============================================================================== Iff 2 Source V1.0 © J.Tyberghein Mon Oct 8 09:02:11 1990 ============================================================================== Preface ------- This utility converts IFF ILBM or ANIM files to C or machinelanguage source. You can of course use this source in your own programs (with the intuition function DrawImage). This program (IFF2SRC V1.0) is public domain but contributions and some utilities are always welcome. If you want to use this program for commercial purposes please write for permission ! If you have any suggestions or remarks you can write to (Bug reports are welcome too) Jorrit Tyberghein Hepmansbossen 31 2450 Meerhout BELGIUM WARNING ------- If you want to use this utility you must have AmigaDOS 2.0 (or later :-). IFF2SRC is a workbench program but you can start it from CLI if you want. Usage ----- Double click on the IFF2SRC icon. If all goes well you should get the IFF2SRC main window. You can drag and iconify this window with the usual gadgets. What do you see ? In the topleft corner we have the 'Selected files' list. At this moment it is probably empty. In this list are all the IFF files that you want to convert to source. This is one of the nice features of this program: You can select a lot of files and convert them all at once. Files starting with an asterix ('*') are files that are excluded from processing. This means that these files will not be converted to source when you press 'Start' (the button to start converting). Files are automatically excluded when they are converted with success. You can exclude and include files by clicking on the name of the file in this list (The asterix will toggle). (Selected files are also called 'marked files') The file list is sorted by name. Below the text 'Add file' is the string gadget used to add a file to the 'Selected files' list. You can use wildcards in this gadget. If, for example, you type 'sys:graphics/#?', all files in the subdirectory graphics will be added to the file list. This is the first method to add files to the file list. (Note that .info files are not added to the file list). Under the 'Add file' gadget is the 'Destination dir' gadget. If you press 'Start', all files will be converted to this directory. They will get the '.C' or '.ASM' extension. If this stringgadget is empty (default), all files are converted to the current directory. Below this gadget are two cycle gadgets. With the 'Tabs' cycle gadget you can set the tab size for the generated source. You can choose between: 1 tab (in my editor tabs are equivalent to 2 spaces), 2 tabs (this is the default), 2 spaces or 4 spaces for each line. With the 'Source' cycle gadget you can choose between C or machinelanguage. With the 'Compress' checkbox you can enable data compressing. This is not very spectacular. Instead of writing everything in hexadecimal, everything is written in decimal. This decreases the output source file size. To the right in this window are 8 buttons: - 'Add' This is the second way to add a file to the file list. When you press this button you get the standard file requester. You can select your file in this requester. When you have done this, the file will appear in the file list. Maybe a strange feature, but you can also use wildcards in this filerequester: When you are walking through the subdirectories you can suddenly decide that you want to convert all files in the current directory. Simple type '#?' in the filename gadget, and all files will be added. - 'Info' This button gives you information for all files that are not excluded (are not marked with a '*'). The 'info' window is explained below. - 'Start' This button actually does it. All files that are not excluded are converted to C or assembler. Don't forget to set your destination directory. If the 'Destination dir' gadget is empty, all files will be converted to the current directory. Note that IFF2SRC will convert IFF ILBM files with a BMHD and a BODY chunk. If there is a CMAP chunk, IFF2SRC will use it to generate some extra source (the ColorMap). If the IFF file is an ANIM, IFF2SRC will convert the first picture in this ANIM file. IFF2SRC correctly interpretes masks (like stencils from DPaint) and writes source for it as well. - 'Mark' This button marks all files. All files in the 'selected file list' are then excluded and will not take part in actions like 'Start' and 'Info'. - 'Unmark' This button unmarks (includes) all files. - 'Clr mrk' (Clear marked) This button removes all files (from the file list) that are marked. - 'Clear' This button removes all files from the file list. - 'Abort' This button is ghosted (unavailable) by default. When you select an action (like 'Start','Info','Add',...) you can abort the action with this button. Note that if you try to abort the converting action ('Start'), IFF2SRC will first continue the current file before aborting. There is still a third way to add files to the file list: You can select a bunch of icons and drop them into the IFF2SRC main window. When you have choosen 'Info' in the main window, you get the following 'Info Window' window for each not-excluded file: What do you see ? Information like the filename and path. The Width, Height and Depth (number of planes) of the image. At the right of this window you can see a small version of the IFF file. Because the workbench only has 2 bitplanes (by default), you only see two bitplanes of this picture. You can choose the bitplanes that you want to see with the cycle gadgets above the 'Stop' and 'Okay' gadgets. There are as many cycle gadgets as there are bitplanes in the workbench (if you select more bitplanes with preferences you will get more cycle gadgets). However, if the picture has less bitplanes than the workbench, you will see as many cycle gadgets as there are bitplanes in the picture. Thus, one cycle gadget corresponds with one bitplane for the workbench. Each cycle gadget can have values between 0 and the number of picture bitplanes minus one. For example, if the first cycle gadget has value 3 and the second cycle gadget has value 2, then bitplane 3 and bitplane 2 from the picture are copied to the workbench bitplanes 0 and 1. You can increase the values for these cycle gadget by clicking on them. To decrease the values press shift and click on them. If you are not sure that you understand this rather clumsy explanation you can experiment with 'TestBrush'. This brush is so constructed that you can always read which planes are on. 'Stop' gadget. When you press this gadget 'Info' will be aborted. He will not even go to the next file. It is equivalent to pressing 'Abort' in the main window and pressing 'Okay' in this window, but this is rather clumsy. 'Okay' gadget. Use this button when you have seen the information and you want to go to the next not-excluded file (if there is one). Requesters. When something goes wrong you get a requester. Some requesters only have one gadget. You have no choice but to press that gadget. There are requesters, however, with two gadgets: 'Stop' and 'Continue'. These requesters can occur after you press the 'Start' or the 'Info' button. Pressing 'Stop' causes the current action to completely abort (just like the 'Stop' button in the 'Info window'). If you press 'Continue', IFF2SRC will stop processing the current file and proceed with the next not-excluded file. ============================================================================== End of IFF2SRC 1.0 document ==============================================================================