gregmarq@pnet02.cts.com (Greg Marquez) (05/13/89)
(WARNING : There are two questions at the end of this.)
First, some background. I've written a paint program for
Prism Computer Products that's targeted for novice computer users
and young children. The program is very easy to use (IMHO), and we
would like to keep it that way.
The program was designed from the beginning to be able to run
easily off both floppy and hard disk (no protection, no assigning volumes,
etc.). The only items needed to run the program are the program and
its data directory. The program always accesses the data directory from
its current location. This way, Joe/Joanne user can copy both the program
and the data directory to another location, and as long as the program
and the directory are in the same "drawer", the program will run fine.
Great, so what's the problem? Weeeeelllll, there is no problem
with moving the program; it's got a big fat dinosaur icon that the user
can drag to its new destination. Fine. But what about the data directory?
What a stupid question, right? Just use a "DRAWER" icon, like any normal
applications writer would (sheesh!). Oky, so now that the data directory
has a "DRAWER" icon, the user doesn't have to mess with CLI to move it
(which is what we want, this being a product for novices and all). Great,
this is all standard Amiga stuff. Why the h*ll am I posting??!!!
This is the FUN part. Now we have both a "TOOL" icon (the
'dinosaur'), and a "DRAWER" icon (prolly a standard 'drawer'). The user
(mabye a child) sees both icons. He/she/it double clicks on the dinosaur.
The program runs. Welcome to 'MyPaint'. Great, that's what's supposeta'
happen. Now the child wants to run that other program with the neato drawer
icon. Double click. Welcome to 'empty window'.
Now that might not seem like a big deal (or ANY deal, for that
matter), but before you make sure that the pilot light on you flamethowers
is on, hear me out (as if you haven't been already!).
This program has been used by children as young as three years old,
with excellent resuts (again, IMNSHO). We (Prism Computers and Echidna)
wanted to make the program especially easy for children to use, but also
wanted to make it easy to slap on the 'ol hard disk. With no drawer icon,
Johny and Samantha don't wonder why that dumb 'drawer' game is on the disk,
but without it, Joe and Joanna User can't transfer the data directory to
it's new home.
=======>> The for reals fun part <<=======
How about getting BOTH, though? Drag the icon and transfer the
directory using WorkBench. Double click on the icon and get MyPaint up
and running (just like clickin' on the dinosaur). But how the heck can
we do that??!!
Hows about creating a 'PROJECT' icon, with the default tool set
to MyPaint. Double click on that, up comes MyPaint. Now name it
<data drawer>.info. Now drag the icon to a new home. Wait a minute, you
might or might not say, what do I expect to happen when I drag the dumb
'PROJECT' icon to it's new destination. . .do I expect it to copy the
directory and its contents just 'cause I happend to name it that way?
Yes. And it works. Dragging this 'PROJECT' icon will copy the
entire drawer (just as if it were a 'DRAWER' icon). Try it at home. Now
for the good stuff!
QUESTION 1: Has anyone else done this before?
QUESTION 2: Will it die a horrible and grissly death under 1.4? (CATS?)
In all seriousness, this may seem like an extremely^(n!) trivial
issue (make "n" as large as you like). . .but if it works (and if it
holds up under 1.4), I'd like to use it.
Please try to keep flames to the (bear, bare, bair) minimum.
Greg Marquez
Richard G. Marquez / Echidna Software \|// Echidna - the best little
3501 Jasmine Ave. #15 / L.A., Ca. 90034 _oo // monotreme money can buy
gregmarq@pnet02.CTS.COM {decwrl, ames}!gryphon!pnet02!gregmarqphi@goanna.oz (Philip Hingston) (05/14/89)
In article <15756@gryphon.COM>, gregmarq@pnet02.cts.com (Greg Marquez) writes: > Hows about creating a 'PROJECT' icon, with the default tool set > to MyPaint. Double click on that, up comes MyPaint. Now name it > <data drawer>.info. Now drag the icon to a new home. > > QUESTION 1: Has anyone else done this before? > > QUESTION 2: Will it die a horrible and grissly death under 1.4? (CATS?) > In answer to QUESTION 1. Yes, I have. In my case I wrote a tool for managing C programming projects. I put all the source in a directory and made my program the default tool for a project icon attached to the directory. I think this is a really neat way to package the files needed for a project. I don't know the answer to QUESTION 2, but if it's not strictly legal, why not make it so? How about it, oh makers of the law? Philip Hingston
gregmarq@pnet02.cts.com (Greg Marquez) (05/16/89)
> Yes. And it works. Dragging this 'PROJECT' icon will copy the >entire drawer (just as if it were a 'DRAWER' icon). Try it at home. Now >for the good stuff! > >QUESTION 1: Has anyone else done this before? From: thywiss@csvax.cs.ukans.edu (John A. Thywissen) >I keep an application library (better than overlays), the prototype >project .info file(s), and configuration data in this directory. From: phi@goanna.oz (Philip Hingston) >In answer to QUESTION 1. Yes, I have. In my case I wrote a tool for managing >C programming projects. I put all the source in a directory and made my >program the default tool for a project icon attached to the directory. >I think this is a really neat way to package the files needed for a project. It also seems Impulse's Turbo Silver uses this method to store its animations (at least my old 2.0 and 3.0 do). Drag the icon to copy the anim directory, double click it to run the animations. . . Glad to see I'm not alone on this! 8-) Greg Marquez Richard G. Marquez / Echidna Software \|// Echidna - the best little 3501 Jasmine Ave. #15 / L.A., Ca. 90034 _oo // monotreme money can buy gregmarq@pnet02.CTS.COM {decwrl, ames}!gryphon!pnet02!gregmarq