@Database "PowerData"

@Node Main "Some glossary and fancy buzzwords"

                                 GLOSSARY

In  the documentation for PowerData, I have used quite a few words that may
not  mean  anything  to  inexperienced  users.   I  guess I'd better expain
(briefly) what these buzzwords mean.  Please select anything from the index
below:

         @{"         ARexx        " LINK "ARexx"}         @{"        Hotkeys       " LINK "Hotkeys"}
         @{"        Aztec C       " LINK "AztecC"}         @{"         IconX        " LINK "IconX"}
         @{"         CHelp        " LINK "CHelp"}         @{"      ILBM files      " LINK "ILBMFiles"}
         @{"       Commodity      " LINK "Commodity"}         @{"        Locale        " LINK "Locale"}
         @{"       CrossDos       " LINK "CrossDos"}         @{"  Powerpacker Library " LINK "PPLib"}
         @{"       CygnusEd       " LINK "Ced"}         @{"        Real3D        " LINK "Real3D"}
         @{"   DMS, LHA and LZH   " LINK "OtherArchivers"}         @{"   Reqtools Library   " LINK "ReqLib"}
         @{"     DOS patterns     " LINK "Patterns"}         @{" The Exchange program " LINK "Exchange"}
         @{"        DPaint        " LINK "DPaint"}         @{"      The FidoNet     " LINK "Fidonet"}
         @{"      Executables     " LINK "Executable"}         @{"     The Installer    " LINK "Installer"}
         @{"      GadToolsBox     " LINK "GadToolsBox"}         @{"   WBStartup drawer   " LINK "WBStartup"}
         @{"          GUI         " LINK "GUI"}         @{"     Workbench 2.1    " LINK "WB21"}

Also, you should read a bit about the predecessor of PowerData, namely

                          @{"  Powerpacker Patcher  " LINK "PPP"}
@EndNode

@Node ILBMFiles "What is ILBM?"
ILBM,  or Interleaved Bitmaps, is a special way to store pictures in files.
The  format  was  invented, along with the IFF format itself, by Electronic
Arts.
@EndNode

@Node GUI "What is GUI"
GUI  is  a  relatively  new buzzword, relating to the way a program renders
gadgets and menus.  GUI is short for Graphic User Interface.

PowerData  has  a  GUI,  which  is simply the window you see when PowerData
starts  (or  when  you  call  it  up,  using  the appropriate hotkey).  The
PowerData GUI was designed using GadToolsBox.
@EndNode

@Node Commodity "What is a commodity"
A  commodity is a program that remains resident when run.  It is controlled
by the Exchange program and the commodities library system, and often has a
way to "pop up" by activating a hotkey.

Commodities is a Workbench 2.04 facility.  It is not available in operating
systems prior to this release.
@EndNode

@Node WB21 "What is Workbench 2.1"
Workbench  2.1,  or v38.35, is the official update of Workbench 2.04.  This
software upgrade gives you the ablility to localize your workbench, as well
as offering a postscript driver.  CrossDos has also turned into an integral
part of this new OS.

PowerData  comes  complete with a number of catalog files for the Workbench
2.1  and 3.0 locale system, enabling it to "talk" in as different languages
as French and German.
@EndNode

@Node CrossDos "What is CrossDos"
CrossDos  is  a  set  of  utilities and programs enabling the Amiga to read
MS-DOS formatted diskettes just like any Amiga diskettes.

CrossDos  is  made  by  Innovatronics  and  is  a  standard part of the new
Workbench 2.1 (and 3.0).
@EndNode

@Node Locale "What is locale"
Locale  is a means of getting programs "localized".  That is, make programs
communicate with the user in whatever language the user prefers.

For  example, if you want PowerData to speak to you in French, all you need
to  do  is  to select "Spanish" as the preferred language with the "Locale"
program, located in your Prefs drawer.  The rest should happen by itself.

Note  that  you  must have a file called PowerData.catalog in the directory
LOCALE:Catalogs/dansk/  to have PowerData speak danish to you.  If you want
PowerData  to  speak  French,  you  must  have  another  file,  also called
PowerData.catalog, in the directory LOCALE:Catalogs/Español/.

