visit my WWW homepage, where you'll find some info about ShortQt! and my other programs:

     http://www.arrakis.es/~axe/stv/stv.html

ShortQt! v1.4 has been completely developed using AmigaE v3.2e, from Wouter van Oortmerssen, in an Amiga 3000 w/ 68030+882 25Mhz, 18Mb RAM, 540Mb SCSI HD and a CyberVision64.
@ENDNODE

@NODE "TODO" "To do in ShortQt!"
@TOC "MAIN"

@{b}Still to do in ShortQt!@{ub}

ShortQt! is not (and will never be, as there's always something new to add :-) a finished program.
This is a list of features that *may* be added to a future release of the program:

-As this program is 100% hand-crafted, it has bugs. I'll try to kill'em all.

-Non-MUI versions: Not likely...

-Translate the docs to spanish/other languages.

-More Drag'n'Drop facilities.

-Saving icons with programs.

-Maybe some limited ARexx support.

-It's only an idea, but I'll probably add some kind of plug-ins support to ShortQt!, so device-crunchers other than DMS could be used.

-Make ShortQt! ask for missing files during program checking (this would require some big internal changes...).

-Users suggestions.

There are a lot of things to improve. This depends on the users, the more users/registrations, the more and better updates :-).

As usual, waiting for suggestions.
@ENDNODE