[comp.windows.news] Help with user.ps

keith@sfu_css.UUCP (07/10/87)

	I am having a problems with my user.ps file when starting
	up NeWS. I have a bunch of (psterm <options>) forkunix
	lines, and sometimes it works completely, sometimes it
	doesn't fire up anything, and sometimes it just fires
	up the last one in the file. 

	My question is
		is this a known bug and is there a fix ??
	
	I am trying to basically reproduce my .suntools file, so that
	I can have a fixed startup, therefore eliminating suntools.

	We are running Sun 3.2 on a 3/260 although the problem is
	exactly the same on our 3/160's as well, so I suspect the problem
	is within news_server itself.

		Keith Vincent
		Systems Analyst
		Laboratory for Computer and Communications Research (LCCR)
		Simon Fraser University
		Burnaby, B.C. Canada

		...!sun!sunvcr!fornax!lccr!keith	: UUCP
		cdn!keith@seismo.css.gov		: CDNNet

putnam@thuban.steinmetz (putnam) (07/12/87)

In article <75200002@sfu_css> keith@sfu_css.cs.sfu writes:
>
>	I am having a problems with my user.ps file when starting
>	up NeWS. I have a bunch of (psterm <options>) forkunix
>	lines, and sometimes it works completely, sometimes it
>	doesn't fire up anything, and sometimes it just fires
>	up the last one in the file. 
>
>	My question is
>		is this a known bug and is there a fix ??

This is known behavior.  (I hesitate to call it a bug or someone will 
claim its a feature.)  The following is in my user.ps file and seems
to fix the problem - the basic idea was suggested by sun when i asked
them about this problem.  You might note that my psterm takes 
arguments to specify a label, size and location - these have been forwarded
to Sun.  

/forkunixandwait % string => -
{
  2 dict begin
    /top { framebuffer /TopChild get } def 
    /original_top top def 
    forkunix 
    {
      top original_top ne { exit } if
      pause
    } loop 
  end 
} def 
{
  (/usr/kbs/kbs/putnam/sbin/psterm  -C -f -t h19) forkunixandwait
  (/usr/kbs/kbs/putnam/sbin/psterm -l shell  -t h19 -X 0 -Y 358 -W 596 -H 431) forkunixandwait
  (/usr/sungod/NeWS/demo/roundclock) forkunixandwait
} fork pop 
Well, shall we go?  -- jefu (jeff putnam)
Yes, lets go.       -- UUCP: steinmetz!putnam
(They do not move.) -- ARPA: putnam@ge-crd.com

haahr@polygen.uucp (Paul Haahr) (07/13/87)

In article <75200002@sfu_css> keith@sfu_css.cs.sfu writes:
>
>	I am having a problems with my user.ps file when starting
>	up NeWS. I have a bunch of (psterm <options>) forkunix
>	lines, and sometimes it works completely, sometimes it
>	doesn't fire up anything, and sometimes it just fires
>	up the last one in the file. 
>
>	My question is
>		is this a known bug and is there a fix ??

based on a followup article <6661@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> and my
own experience of what works and what doesn't:  yes there is a bug
in the server that seems to be a timing problem.  however, i just
did a
	(nterm) dup dup forkunix forkunix forkunix
(nterm is a locally hacked psterm) and it looked like it brought up
only one window, but actually all three /reshapefromuser messages were
handled at the same time and i had three identically placed, identically
shaped windows.

>	I am trying to basically reproduce my .suntools file, so that
>	I can have a fixed startup, therefore eliminating suntools.

i wanted to do something similar, but wanted to have fixed startup of
windows in known locations without hacking every utility that i might
want to start up to take x/y coordinates, so the approach i have taken
is:
	save the reshapefromuser procedure from DefaultWindow
	hack a new reshapefromuser that actually uses fixed coordinates,
		replaces reshapefromuser in itself with the real
		reshapefromuser, replaces reshapefromuser in DefaultWindow
		with a similar reshapefromuser for the second program
		to be run, and does a forkunix of the second program
	the last of theses fake reshapefromusers puts the real one in
	DefaultWindow
	forkunix the first program to be brought up

this all could be re-written as one procedure like
	[ (program ...) coordinates (program) coordinates ] fixedstartup
but i guess i just didn't feel like it.