For  further information on the Locale system on the Amiga, please refer to
your Workbench 2.1 documentation.

PowerData  38.100  comes  with  catalog  files  for localization in Danish,
French and German.  And it speaks English by default :^)
@EndNode

@Node PPLib "What is Powerpacker.library"
Powerpacker.library  is the "essence" of the Powerpacker program, extracted
into  a simple, shared library file.  If this file is present in LIBS:, any
program  designed to do so, will be able to crunch and decrunch powerpacked
files.

Naturally,  PowerData  requires  this  library,  and  it is provided in the
PowerData  distribution.   The  installation  scripts automatically install
this library if it is needed.

Powerpacker.library,  and  the  Powerpacker program itself, is Copyright by
Nico François.
@EndNode

@Node ReqLib "What is Reqtools.library"
Reqtools.library  is  a  set  of  functions  enabling  programs to use file
requesters,  font requesters, palette requesters, screenmode requesters and
notification requesters.

These  are  all  very  easy  to  program, and they look much nicer than the
standard  2.04  requesters.   They  also  have  a  wide  range of bells and
whistles to make life easier for the user -- and for the programmer.

PowerData  uses  reqtools.library  for all its requesters, so naturally, it
requires  this  library.  It is provided in the PowerData distribution, and
the installation scripts automatically installs it library if it is needed.

Reqtools.library is Copyright by Nico François.
@EndNode

@Node IconX "What is IconX"
IconX  is  a  small program you normally keep in C:, which enables users to
execute AmigaDOS scripts directly from the Workbench (i.e.  without needing
to  start  a  seperate CLI or Shell).  All you need to do is fix up an icon
for the script, and set the default-tool to IconX.

IconX can be acquired from most Fred Fish disks.

PowerData comes complete with a script for IconX, but if you have Workbench
2.1,  then  you  should really use the script provided for use with the new
@{"Installer" LINK "Installer"} program.
@EndNode

@Node Installer "What is The Installer"
The Installer is Commodores official tool for installing software packages.
It  accepts  a  script  in  a  special  language  and  provides a neat user
interface during the installation procedure itself.

The Installer is a standard part of the new Workbench 2.1 and 3.0 operating
systems.

PowerData  comes  complete  with a script for The Installer, so if you have
2.1  or 3.0, then you should use the Installer script in stead of the IconX
script.
@EndNode

@Node WBStartup "What is WBStartup"
WBStartup  is a drawer on your system disk (or at least it should be).  Any
programs  located  in  this  drawer  will  automatically  be started by the
Workbench as soon as it is activated with LoadWB.

You   can  put  PowerData  into  the  WBStartup  drawer  and  have  it  run
automatically when you start your Workbench.
@EndNode

@Node Hotkeys "What are hotkeys"
A "hotkey" is just a buzzword for a combination of keypresses.  For example
"Shift Alt F1" is a hotkey (i.e.  you must press all these keys at the same
time).

PowerData  has three hotkeys.  One for showing its window, one for enabling
crunching  and decrunching, and one for re-enabling it.  To activate one of
these  functions,  you  must  press and hold down the appropriate keys that
define that particular function - the "hotkey".
@EndNode

@Node OtherArchivers "All those other archivers"
PowerData deals with files packed with PowerPacker.  It does not handle any
other form of data compression, such as the .LHA and .LZH formats.

You  should  set  PowerData's  exclude  filter  to  mask out files that are
already  packed,  as  otherwise any operation on these files will take much
longer than usual.

(For  example, if you do not set the exclude filter to mask out .LHA files,
then  PowerData  will  be  forced  to examine every LHA file it encounters,
which is completely unnecessary).

