The ADPro 2.1.5 ReadMe FRED 1.0.1 Late Breaking News And Manual Corrections CONTENTS: o ADPro Copyrights Are Registered o ALPHA Loader o LSO Caching o Splitters And Joiners o The PCP Has Improved o Description Of Supplied ARexx Programs o ZapDPI - Work-Around For Pro Page Bug o What's On Disk 3? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADPro Copyrights Are Registered Copyrights covering ADPro are registered with the United States Copyright Office. This provides ASDG with additional leverage in enforcing legal action against unauthorized duplication or distribution of ADPro. Be aware that ASDG considers prosecution of copyright infringers part of its obligation of providing a quality product and service to its paying customers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALPHA Loader Alpha channel support for files in the IFF format has been added with the introduction of the ALPHA loader. The ALPHA loader is an IFF loader which allows a second file to be specified (and used as an alpha channel controlling the transparency of the image to be loaded). Currently, the file specified as the alpha channel must be a gray scale IFF and must have the same width and height as the image being loaded. From ARexx, you specify the image to be loaded and its alpha channel as followed: LFORMAT "ALPHA" LOAD "ImageToBeLoaded" "ImageToBeUsedAsAlpha" [C_OPTS] The file ".ALPHA" must be present in your Loaders2 directory. (It is placed there by the ADPro installation process.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LSO Caching ADPro can now cache loaders, savers, and operators in a higher speed disk (such as RAM:). To make use of this feature, create an environment variable called ADPRODIR and set it to RAM:. Then create Loaders2, Savers2, and Operators2 directories. Copy into these directories the loaders, savers or operators you will use most often. These LSOS will then load from RAM: instead of from disk resulting in faster performance (especially during massive batch processes). For example, you might make a CLI script such as this (or perhaps include something like this in your user-startup: ; ; Assume I want to cache: ; o IFF and Universal loaders ; o IFF and FC24 saver ; o DCTV operator ; SETENV ADPRODIR RAM: MAKEDIR RAM:LOADERS2 MAKEDIR RAM:SAVERS2 MAKEDIR RAM:OPERATORS2 COPY ADPRO:LOADERS2/(IFF|UNIVERSAL) RAM:LOADERS2 COPY ADPRO:SAVERS2/(IFF|FC24) RAM:SAVERS2 COPY ADPRO:OPERATORS2/DCTV RAM:OPERATORS2 This mechanism also provides a way of splitting modules across multiple volumes (like floppies). To make ADPro run from multiple floppies (for example), you make a primary floppy disk with as much of ADPro as you can fit. Include EMPTY FILES for all the modules which don't fit. If you don't include the empty dummy files, ADPro won't know about these modules. Put the real versions of the modules which wouldn't fit on the second floppy in the appropriate directories and execute the appropriate SETENV command. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Splitters And Joiners The floppy disk remains the most effect means of transferring data from an Amiga to another type of computer. Unless, of course, the data you wish to transfer is too large to fit on a single floppy. In this case, you're out of luck since there is no single program that exists which is available on multiple platforms to split files apart on one computer (like an Amiga), and join them together on another (like an IBM). ASDG, in response to your needs, has written such a utility and we've even gone to the trouble of supplying you with MAC, WINDOWS, and MS/DOS versions in addition to an Amiga version. The MAC version even lets you specify creator and file type! On the ADPro 2.1 disks, you'll find .EXE files containing WINDOWS and MS/DOS executables. You'll also find .bin and .hqx files containing System 6 and 7 compatible executables and ReadMe's for MACs (In the MAC version, both the split and join functions are performed in a single program). And, you'll find an Amiga version. You may use these tools on computers which you own or work upon daily. You can provide these tools to others (such as your service bureau) ONLY AFTER YOU CALL OR WRITE TO US FOR PERMISSION. PLEASE HONOR THIS CONDITION. To install the MS/DOS splitz.exe and joinz.exe, simply copy them onto an MS/DOS floppy disk, and then from the floppy disk onto you MS/DOS systems hard disk. To install the WINDOWS wsplitz.exe and wjoinz.exe, simply copy them onto an MS/DOS floppy disk, and then from the floppy disk into windows directory on your hard disk (usually C:\windows). 1. From the Program Manager, select the program group that you would like SPLIT and JOINZ to be in. 2. Select the "New" menu item from the program managers File menu. 3. Select "Program item",and click "OKAY". Now another window appears... 4. Enter "Splitz" for the description, then press the TAB key, and enter "c:\windows\wsplitz.exe". The WSPLITZ icon should now appear in the selected program group. