Document Videomaxe 04.10 documentation VideoMaxe 04.10 © Stephan Sürken 1993 0. Important 0.1. Copyright & legal stuff VideoMaxe 04.XX is © Stephan Sürken 1993. CCode 01.XX is © Stephan Sürken 1993. Text2Guide 01.XX is © Stephan Sürken 1993. VMConvert 01.XX is © Stephan Sürken 1993. The whole package is SHAREWARE, that means you may copy it freely but if you really use it (and want to decode the full version :-), you should send me a donation (see `Decode Full version`). Note the following: o If you copy it, you _must_ copy the whole original archive. o You may include this copy on any Public Domain Series, but you _must_not_ include it on any disk that is selled for more than 5 US Dollar [16.04.1993] (or an equivalent in other currencies). o The program must neither be used nor copied by any right wing organisations or persons. 0.2. Decode the full version There are two different VideoMaxe programs included in this archive, namely `VideoMaxe _light`, the unencoded `light` version of VideoMaxe, and `VideoMaxe `, the encoded full version. You can work with the `light` version properly, as it includes (nearly) all possibilities of VideoMaxe 03.24 and much more :-). To be able to decode the full version, you must have a password. You can obtain that password by sending me the shareware-donation of 30,- Deutsche Mark or 20,- US Dollar. Practically, the procedure should be like this: o Case 1: You have access to EMail. -> Send me a EMail including your full name (and email address), indicating that you want to get the password. Simultaneously transmit the money to my bank account; take care to identify yourself sufficiently, so that I can find out who send me the money. Then, I will email you the password you need to decode the full version. o Case 2: You have no access to EMail. -> Send me a standard letter including an sufficiently stamped return-envelope. Include the money into that letter or transmit it to my bank account. I will then return the envelope with the password. See for addresses. If you finally got the password, goto a shell and type VM:Tools/CCode VM:VideoMaxe.code VM:VideoMaxe Decode This will ask you for the password (if so, type it!). After that, the file VM:VideoMaxe.code will be decoded; this may take several minutes and you can`t abort it. Note that this will overwrite the light version VM:VideoMaxe, so copy it before if you want to keep it. 0.3. Rise from VideoMaxe 03.XX to 04.XX If you have used VideoMaxe 03.XX, you must update your project and your `Treiber`-files. To do that, the cli-program `VMConvert` is included in `VM:Tools`. This version can convert VideMaxe 03.XX projects and VideoMaxe 03.XX `Treiber`-files to the new format. Go into a Shell and type VM:Tools/VMConvert V3XXProject to convert an old project file or type VM:Tools/VMConvert V3XXVRec to transform an old video recorder file (in 03.XX these files resided in VM:Treiber...). Type `VM:VMConvert ?` to see VMConvert`s syntax. 0.4. Release Notes Release: VideoMaxe 04.10 o The whole release has been done in a hurry, so please don`t blame me if there are many things undocumented or missing. I nevertheless hope you fin your way through. o There is no proper documentation yet. As this is so, I have included the documentation for VideoMaxe 03.11 (VM:Docs/VM0311.doc). Note that this is in no way a documentation for VideoMaxe 04.XX. It is only included to confuse you ;,). o Be careful with the print routines as they are hastily converted from version 03.24, just to provide them. Better save project before start printing. o In some windows string/integer gadget contents are taken only if a IDCMP-GadgetUp arrives at the window (TAB or ENTER). So better press these keys in the gadgets after changing its contents to make sure. 1. Installation 1.1. Requirements To be able to run (this version of) VideoMaxe on your computer you must have any Amiga with KS 2.04+ and WB 2.1+. o Files absolutely needed to run VideoMaxe: * the program file "VideoMaxe" anywhere on disk 1.2. Configuration Support Though you can run VideoMaxe only with the file "VideoMaxe" copied anywhere to your (hard) disk, I strongly advice you to use the logical device "VM:". If you do not, however, you will have click away several requesters on every startup of VideoMaxe (but perhaps you like that). There are several other files/dirs VideoMaxe works with, but these can be adjusted in the VideoMaxe preferences. o Assigns/Dirs/Files supported VideoMaxe: * "VM:", logical device. If not present, "VM:" will be assigned to the current directory on startup. * "VM:Config", directory. If non-existent, it will be created. * "VM:Config/VM.prefs", file. VideoMaxe preferences to load on every startup (of VideoMaxe). * "VM:Config/LO.prefs", file. Layout preferences to load on every startup (of VideoMaxe). * "VM:Config/MaskListIcon.info". Icon used for masklist files. * "VM:Config/ProjectIcon.info". Icon used for project files. * "VM:Config/PrinterPrefsIcon.info". Icon used for printer-prefs files. * "VM:Config/VideoRecorderIcon.info". Icon used for video recorder files. * "VM:Config/VideoMaxePrefsIcon.info". Icon used for videomaxe prefs files. * "VM:Config/LayoutPrefsIcon.info". Icon used for layout prefs files. * "Locale:Catalogs//VideoMaxe.catalog" or "CD/Catalogs//VideoMaxe.catalog" with CD being the current directory on startup of VideoMaxe. 