By  default,  PowerData is set to mask out LHA, LZH and DMS files, as these
are  the  most  common  archive formats used on the Amiga, but many more do
exist (like .PAK, .ZIP, .ZOM, .ARC, .ZOO).  If you use one or more of these
formats   regulary,  then  you  should  probably  set  the  exclude  filter
appropriately.
@EndNode

@Node Patterns "AmigaDOS patterns"
A  "pattern"  is  a way of specifying a "mask" for filenames.  To do so you
have  special  meta-characters, representing other characters, or groups of
characters.

For  example,  the  "?" character means "any character", and "#" means "any
number  of...".   The  combination  "#?"  thus  means  "Any  number  of any
character", and this filter will therefore match any filename.

You  may also use a combination of paranteses and the "bar" character, "|",
to  specify  a  number  of  different,  possible  characters  or  group  of
characters.  For example

#?.(pp|aa)

Means  "any  filename  followed  by a dot followed by either 'pp' or 'aa'".
You can use the "%" character to specify "nothing", like this:

#?.(pp|aa|%)

Meaning  "any filename followed by a dot followed by either 'pp' or 'aa' or
nothing at all".

Please  refer  to  your  AmigaDOS  documentation  for  more a comprehensive
description of the different meta-characters available. You really deserve
a better explanation than that provided here, by me :^)
@EndNode

@Node Exchange "The Exchange program"
The  Exchange  program  is a standard part of any 2.04 system.  It provides
facilities for controlling commodities, and is itself a commodity.

PowerData  can  be  completely controlled by Exchange.  Please refer to the
relevant  system documentation on the Exchange program, for further info on
how to do this.
@EndNode

@Node FidoNet "The Fidonet network"
The  Fidonet is the worlds largest, privately owned and run network.  There
are  more  than  60,000  computer systems running as "nodes" in the Fidonet
network, each carrying a number of "Points", or users, if you like.

Each  point  in Fidonet can mail any other point also in Fidonet, either by
"crash"  mail  where  a  message  is  sent  directly from the sender to the
receivers  node (even if it involves calling half way around the world), or
it  can  be routed through any number of other nodes.  Everyone can comment
on messages written by others, and this way spawn off other discussions and
keep the net alive.

I  could  keep  on  writing about Fidonet for several pages, and still only
scratch the surface of this huge subject.

PowerData  will  eventually  have  one  or  more support BBS'es, each being
Fidonet  nodes, so that questions and suggestions can be directed at these,
as well as directly to me.

My  Fidonet  point  number  is 2:230/816.8@Fidonet, and if you have Fidonet
access,  this  is  the  address  you should be directing your questions and
suggestions to.
@EndNode

@Node DPaint "What is DPaint"
For  those of you who have never heard of DPaint, I will just say that this
program  has  grown  to  be  the de-facto standard for paint programs.  The
highly  renowned  and  famed  DPaint, now up to version IV with IV.5 on the
way, was created by Electronic Arts, the inventors of the IFF format.

DPaint  is just one of the programs that PowerData enable to read and write
powerpacked datafiles, such as IFF and stencil files.
@EndNode

@Node Real3D "What is Real3D"
Real 3D is a "raytracing" program from RealSoft.  It is an object oriented,
very  fast  3D  graphics  raytracer (the best there is, in the eyes of this
writer, anyway)

Real 3D is just one of the programs that PowerData enable to read and write
compressed datafiles, like its texture files and its animation scenes.
@EndNode

@Node Executable "What is an executable"
An  executable  is just another [buzz]word for "program".  An executable is
any program that can be run either from the Workbench or from CLI.

PowerData  does  deliberately not crunch or decrunch executables.  You need
programs like PowerPacker or The Imploder to process executables.
@EndNode

@Node ARexx "What is ARexx"
Rexx  is  a  special  language,  originally developed for and used on large
mainframe  systems, for interprocess communication.  Bill Hawes has written
an Amiga version of Rexx, called ARexx (AmigaRexx), now an integral part of
the Amiga operating system.

More  and  more  applications  are  supporting  ARexx,  because  it enables
powerusers  to carry out tasks that would otherwise not have been possible,
or  would  have  taken very long time to complete.  ARexx is also ideal for
making  applications  do  repetitive  tasks that would otherwise have taken
much effort to accomplish.

