ignac@electro.UUCP (Ignac Kolenko) (12/13/89)
i've got an interesting problem that's been driving me nuts over the last
few days. i've written an accessory that uses the AES calls shel_get() and
shel_put(). both calls work fine when i compile this program as a standard
.PRG file (ie: run the program, get the AES environment using shel_get(),
monkey around with it, and restore it using shel_put().)
when i compile it as an accessory, strange things begin to happen. firstly,
if i run a gem application, say, tempus.prg, and go to the desk menu bar
entry and choose my accessory, it does the usual shel_get(), then i change
the AES environment, and save it normally using the shel_put() call. i
exit tempus.prg (or whatever application i was using) and lo and behold,
the changes i made while using my accessory in tempus.prg are visible
back in the desktop.
fine and dandy. this is to be expected. but here comes the weird behaviour.
when i'm in the desktop itself, and choose my accessory, do the shel_get(),
it gets the current desktop info no problem. now, i change things around,
(like the drive masks, etc) and save it using shel_put(). nothing
changes at all. its as if the shel_put() call did not work, even though
according to developer docs, shel_put() did NOT return an error condition.
i call my accessory again, and sure enough, it shows the old information,
not what i had edited.
according to the docs, there are NO restrictions on when and where you do
the AES calls shel_get() and shel_put(). does the AES detect that you're in
the desktop, and ignore shel_put() calls???? this is not pleasing to me
since i want to be able to change drive masks, and other desktop.inf
things that the desktop can't change itself from the desktop, but its not
letting me.
what does atari's control panel do to change the desktop.inf parameters
that it monkeys around with. i know that it at least does a shel_get
call since a trap 2 monitor i tried once showed that shel_get was called.
is there some secret communication protocol between control panel and
the desktop to update the desktop.inf information?????
what's the scoop here ken? anything illegal i'm doing?? care to divulge
the secrets behind control panel? (that's thirty million for the
contol panel secret ...) (take off of the caramilk commercial!) :-)
(btw, the accessory i'm describing is the latest revision of the registered
owner version of Quick Inf.
i might as well say that the Quick Utilities updates are now shipping, so
come on people, get your disks in for your updates!)
--
=====Ignac A. Kolenko (The Ig) watmath!watcgl!electro!ignac=====
co-author of QuickST, and the entire line of Quick Shareware!!!!
"I don't care if I don't win, 'cause I don't care if I fail"
from 'Youth Of Today' by SUBURBAN DISTORTION