1.3. Accomplish installation With the two chapters above you can install VideoMaxe on your (hard) disk on your own. To simplify it, copy the whole VideoMaxe directory to a preferred position on your (hard) disk. Assign "VM:" in your startup-sequence or simply double-click on `AssignVM` in the copied VideoMaxe directory. Then open a shell and perform the convertions from 03.24 to 04.10, if you have worked with VideoMaxe before. Put the converted project(s) into "VM:Projects" and the converted video recorder file(s) into "VM:VideoRecorder". 2. Introduction What is VideoMaxe? ------------------ VideoMaxe is THE Video Organizer for the Amiga. It satifies all needs of the private video user, its multiple functions are numberless (did I forget to say that it is the best program ever written?). o Full OS 2.1 support (Localization (English, German up to now), Asl, fonts, app. icon, etc.). o Saves different Screen-Layout (screen mode, fonts, window sizes etc.). o Runtime gadget recalculation. o _NO_ limitations whatsoever concerning amount of titles, rubrics, tapes (or whatever:+) except for your ram space. o Supports any kind of compression (LongPlay etc.). o A freely editable mask entry list for each tape and title; that means that you can carry as much additionally information as you wish per tape or title (three data types up to now: Number, Text, On/Off). Provides a mask system to handle that. o VideoMaxe 4.00 gives the final solution to the question where to record a new title. o No matter what video recorder you have: VideoMaxe shows rest time, used time or the counter of your video recorder to let you access to a title. Last mentioned is useful if you have a video recorder without a real-time indicator (or the goal-spooling is available with the counter only); you can then freely create a fitting counter-function. o Title length are given in minutes AND seconds to be able to cover rather short titles (e.g. music). o Comfortable search routines o Printing o etc... 3. Documentation 3.1. General VideoMaxe is window-oriented and modularized. That means that you normally manipulate a certain amount of data in a window, encapsulated from the rest. For any such window, there are standard gadgets that generally mean the same. o Standard Gadgets manupulating an item OK : Push the data as it is into action. Delete : Delete the item whose data is being shown. Cancel : Leave the window with exactly the situation as it has been before opening it. Equivalent to `WindowClose`. o Standard Gadgets manupulating a list of items OK : Push the data as it is into action. New : Create a new list item. Edit : Edit the active list item. Empty : Empty the list (Length(list) = 0). Cancel : Leave the window with exactly the situation as it has been before opening it. Equivalent to `WindowClose` (except window `Project list`). Note that to be able to `Cancel`, the window must operate on a copy of the data. So, if you are not able to `Cancel` (as the button is ghosted), the data has not been copied. This is, for example, the case with the Window `Project` if you put off `Copy Project?` in the VideoMaxe preferences. This is useful, as the copying of a big project might take a long time. Every window might have a menu as well. Push the right mouse button to see it. o File Accesses: `Load` will always load a file with a fixed name. `Save` will always save a file to a fixed name. `Open` will open a file requester and let you choose a file to load. `Save as` will open a file requester and let you choose a filename to save to. 3.1. VideoMaxe Preferences SORRY, no docs for that yet. 3.2. Layout Preferences SORRY, no docs for that yet. 3.3. Mask list 3.3. Printer preferences SORRY, no docs for that yet. 3.4. Video recorder SORRY, no docs for that yet. 3.5. Project SORRY, no docs for that yet. 4. Bugs +() = Bug number is not yet fixed -() = Bug number is fixed in current version 4.1. -(1) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Everywhere Situation : More than one window is open Error : The IDCMP-Port of the unactive window is not blocked OK since version: Notes : This isn`t really a `bug`, I simply haven`t implemented that yet. So watch out if VideoMaxe does not react... 