Contents page

Introduction

    Introduction



    Inovatools 1 is a library of routines that not  only  add  features  to  the
    Intuition user interface, but make it easier to program.


    Inovatools 1 can be linked in  directly  to  C  and  Assembler  programs  or
    treated  as  an  AmigaDos  library, just like Intuition, MathTrans, etc., so
    other languages like Basic, Forth, and Modula 2 can use it.


    A quick summary of the tools:


       *  Drag Gadgets.
       This turns an Intuition Gadget that is displayed with  an  Image  into  a
       gadget that can be dragged by the user anywhere on the screen.


       *  Knobs.
       These are rotating proportional gadgets that can rotate in a full  circle
       and  baclc around again, if so desired. These are very useful for letting
       the user describe something that can turn full circle, like  a  direction
       indicator.


       *  PopUp Menus.
       This takes a standard Intuition menu strueture and displays it as a PopUp
       menu. Sub menus are supported.


       *  File Requester.
       A generic file requester that will work in any  screen.  File  names  are
       stored  in memory, so disk access is kept to a minimum. The requester can
       display files by type if required.


       *  List Display.
       These are routines for the handling  and  display  of  generic  lists.  A
       window with the list oriented from top to bottom is displayed with scroll
       gadgets on the side. The user can select items, scroll the list, add  and
       delete items. The file requester is a good example of a program that uses
       this tool. It displays the file names and the volume names as two lists.


       *  Palette Editor.
       This is a general purpose color palette editor that  will  worlc  in  any
       screen in any mode (with the obvious exception of HAM). Provides both RGB
       and HSI methods for describing a color. A good example of ICnob  gadgets,
       by the way.


       *  Intuition Tools.


       Over two dozen routines  designed  to  make  working  with  Intuition  as
       painless  as  possible. Everything from routines to set up string gadgets
       to reentrant windows.


    The next seven chapters  cover  all  of  the  tools  in  depth.  Chapter  9,
    Programming  with  Inovatools  1  covers  how to link Inovatools 1 into your
    program.


    Then, there are function summaries for all of the routines.