ConvertSID.rexx V1.0b 

Please read the entire .readme file before using this script! (I know
its tough but you can do it. :-)

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WHAT IS IT?
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Its an automated arexx script that allows you to convert lots of
those "pre-ripped" C64 tunes that have those icons that are required by 
PlaySID V3.0 by Per Håkan Sundell & Ron Birk into the "one file" format.
This way you can convert hundreds of files in a matter of a few minutes
and not have to do it all by hand!  

I wrote this mainly for myself, but I figured there must be a few other
people that might find this handy.  

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WHAT DO I NEED TO RUN IT?
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Arexx software (should have it if you have WB 2.0+)
PlaySID V3.0 in SID: (found here on aminet where this file came from)
rexxsupport.library in LIBS:

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HOW DO I USE IT?
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First there are 2 rules you need to follow:

1) The script will ask you for a destination directory where the converted
   files will go.  You need to make sure that you specify a path that does
   not end in a ":".  Such as "RAM:" or "Music:".  Allowing this would have
   required extra code to check for paths with and without a colon (so I
   would know whether or not to append a "/" to the pathname when writing
   out files) so I was lazy and assumed that a device (eg ram:) and a
   directory would be specified (eg ram:Stuff).

2) The ONLY icons allowed in the source directory where all the "ripped"
   music is located is the ones for the music.  Since the script searches
   for files with the extension ".info", the script has no way of
   distinguishing between a music icon and say, a disk icon.


Also, you will need to assign SID: to wherever PlaySID V3.0 has been
installed.  The script will make use of the file: "SIDConv" 

If AREXX is not currently running, you need to start it.  Go into your
SYSTEM directory of your WB disk and click on "RexxMast".  

Open a shell window and type the following:
path sys:rexxc

This tells the shell where we will find the RX command (the one used to
execute arexx scripts).

Now CD into the directory containing the "ripped" music files.

Then enter the following:

RX <PathName>:ConvertSID.rexx

Where <PathName> is the full path where the ConvertSID.rexx is located
(such as dh0:downloads for example).

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I EXECUTE THIS SCRIPT?
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If you are wondering about your source files, this script WILL NOT 
modify your original files in any way as long as you DO NOT specify
the destination path to be the same as the source path.

When you enter the RX command as listed above, you will be prompted for
a destination path for the converted files.  Please remember the rule
mentioned at the beginning of the last section.

Once a destination has been entered, it will check to see if the chosen
path exists.  If it does not exist it will ask you if you want to create
that directory.

If the directory does exist, then conversion will continue until all
music files have been converted.

The script will search out all files ending in ".info".  It will then
merge the two files into one and save it into the specified
destination directory (via the SIDConv command).

Upon completion, you will be notified that conversion is done and how
many files were converted.

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NOW WHAT?
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Now you have a nice directory full of "ripped" sid songs nicely
compacted into one file and easily playable by PlaySID V3.0. 

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OK, WHO WROTE THIS WONDERFUL SCRIPT? :-)
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This script was written by me, David Poland, a recent graduate from the
University of Kansas in the field of Computer Science.

If you have any comments/questions/whatever, mail them to:

hawkwind@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu or,
lordj@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu

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DISCLAIMER?
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The obligatory disclaimer, like you don't know this already.  If your HD
goes nuts and spins so fast it catches fire and burns down your house
its not my fault. :-)  Use or abuse this program as you see fit.