for the sake of completeness i'm enclosing my whole user.ps,
but the only really clever thing is what i've just described and
is near the end

note: nterm -l foo brings up something like a psterm with the argument to
-l as the frame line (similar to suntools -Wl)

%
% user.ps -- private news startup file
%	Paul Haahr, 3 June 1987 - 4 June 1987
%

% load the debugger

(NeWS/debug.ps) run

% change the default menu font (NeWS manual, section 7.5, page 76)

DefaultMenu begin
	/MenuFont /Helvetica-Oblique findfont 12 scalefont def
	/StrokeSelection true def
end

% delete the demo menus

[ 6 4 3 2 ] { /deleteitem rootmenu send } forall

% add suntools to menu (NeWS manual, section A.6, page 173)

/toolshellmenu [
	(text)		{ (cmdtool)	forkunix }
	(console)	{ (cmdtool -C -Wp 0 571 -Ws 798 263) forkunix }
	(tty)		{ (shelltool)	forkunix }
	(vt100)		{ (vt100tool)	forkunix }
	(graphics)	{ (gfxtool)	forkunix }
] /new DefaultMenu send def

/suntoolsmenu [
	(Shells =>)	toolshellmenu
	(Mail)		{ (mailtool -Wi -WP 1088 836) forkunix }
] /new DefaultMenu send def

/terminalmenu [
	(nterm)		{ (nterm -l Local)		forkunix }
	(PostScript)	{ (nterm -l NeWS	psh)	forkunix }
	(Console)	{ (nterm -l Console	-C)	forkunix }
	(vt100)		{ (psterm -t vt100)		forkunix }
	(sun)		{ (psterm -t sun)		forkunix }
] /new DefaultMenu send def

/psterminal {				% host psterminal => -
	dup
	( nterm -l ) exch append append
	(on -n ) exch append
	( psterminal) append
	forkunix
} def

/rloginterminal {
	dup
	( rlogin ) exch append append
	(nterm -l ) exch append
	( -8) append
	forkunix
} def

/dnaloginterminal {
	dup
	( dnalogin ) exch append append
	(vt100tool -Wl ) exch append
	forkunix
} def

/SunTerminalMenu
	[ (lucy) (bugs) (barney) (fred) (ethel) (ricky)
	  (wilma) (calvin) (hobbes) (daffy) (wiley) (tweety) ]
	[ { currentkey psterminal } ]
/new DefaultMenu send def

/UltrixTerminalMenu
	[ (nemo) (baxter) (figeac) (pebble) (dino)
	  (latour) (lafite) (mouton) (cheval) ]
	[ { currentkey rloginterminal } ]
/new DefaultMenu send def

/vmsTerminalMenu
	[ (poly1) (astro) (snark) (thing) ]
	[ { currentkey dnaloginterminal } ]
/new DefaultMenu send def

/rterminalmenu [
	(Suns =>)		SunTerminalMenu
	(Ultrix Vaxen =>)	UltrixTerminalMenu
	(VMS Vaxen =>)		vmsTerminalMenu
] /new DefaultMenu send def

0 (Terminals =>)	terminalmenu	/insertitem rootmenu send
1 (Remote Terminals =>)	rterminalmenu	/insertitem rootmenu send
2 (Suntools =>) 	suntoolsmenu	/insertitem rootmenu send
3 (Clock)		{ (roundclock) forkunix } /insertitem rootmenu send

% startup windows
%	this is a hack but it works well and is pretty clean
%	the assumption made is that any forkunix'd window will
%	send a /reshapefromuser message to DefaultWindow

%	save real reshape function

/realreshapefromuser DefaultWindow /reshapefromuser get def

%	clock in uppper right

DefaultWindow /reshapefromuser {
	1092 800 56 96 /reshape self send
	self /reshapefromuser /realreshapefromuser cvx put

	%	console in upper left

	DefaultWindow /reshapefromuser {
		0 610 528 290 /reshape self send
		self /reshapefromuser /realreshapefromuser cvx put
		DefaultWindow /reshapefromuser /realreshapefromuser cvx put
	} put
	(nterm -C -l Console) forkunix

} put

(roundclock) forkunix
-- 
paul haahr				(bu-cs|princeton)!polygen!haahr
polygen corporation, waltham, ma	617-890-2888