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4, for WJOINZ. To install the MAC version, use the installation program to extract the MAC files into a temporary directory such as RAM:. Then copy these files onto a MS-DOS formatted floppy disk. For these procedures, we will use only the HQX files. On your MAC, run the Apple File Exchange program BEFORE installing the MS-DOS formatted disk into your floppy drive. Select the HQX files in the AFE program and select a destination for them. Hit the TRANSLATE button. After the files are physically copied, quit the AFE program. Bring up StuffIt. Choose ``DECODE BINHEX FILE'' from the ``OTHER'' menu (under the BINHEX item). Then, select the HQX file to decode, and select a place to save MAC executable. Finally, hit the SAVE button. Exit StuffIt when done. Split & Join should now be ready to run. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The PCP Has Improved Those of you with the PCP may not notice that the PCP has been greatly enhanced. There are two new file formats (SUN and X WINDOWS) and the older modules support even more variations of their respective file formats. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description Of Supplied ARexx Programs f0.adpro Executing this program brings up the file requester in the REXX: directory allowing you to pick (BY NAME) another ARexx program to execute. We find this program so useful, we bind it to your F10 function key (by calling it F0.ADPRO). Remember, you may have to modify this program so that it points correctly to your RX program. See the program for more information. getfiles_example.adpro This program is an example of using the new GETFILES ARexx command. GETFILES is like GETFILE in that it brings up the file requester, but GETFILES allows the user to select multiple files at one time. This ARexx program will ask you to select multiple files and then steps through your selections. last_loaded.adpro This program makes use of the new LAST_LOADED_IMAGE command to tell you the name of the file you last loaded. locate-adpro.adpro This program is an example of how you might START ADPro from ARexx if you discovered it wasn't running at the time your own ARexx program began executing. make-hame.adpro This program automates the special handling of creating 8 bit-plane HAM images for the BBS HAM-E. scaletoaspect.adpro This program is in answer to those many people who wanted an automatic way to scale to a specific pixel aspect. As long as the pixel aspect of your image data is set correctly in the first place, this ARexx program figures out how to scale the image to the aspect you want. For example, suppose you scanned an image (from a 1:1 pixel aspect scanner) and you want to scale the image for display in a hi-res interlaced screen. Simply tell this program you want a 22 to 26 image (when it asks you) and it handles the rest. DPI Tools See the next section for a description of CHECKDPI.adpro, ReDPI.adpro and ZAPDPI.adpro. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ZapDPI Summary: ProPage 2.0 and later crashes on IFF files saved by ADPro 2.0. This is a short term work-around (ProPage 3.0 has this problem fixed). With ADPro 2.0.0, ASDG began using an IFF chunk called ``DPI'' to store resolution information. This chunk is an endorsed part of the IFF standard and was part of the IFF definition published by Commodore at the 1991 Developer's Conference. Unfortunately, GoldDisk Incorporated, makers of Professional Page had been using their own proprietary chunk also called DPI which they did not register with Commodore. Since the chunks are named the same, Professional Page will attempt to use the DPI information ADPro writes in its IFF files and, as a result, will crash (it tries to divide by zero). Gold Disk has been informed and recognizes their error. Future Professional Page versions will be fixed. In the short term, you can use ZapDPI to remove and restore our DPI chunks from IFF files written by ADPro 2.0. The installation program on this disk will install ZapDPI if you want it. From ADPro (if you own ARexx) you can run ZapDPI.adpro to remove DPI chunks. Or run ReDPI.adpro to put DPI chunks back in to IFF files saved by ADPro 2.0. Finally, you can run CheckDPI.adpro to find out if a given file has a DPI chunk or not. From the CLI you can remove DPI chunks using the -dpi command line option. To put DPI chunks back in, you use the -DPI command line option. To check a file use the -c command line option. From the WorkBench, ZapDPI will let you inspect each selected file and act on each individually. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's On Disk 3? If you are installing ADPro for the first time, you won't need disk 3. It contains patches for older optional expansion products like scanner controllers or the Pro Conversion Pack. ADPro Serial Number: QUARTEX!