stadler@Apple.COM (Andy Stadler) (01/18/91)
In article <2794C29D.20435@ics.uci.edu> djpadz@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (David Jay Padzensky) writes: >HyperConvert (I think that's what it's called) is a pair of stacks for >converting HyperCard stacks to HyperCard IIgs format. Does anyone >have a beta copy, or does anyone know when it's to be released? > HyperMover is a pair of stacks, one on the Macintosh and one on the IIGS. The conversion process involves de-constructing a stack, and creating many paint files and a single long text file which completely describes everything else. You then move the folder to the other machine, and invoke the other stack to reassemble the stack in the new format. HyperMover is amazingly useful, but it's not magic. It brings over all pictures, cards, bkgnds, buttons, fields, text and scripts. It converts sounds and icons. It repositions all part coordinates to the same relative positions on the different sized cards. The three major shortcomings are: 1. XCMD's can't be transferred - you must find equivalent ones or rewrite them (sometimes just a matter of recompiling with the appropriate dev- elopment system). 2. Because of the design of HyperCard, you can't guarantee that card and bkgnd id's will match. HyperMover attempts to fix hardcoded id's in scripts, but there are some things it simply can't catch (eg putting id's in a field and selecting a single line as a "computed goto"). 3. B&W graphics look terrible when scrunched. So HyperMover is not a simple conversion utility- it's more of a "tool" which is the first step in converting a stack from one machine to another. Most stack developers care greatly about the visual appearance of their stacks. In most cases, the converted pictures wind up as "templates" until beautiful full color pictures can be drawn in their place. HyperMover is currently in beta stage, and is available to developers, and is also going to be included on all future developer CD-ROM's. It currently supports conversions from Mac to IIGS only, but future versions will perform conversions in both directions. At some point, it will probably be available through APDA and perhaps user groups as well. Andy Stadler HyperCard IIGS Team Apple Computer, Inc.