PowerData  does  not  yet  have  ARexx,  but it _is_ one of the things I am
trying very hard to put into the program.

With  ARexx  in  PowerData, you would be able to enable and disable it from
your  own  ARexx  and shell scripts.  It would be very useful to be able to
sandwich  Copy  commands  between  a pair of "Disable" and "Enable" macros.
(The  Copy command takes much longer than usual to finish when PowerData is
running, because of the extra crunching and decrunching)
@EndNode

@Node GadToolsBox "What is GadToolsBox"
GadToolsBox,  by  Jan  van  den  Baard,  is  a  program  that allows you to
graphically  design  a  GUI,  and  have the source code (in C or assembler)
generated automatically.

PowerDatas  GUI  was designed using GadToolsBox.  I had to make a good deal
of  corrections to the resulting source code, however, because GTB does not
generate code that is suitable for Workbench 2.1-style localization.

All  in all, though, I can only recommend GTB for anyone regulary designing
GUIs.
@EndNode

@Node AztecC "What is Aztec C"
Aztec C is one of the two major C compilers for the Amiga. The other is
SAS/C, the former Lattice C compiler (by Lattice Corporation).

PowerData  was  developed  using the Aztec compiler, and this has brought a
number of compiler errors to my attention that I had no knowledge of before
making PowerData.

These  errors  are  serious  errors.   Serious enough for me to contemplate
switching  to  either  DICE,  Maxon  C++  or  SAS/C at some point, and port
PowerData to either compiler when this happens.

Please  do  not  worry  about  the integrity of PowerData.  Albeit a bit to
easily  offended by funny typecasts, the Aztec compiler is still one of the
most  stable  compilers  around,  and  produces some of the most error free
code, compared to any other compiler I know of.
@EndNode

@Node Ced "What is CygnusEd"
CygnusEd  is one of the leading text editors on the Amiga.  It was released
back in 1987-88, and was quite revolutionary at the time - and it still is,
even  today.   Only  few  can  match  its  performance and speed.  The file
requester  alone  was  years ahead of its time, and has defined some of the
standards that most file requesters go by today.

PowerData was developed using this editor, and I doubt that PowerData would
have been released as soon as it was, had it not been for this editor.
@EndNode

@Node CHelp "What is CHelp"
CHelp  is  a  nifty  little  tool  from  Robert Wahlström & Mathias Widman,
designed  for  quickly  finding  structures in the Amiga include files, and
function descriptions in the Amiga Autodocs.

CHelp was a big help during the development of PowerData.  I would register
it  right  away (it is shareware), had it not been because it crashes quite
often  on my machine (too often, actually).  I will probably end up writing
a similar tool myself, that does exactly what I want.
@EndNode

@Node PPP "Powerpacker Patcher"
Powerpacker  Patcher was my first go at writing something like this.  It is
not a bad program, and I have more than fifty registered users (more like a
houndred, probably).

However,  with  the  introduction  of Workbench 2.04, PPP started appearing
somewhat  outdated.   It  did not in any way use any of the new features of
this  operating  system, and indeed does not work at all with Workbench 2.1
or 3.0.

For  these  reasons,  I  decided it was now time to do something about this
program.  It seemed a shame not to update PPPatcher, because it really is a
neat little utility.

This is the result.  I hope you like it.  And maybe decide to register it.

There  are  many  differences  between  PowerData  and PPPatcher.  The main
difference  is probably that PowerData can crunch files as well as decrunch
them.  PPPatcher was unable to crunch files.

PowerData runs under 2.04 only.  It will not work with AmigaDOS 1.2 or 1.3.
I  am  working  on doing one, final update of the old PPPatcher program, so
that  all  those  with  1.2  and  1.3 can enjoy the benefits of transparent
crunching as well as decrunching.  No promises, though.

(More  on  this:   PowerData  is  a  selfcontained  program.   It is not an
"update"  of  Powerpacker  Patcher  as  such,  nor does it count as one for
registered users of the Powerpacker Patcher program)
@EndNode