1. About DOSPrefs DOSPrefs is a small commodity with three functions: 1. Control the "Wildstar"-flag of the Amiga OS 2.0+ dos.library. 2. Control the "Noclick"-flags of the Amiga OS 2.0+ trackdisk.device. 3. Provide an all new "Unixdirs"-feature. These functions can be controlled when DOSPrefs is started by Tooltypes, or at runtime by Intuition(tm)-menus. Furthermore, DOSPrefs is localized, using the locale.library* (requiring Workbench 2.1+) to adapt to your prefered language, and provides a context- sensitive help system with AmigaGuide(tm) (requiring amigaguide.library V34+). (Simply press "Help" !) * currently, catalog and amigaguide help files for the following languages are included: english (catalog built in) deutsch If you want, you can help me to provide support for additional languages. All you have to do is fill in the empty catalog source file DOSPrefs.ct and translate the helpfile catalogs/english/DOSPrefs.guide (note: you must not translate the @node names !!), and mail them to me (see below for my addresses). I will include them in the next release. 2. Requirements DOSPrefs requires at least Kickstart 2.04. To be more exact, the following libraries are needed: exec.library V37 dos.library V37 commodities.library V37 icon.library V37 utility.library V37 intuition.library V37 gadtools.library V37 graphics.library V37 locale.library V38* amigaguide.library V34* *: optional 3. Installation If you have the C= Installer program, simply double-click on the Install-DOSPref Icon to start the installation. If you do not have the installer, this is what you have to do: copy DOSPrefs SYS:WBStartup clone copy DOSPrefs.info SYS:WBStartup clone copy catalogs LOCALE:catalogs all clone ; if you have WB 2.1 + copy help HELP: all clone ; if you have amigaguide You may of course opt to install catalogs and helpfiles for only some of the provided languages. NOTE: If you have AmigaGuide, DOSPrefs needs a HELP: assign. The standard for this assign is the directory locale:help. 4. Tooltypes When DOSPrefs is started from the Workbench(tm), it evaluates the tooltypes of its icon; when it is started from the CLI, it evaluates the commandline arguments (the recognized Parameters are in both cases the same). The parameters recognized by DOSPrefs are summarized in the following template: CX_PRIORITY/N/K,CX_POPKEY/K,CX_POPUP/K,PUBSCREEN/K,WILDSTAR/K,UNIXDIRS/K, NOCLICK/K CX_PRIORITY (default: 0): This is the priority for the commodities event handling mechanism. CX_POPKEY (default: lalt d): This is the hotkey that causes DOSPrefs to show its interface. (By the way: starting DOSPrefs a second time will have the same effect as pressing the hot key; the first DOSPrefs will pop up and the second will terminate immediately.) CX_POPUP (default: yes): This determines, if DOSPrefs is to show its interface on program startup. PUBSCREEN (no default): This is the name of the public screen on which DOSPrefs is to open its interface. If this parameter is not specified or the given screen cannot be found, DOSPrefs opens its interface on the default public screen. WILDSTAR (default: yes): This determines, if DOSPrefs is to set the wildstar flag of the dos.library on startup. UNIXDIRS (default: yes): This determines, if DOSPrefs is to install the unixdirs-patch on startup. NOCLICK (no default): This determines, for which floppy drives DOSPrefs sets the noclick-flags on startup. You have to list the drives seperated by "|"s, e.g. "DF1:", "DF0:|DF1:|DF2:". CAUTION: If an empty drive clicks even if you have set the noclick flag for this drive, unset the flag immediately. Your disk drive may be damaged otherwise. 5. Menus DOSPrefs has the following Menu-structure (using the english language): Project Settings Enable WildStar Disable UnixDirs Hide NoClick About DF0: Quit DF1: DF2: DF3: 5.1 The Project Menu "Enable" brings DOSPrefs to the active state. If it is already active, the "Enable" item is ghosted. "Disable" brings DOSPrefs to the inactive state, if possible. If it is already inactive, the "Disable" item is ghosted. This operation may fail if the "unixdirs"-patch cannot be undone. "Hide" hides the user interface of DOSPrefs. (Clicking on the closegadget has the same effect.) To make the interface visible again, press the hot key or use the commodities exchange program. "About" shows a nice, short copyright message. ;-) "Quit" terminates DOSPrefs, if possible. This may fail if the "unixdirs"-patch cannot be undone. 5.2 The Settings Menu 5.2.1 The WildStar Item "WildStar" toggles the wildstar-flag of the dos.library. If the flag is set, "*" will be recognized as an abbreviation for "#?" in search patterns. 5.2.2 The UnixDirs Item "UnixDirs" enables the unixdirs-patch of the dos.library. What does this patch do ? It allows the use of the special directory names ".." and "." like under UNIX (thus the name of the function). ".." represents the parent-directory of the current directory (like "/"). So "../blabla" is identical to "/blabla", etc. "." is the current directory. Thus you can say "copy ../blabla/*.c .". NOTE: Due to the nature of library patches, it may not be possible to unpatch the dos.library, because a) the patched functions are in use or b) someone has patched again some of the patched functions after DOSPrefs. DOSPrefs will detect these conditions and put up a requester allowing you to try again to unpatch the dos.library or canceling the operation. Here is an alphabetic list of the patched library funtions: AssignLate AssignPath CreateDir DeleteFile GetDeviceProc LoadSeg Lock MakeLink NewLoadSeg Open Rename SetComment SetFileDate SetOwner* SetProtection * V39 dos.library funtion NOTE: In version 1.0, DOSPrefs patched some more functions. This was not a good idea - it could caused weird problems when I improved the string conversion routine. 5.2.3 The NoClick SubMenu The "NoClick" item has four subitems labeled "DF0:" to "DF3:", that allow you to set the noclick-flag individually for each of your disk drives. If a disk drive does not exist, its subitem is disabled. CAUTION: If an empty drive clicks even if you have set the noclick flag for this drive, unset the flag immediately. Your disk drive may be damaged otherwise. 6. Licence DOSPrefs is Freeware. You may freely redistribute the complete, unchanged archive. You may not change any of the files or distribute an incomplete version of the archive. (Of course, you may change ToolTypes in the .info files. :-)) You may not add files to the archive, except ony .displayme - file with your mailbox-logo if - and only if - you have the archive freely available for download. You may charge no more than DM 5,- (or US $3) for a disk containing DOSPrefs. (Fred Fish is exempt from this rule.) DOSPrefs may also be distributed on CD-ROM (if the price is below US $50). 7. Disclaimer & Warranty THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAMS, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAMS "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAMS IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAMS PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAMS AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAMS (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAMS TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. There is no warranty at all. Use at your own risk. 8. Bug Reports Report bugs & improvement suggestions to: SnailMail: Norbert Püschel Am Turm 6 53572 Unkel Germany or EMail: nobbi@zaphod.rhein.de (Internet) 2:2453/30.14 (FidoNet) 21:100/50.14 (GerNet) 53:228/107.14 (BonNet) 9. Credits Thanks to the TrapDoor-Team for the disclaimer I shamelessly copied from them. ;-) 10. Version History 1.0 (.07.93) - first public release 1.1 (.03.94) - reduced number of patched functions. Some patches were superfluous, some even potentially dangerous. - improved string conversion routine. Now, the strings are no longer patched "in place" but copied & converted onto the stack.