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-FileProtocols, Thing internal                                             Thing

This protocol was developed so Thing can communicate with tools specially 
developed  or adapted for it (Thing Icon Manager, Alice etc.) and uses the 
AES-message THING_CMD (0x46ff). Even if most messages are presumably of 
little interest for user's own applications, they are documented here for 
the sake of completeness:

This message is constructed as follow:

  Word 0:   THING_CMD (0x46ff)
  Word 1:   ID of the sender
  Word 2:   Always 0
  Word 3:   Command
  Word 4-7: Depending on command

The following commands are currently understood by Thing :

 AT_ILOAD (0x0001)

   Thing reloads the icons (ICONS.RSC, ICONS.INF). This corresponds 
   to the 'Load icons...' option in the 'Extra' menu. In a multitasking 
   environment this message will be used by the Thing Icon Manager 
   if the icon assignments have changed. All other programs that edit icons 
   can also use this message.

   Parameters: None

 AT_WINICONIFY (0x1000)

   If 'Alice' (All Iconify Enabler) is used to iconify Thing windows,
   Thing searches for a suitable icon with the help of its own icon 
   assignments, constructs a small object tree and takes on the window 
   redraw for Alice -- Alice subsequently refers all WM_REDRAW messages 
   to Thing.

   Parameters: Word 4+5: Pointer to the program names without path
               Word 6: Window handle
               Word 7: Reserved, always 0

   Theoretically 'normal' programs can also use this mechanism:

   1. Iconify window
   2. Send Thing AT_WINICONIFY
   3. Pass on all WM_REDRAW-Messages for the relevant window unchanged 
      to Thing

   It's important that the buffer for the program name, as with the 
   AV Protocol, is allocated as 'global' (due to possible memory 
   protection) and should remain readable for at least several hundred 
   milliseconds.

   So long as Thing is active (and so can be found via appl_find() ), one 
   can be sure that the above procedure will work -- even if Thing is 
   currently displaying an alert or copying files etc.

   It is conceivable that a program gives as 'programname' the name of the 
   file that is being displayed in the window (for text editors etc.); 
   in that case the iconified file window would contain the same icon as 
   the files in Thing directory windows!

 AT_UNICONIFY (0x1001)

   Counterpart to AT_WINICONIFY -- Thing releases the memory used to 
   generate the icon object tree. Where possible this message should be 
   sent before restoring an iconified window or closing a window!

   Parameters: Word 4:   Window handle
               Word 5-7: Reserved, always 0

 AT_JOB (0x7fff)

   Internal Thing command -- not intended for user's own applications.

   Parameters: Word 4:   Job-ID
               Word 5:   Check bytes
               Word 6-7: Reserved, always 0