[net.micro.amiga] Executing programs from icons

haden@bisque.dec.com (Steven Haden) (07/29/86)

I have a got a question on Amiga-Dos.
How can I execute a program (say xx) from a icon created by the Icon-ed. 
Xx runs without any problem from CLI. I created an Icon with Icon-ed. It's  
got the name xx.info. When I double click the Icon, the Amiga crashes.
It seems I miss a link between the two files xx and xx.info.
Thanks for the help.

                              Steven

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toebes@sas.UUCP (John Toebes) (07/30/86)

In article <4457@decwrl.DEC.COM>, haden@bisque.dec.com writes:
> I have a got a question on Amiga-Dos.
> How can I execute a program (say xx) from a icon created by the Icon-ed. 
> Xx runs without any problem from CLI. I created an Icon with Icon-ed. It's  
> got the name xx.info. When I double click the Icon, the Amiga crashes.
> It seems I miss a link between the two files xx and xx.info.
> Thanks for the help.
>                               Steven
There could be two problems - one the program does not have a startup that
allows it to run from workbbench (the likely scenario) OR the ICON that you
created is not of the right TOOL type.  What you can do to first figure it out
would be to copy the CLI.INFO icon file (it is a known executable) and rename
it to whatever (xx.info) you want to run - this eliminates any confusion over
the type of tool that IconED thinks you have created (or it wants you to
create).

If this still fails, then the LIKELY problem is that the program is CLI specific
requiring EITHER to be started from CLI and incapable of receiving the startup
packet that WORKBENCH sends it to start going (Likely scenario), OR it has a
dependancy on running from CLI due to calls to Execute() or munging of known
AmigaDOS structures.  For these programs (of which there are a few) I wrote and
posted a utility called ICONEXEC which runs programs in this latter category.
I know it is available on the Fred Fish disks and should also be on the
Software Distillery BBS: (919)-471-6436
                                   -John
-- 
John A. Toebes, VIII       usenet:..mcnc!rti-sel!sas!toebes
USnail: 235 Trillingham Ln, Cary NC 27511   BBS:(919)471-6436

lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall) (07/30/86)

In article <4457@decwrl.DEC.COM> haden@bisque.dec.com (Steven Haden) writes:
> I have a got a question on Amiga-Dos.
> How can I execute a program (say xx) from a icon created by the Icon-ed.
> Xx runs without any problem from CLI. I created an Icon with Icon-ed. It's
> got the name xx.info. When I double click the Icon, the Amiga crashes.
> It seems I miss a link between the two files xx and xx.info.

I don't know what to say--I got it to work for me.  I can invoke emacs
that way.  I went one step farther and set up document files that, when
double clicked, bring up emacs.  Now, if only emacs would open the file
automatically, we'd have something.

Bring up the info menu on your icon, and make sure all the fields look right.
There's a field called (I think) "Tool" that has to have the name of the
program to execute.  Unfortunately, you apparently can't use that field to
pass any arguments.

When the workbench has a selected icon, why doesn't it just pass the name
of the file in through argv?  It seems to me that emacs would be much more
useful from the workbench if that happened.  Is there some reason it wasn't
done the easy way?  (Sorry if this is covered in the manuals--still saving
up my shekels for a set.)  Along the same line, do any of the new emacses
have workbench support?  My wife grows weary of typing ^X^F<filename>.

I must confess I am amazed at how far we've gotten by spending $0 on software.
When the house refinancing goes through, maybe we can buy something with a
little more meat on it, but we've been kept pretty happy with the public
domain stuff so far.  I haven't bought a paint program yet, but the AbasiC
program called "jpad" is nice for the kids to doodle around on.

Larry Wall
sdcrdcf!lwall