[Operating System AmigaDOS ARexx System Tools Utilities]

Utilities

AmigaGuide

AmigaGuide is a hypertext reader for help documents. Using embedded codes in text, AmigaGuide readers can display text with gadgets and links to other documents. This allows quick and easy access to information in a logical format. AmigaGuide is very similar to HTML and other hypertext languages.

Clock

This program displays the Amiga's system time in a window. This time may be represented using a standard analog clock or a digital time format, using either 12 hour or 24 hour time. The clock also contains an alarm which may be set using the menu items. The date may also be displayed. The following Tool Types are supported by Clock.

DONOTWAIT

Specifies that the WBStartup drawer is not to wait for Clock to complete loading before loading another file in the WBStartup drawer.

DIGITAL

Displays the current time and date in numerical format. A small draggable title bar is used.

SECONDS

Displays the number of seconds of the current time.

DATE

Displays the current date.

LEFT=0

Specifies the coordinates of the left border of the Clock window from the left edge of the screen.

TOP=0

Specifies the coordinates of the top border of the Clock window from the top edge of the screen.

FORMAT=0

Specifies the format to display the time in. The format may be displayed in any of the following ways:

24:00 24 hour time with no seconds.

12:00 PM 12 hour time with no seconds.

24:00:00 24 hour time with seconds.

12:00:00 PM 12 hour time with seconds.

Display

This program is used to display IFF ILBM images. Images are displayed in a separate screen, so as to allow images of different resolutions and palettes than the Workbench to be displayed on Workbench 2.x machines, or those that are not equipped with a Workbench capable of more than 16 colors.

When double clicked from the Workbench, this program opens a standard ASL requester that allows you to select a file to be read. More is unique in that it pauses between each page of text as it is displayed in the window, CLI, or Shell. The status line at the bottom of the window displays the percentage of the file that has already been displayed. This program is similar to the More program available on UNIX systems. The following keyboard commands are supported:

SPACEBAR

Advances to the next available page.

BACKSPACE

Displays the previously shown page.

RETURN

Advances to the next available line of text.

CTRL-L

Refreshes the text currently being displayed.

CTRL-C

Breaks the program and closes the text file.

SHIFT-E

Edits the file using the editor defined in an environmental variable.

<

Displays the first page of text in the file.

>

Displays the last page of text in the file.

%x

Displays the page located at the x percentage of the file.

/

Searches for the next occurance of specified text. Text may be added immediately after the slash mark. Searches are case sensitive.

.

Searches for the next occurance of specified text. Text may be added immediately after the period. Searches are case insensitive.

N

Searches for the next occurance of text specified using either of the preceeding commands.

H

Displays a list of supported commands.

Q

Breaks the program and closes the text file.

MultiView

This Workbench 3.0 utility is used in conjunction with DataTypes in order to gain access to special data files. This permits viewing graphical images, hearing audio samples, and reading text files. In order for a particular type of file to be accepted, it must have a compatible DataType accessible to the system.

Graphical DataTypes include ILBM, GIF, and JPEG. These allow viewing of single frame images using either the AmigaShell, an ASL requester, or by setting the Tool Type of the image to use MultiView. MultiView will scan all available DataTypes to find a compatible format. Other graphical DataTypes include CDXL and ANIM, which allow the viewing of animations and movies.

Text DataTypes include AmigaGuide, FTXT, and ASCII. These allow text files to by viewed using a variety of readers and formats. For example the AmigaGuide DataType is capable of reading AORM and understanding the control codes embedded within the file. If you were to read AORM using the ASCII DataType, you would have one large page of hypertext that would take a long time to scan for information!

Other DataTypes include 8SVX for listening to audio samples. In the future, more DataTypes will be available for various types of data to be understood. While some DataTypes are include with Workbench 3.0, others are only available in the public domain.

The ToolTypes understood by the MultiView program include the following.

CLIPUNIT

Specifies the unit number of the clipboard device to be used.

CLIPBOARD

Specifies that the Clipboard device is to be supported.

SCREEN

Specifices that MultiView is to be opened on its own private custom screen as opposed to the default public screen or Workbench.

PUBSCREEN

Specifies the name of a desired public screen for MultiView to open on.

FONTSIZE=

Specifies the size of the font to be used.

FONTNAME=

Specifies the name of the font to be used.

BACKDROP

Specifies that MultiView items will be viewable on the screen's backdrop.

WINDOW

Specifies that MultiView items will be viewable in a window.

Say

This utility is used to produce speech using the Amiga's Narrator device. This is done by typing words or sentences into the Say window, or by passing them from the CLI or Shell. Upon pressing RETURN, the words will be spoken by the system as best as possible. In come cases, such as with foreign words, pronunciation will not be accurate unless words are spelled differently to accomodate from variances in the language. Appriopriate Narrator device are available for different languages.

The following Tool Types are supported.

-M

Pronounce using a male voice.

-F

Pronounce using a female voice.

-R

Pronounce using a robotic voice.

-N

Pronounce using a natural voice.

-P

Specifies the pitch of the speech. Values may range from 64 to 320.

-S

Specifies the speed of the speech. Values may range from 40 to 400.

WDisplay

This program is the upgrade to an older program called Display. This is used to display IFF ILBM images in a window on the Workbench. This program also has the ability to scale images.