Topic : Documentation for Thing
Author : Arno Welzel/Thomas Binder/TransAction
Version : thing.hyp 1.27E (23/8/1998)
Subject : Documentation/Shells
Nodes : 269
Index Size : 6336
HCP-Version : 4
Compiled on : Atari
@charset : atarist
@lang :
@default : %I
@help : %Hilfe
@options : +g -i -s +y +zz -t4 -d10
@width : 75
@hostname : THING
View Ref-FileFile formats - Object groups Thing
For each object group a separate file with the extender '.GRP' is created.
Besides the objects contained in the group the following information is
stored:
- A descriptive title for the group window
- The position and size of the group window
- Display as icon or text
- Options and parent object
The contents of a group file is built up in a similar manner to other
Thing configuration files.
Group file (*.GRP) structure:
- Blank lines are ignored by Thing
- Lines preceded with a '#' character are ignored by Thing
- The maximum line length must not exceed 510 characters
- Each entry consists of a four character keyword at the start of the
line followed by the relevant details.
In contrast to the other THING configuration files, one can rely on the
structure of the group files remaining compatible with future Thing
versions. However extensions (new entries) are possible and in Version
1.2x compared to 1.0x are in fact present! If groups created by a newer
Thing version are opened in an older version and then saved again then
those extensions that the Thing version that opens the file does not know
about will be lost. If on the other hand an older group file is opened
with a newer Thing version, then saving with this will update the file
with the new entries if appropriate.
The first entry must contain the group title, window position etc:
INFO "<Title>" <x> <y> <w> <h> <Display> <autosave>
<Title> Group title, up to 32 characters
<x>, <y>, <w>, <h> Position and size of the window converted to a
co-ordinate system between 0/0 to 10000/10000
<Display> Display:
0 = Display as icons
1 = Display as text
<autosave> Save changes automatically:
0 = No
1 = Yes
From Thing 1.20 onwards two further settings follow:
IGTA <getattr>
<getattr> Get attributes during opening
0 = No
1 = Yes
and
IACL <autoclose>
<autoclose> Close group window automatically after opening an object
0 = No
1 = Yes
Also from Thing 1.20 onwards one can optionally specify a parent object
to be opened when the group is closed via the 'Closer' button or the
corresponding menu entry:
PRNT <parent>
<parent> Parent object, which can be:
- A file, that is opened paying regard to installed
applications
- A program, that is started with optional following
parameters
- A directory, that is opened with optional following
file mask
Then follow (optionally) specifications of the desired fonts and the
colours higher than the 16 available system colours (older Thing versions
use the colours specified here at all colour-depths):
FONT <ID> <Size> <Text> <Background>
<ID> Font-ID (system font is always 1)
<Size> Font-size in points (system font is 10 by default)
<Text> Text colour (above the 16 available system colours)
<Background> Background colour (also applies to icon display)
The colours to be used when fewer than 16 system colours are available
are specified as follows (only supported from Thing 1.20 onwards):
FCOL <Text> <Backgound>
<Text> Text colour (for less than 16 system colours)
<Background> Background colour (also applies to icon display)
From Thing 1.20 onwards a background pattern is also supported:
BPAT <pattern> <pattern16>
<pattern> Background pattern for less than 16 available system
colours
0 = Empty (clear)
...
7 = Full (solid)
<pattern16> Ditto, from 16 available system colours upwards
File objects follow this format:
OFIL "<Title>" <file> "<Parameter>"
<Title> Descriptive title, up to 32 characters
<File> Filename
<Parameter> Command line parameter/s for program
Folder objects follow this format:
OFLD "<Title>" <Path> "<Wildcard>"
<Title> Descriptive title, up to 32 characters
<Path> Folder name - must be terminated with a trailing '\'!
<Wildcard> File mask, or '*' for 'all files'
From Thing 1.25 onwards an object entry can be followed by a line with
object options:
OOPT <Drag&Drop> 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
<Drag&Drop> Corresponds to the 'Pass also with Drag&Drop' setting
for (executable) files in a group, and has no meaning
for folders.
0 = No
1 = Yes
All other values are reserved for future options and must be set to
zero at present.
If a group entry is not followed by an 'OOPT' line, Thing behaves as if
one completely filled with zeros was present.
Objects are displayed in the group window in the order they are listed
in the '*.GRP' file. Unless an absolute path is specified for file and
folder names Thing uses the group file path.
Some 'special' options are possible, for example '..\readme' and similar
are allowed, and the file mask can be dropped, i.e. for <Wildcard> one
can specify "".
To enable saving of 'special' characters (not letters or numbers)
and quotation marks in titles and parameters, certain ASCII values
are coded in a particular way. Special control sequences are used
instead of individual characters (these are not valid for file or
path names, which have to be 'quote'd following the usual rules!:)
ASCII 1 ... 31 as "@01" ... "@31"
Quotation marks (") as "@34"
At character (@) as "@64"
One should take note of this when creating one's own programs that
generate group files!
Thing can also open group files if the name of the group file is
passed via an AV_START or AV_STARTPROG message. This means other
programs could also build groups and pass them on to Thing.