4.2. -(2) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Reopening VideoMaxe (from iconification) Situation : Not enough free (chip) ram available Error : VideoMaxe will assert (so all previously loaded (and perhaps changed) projects will be lost) OK since version: Notes : 4.3. -(3) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Save project Situation : A loaded project`s path+filename is longer than 80 chars and you select the menu item `Save` Error : The complete filename will be cut off and the project will be tried to save to that wrong name; this might cause an error (that`s the best case) or the project might be saved to that wrong name. This latter behaviour is _VERY_ ugly, as it may overwrite (without further request) an already existing file that coincidentially has exactly this name... OK since version: Notes : Fortunately, the worst case situation described above is not very probable 4.4. -(4) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Project Situation : Use one of the special mask operations Error : VideoMaxe does not recognize the project to be changed OK since version: Notes : 4.5. -(5) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Project Situation : Change the active list via the mx-gadget while there is no active title Error : VideoMaxe will not refresh the spool information even if the selection of the new list provides an active title OK since version: Notes : 4.6. -(6) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Main Situation : Starting up VideoMaxe Error : First, the about information is shown and then the args are loaded; this should be the other way round OK since version: Notes : 4.7. -(7) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Copied Title Situation : The title editor starts with the advice to to copy a title Error : ALL informations are copied while is is very unuseful to copy the date information; it should have the value of the current time OK since version: Notes : I will add the pre-text `Copy of ` to the name of the title as well (and will think about other values useful to copy or not) 4.8. -(8) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Everywhere Situation : Closing a window Error : In this situation VideoMaxe should get both the normal window sizes & the zoomed window sizes. Somehow this goes astray. OK since version: Notes : 4.9. +(9) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Everywhere Situation : Intuition`s window refresh (caused by window size change) Error : After this operation the window will refresh its frame each time the right mouse button is pressed OK since version: Notes : This can be _very_ annoying if you have more of those windows, as the refreshing steals your time. Obviously my refreshing procedure is innocent, so why is this??? 4.10. +(10) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Everywhere Situation : You`ve choosed a proportional gadget font in the layout preferences Error : The gadget real time calculations will be (slightly) wrong OK since version: Notes : Until this bug is fixed, I leave it open to you to choose a proportional gadget font. Perhaps you find one that will do... 4.11. -(11) In version : 4.00_beta (08.03.93) Location : Project list -> Project Situation : Ram-Cloning a project Error : Titles are inserted in alphabetical order. As the titles are managed in a binary tree as well (and I haven`t implemented AVL-Trees...), the tree of the cloned project becomes a linear list. Employing the recursive search procs (and these are used in the copying routine itself) then very likely leads to a stack overflow error... OK since version: Notes : The titles are now inserted according to the tape title lists as it should be (and is handled saving projects). Thus, I hope to have the best chance to get an more or less balanced tree. 5. Thanks to... Jens Stumpe for painting the title picture. Jo Heinrich for his unevaluateable support. Martin Heitz for his open admiration for the program. Wim Unmut for his name. 6. The Author The author is me and I am the author. Address: -------- Stephan Sürken Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 34 A 161 W-6750 Kaiserslautern (after 01 Jul 1993: 67663 Kaiserslautern) Federal Republic of Germany EMail: ------ s_suerke@informatik.uni-kl.de Bank Account: ------------- Stadtsparkasse Kaiserslautern, FRG BLZ: 540 501 10 identy of bank in germany KTO: 128 029 758 number of my bank account