randy@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (Randy Weiner) (05/09/86)
In article <327@ethz.UUCP> claudio@ethz.UUCP (Claudio Nieder) writes: >I think it is funny (?) that this sort of (non-)directory is implemented >on a machine like the Amiga where most program will implement an OPEN >command which shows up the directory so that you can select which file >you need. On a UNIX or MSDOS computer you are free to type in the >filename if you already know it, and you don't have to wait for the >directory. On Window/Mouse-oriented programs on the Amiga you have to >wait until the OPEN command has collected all filenames. Therefor I >think the actual implementation of the file system (directory) is >unapropriate for the Amiga. > > claudio The implementation of the OPEN operation in various programs does not require that all files in a directory be listed before selecting a file. This feature is a result of how the programmer has written the code. It would be just as easy for the program to have a menu option that lets you either OPEN (with a resultant list of all files) or OPEN AS which then requests the user for a filename. -- + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Randy Weiner -- Commodore Business Machines <<Amiga Technical Support>> uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|caip}!cbmvax!randy arpa: cbmvax!randy@seismo.css.GOV (or) randy@cbmvax.UUCP@{seismo | harvard} TEL: 215-431-9180
peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (05/15/86)
> The implementation of the OPEN operation in various programs > does not require that all files in a directory be listed before > selecting a file. This feature is a result of how the programmer > has written the code. It would be just as easy for the program > to have a menu option that lets you either OPEN (with a resultant > list of all files) or OPEN AS which then requests the user for a > filename. Actually neither OPEN nor OPEN AS are appropriate for a window-oriented user interface. What you need to be able to do is grab a file from the workbench and drop it into the program window. You should also be able to pick up a file and drop it into a program icon to start the program with that icon as "input". To do this you would need only (only?) add a new message "new file" to go along with "resize" and other windowing messages. When the program gets that message it can put up a requestor asking whether you really mean to discard the old file (presuming it can only deal with one file at a time) if there is one and then open the new one. This would also provide a hell of an incentive for people who write software for this beast to write well-behaved workbench programs (at least they'd have to open one window in the WB even if they used their own screen) instead of PC-ware. How about it, C=Amiga? -- -- Peter da Silva -- UUCP: ...!shell!{baylor,graffiti}!peter; MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076
daveh@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (Dave Haynie) (05/21/86)
In article <653@baylor.UUCP> peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: >Actually neither OPEN nor OPEN AS are appropriate for a window-oriented >user interface. What you need to be able to do is grab a file from the >workbench and drop it into the program window. You should also be able to >pick up a file and drop it into a program icon to start the program with >that icon as "input". That's already available on the Amiga, its just that lots of programmers aren't using it. What you described is called extended icon select, or something like that. What you do is select a series of icons while holding down the shift key. Intuition doesn't automatically unselect an icon when the next one's selected when the shift key is held down. Anyway, the last thing you do is double-click on the program icon. Intuition passes a reference structure that contains a list of file handles to each of the selected icons; this is essentially the window based analog to passing on the command line. -- Dave Haynie {caip,inhp4,allegra,seismo}!cbmvax!daveh "There, beyond the bounds of your weak imagination Lie the noble towers of my city, bright and gold" -Genesis