[comp.sys.apple2] Possible ShrinkIt addition???

acct069@carroll1.cc.edu (Ron) (04/27/91)

Instead of sending this off directly to Andy Nicholas, I decided to post
it here to get some sort of input as to whether or not this is even
possible...

I use ShrinkIt (3.2.3) for doinf selective archiving of my hard drive on a
weekly basis.  I archive various sub-directories and files to offline
3.5" disks.  It's kind of time consuming to sit and wait for ShrinkIt to
finish one directory, and then select the next one, or next files.

I was wondering if it'd be possible to implement a scripting langauge into
ShrinkIt, so all you'd have to do is tell ShrinkIt to execute the commands
located in a file.  The commands would tell ShrinkIt while sub-directory
to archive, what files, or all files, and then tell it where to place the
archive.  Maybe even be able to tell ShrinkIt to display a message telling
the user to insert the next disk.

I dunno, maybe it's impracticle, but it's been tossing around in my head,
so I thought I'd get some input on it.

Thanks,
--
Ron                      | Lightning Systems, INC. | Apple // Forever!
acct069@carroll1.cc.edu  | (414) 363-4282  60megs  | I feel the need
carroll1!acct069@uwm.edu | 14.4k HST/V.32bis       | for more speed...

kolesar@plains.NoDak.edu (Joe Kolesar) (04/28/91)

In article <9104271647.AA02207@carroll1.cc.edu> acct069@carroll1.cc.edu (Ron) writes:

> [stuff deleted]

>I was wondering if it'd be possible to implement a scripting langauge into
>ShrinkIt, so all you'd have to do is tell ShrinkIt to execute the commands
>located in a file.  The commands would tell ShrinkIt while sub-directory
>to archive, what files, or all files, and then tell it where to place the
>archive.  Maybe even be able to tell ShrinkIt to display a message telling
>the user to insert the next disk.

>I dunno, maybe it's impracticle, but it's been tossing around in my head,
>so I thought I'd get some input on it.

Yes, this would be impracticle on the 8-bit version of Shrinkit, as the code
is already packed into a small enough area of memory, but perhaps not for 
GS-Shrinkit.  What may be the easiest way would be for Andy to make GSHK
as a shell executable, then you could write batch files, something to the
tune of:

GSHK -pack archive.shk directory
echo "insert next disk"
etc...

MS-DOS and Unix systems have been doing this for years (sorry to make the
comparison).

>Ron                      | Lightning Systems, INC. | Apple // Forever!

-- 
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shrinkit@Apple.COM (Andrew Nicholas) (04/28/91)

In article <9104271647.AA02207@carroll1.cc.edu> acct069@carroll1.cc.edu (Ron) writes:

>I was wondering if it'd be possible to implement a scripting langauge into
>ShrinkIt, so all you'd have to do is tell ShrinkIt to execute the commands
>located in a file.  The commands would tell ShrinkIt while sub-directory
>to archive, what files, or all files, and then tell it where to place the
>archive.  Maybe even be able to tell ShrinkIt to display a message telling
>the user to insert the next disk.

Actually, that's a very good idea because many, many people have expressed
the desire to be able to automate what shrinkit and/or gs-shrinkit does
(especially BBS sysops).

Whenever (if ever?) I get around to doing ShrinkIt v4.0, that probably one of
the features it will contain since it won't be single-load any more.

andy

-- 
Andy Nicholas			GEnie & America-Online: shrinkit
Apple IIGS System Software		    CompuServe: 70771,2615    
Apple Computer, Inc.			      InterNET: shrinkit@apple.com

kms@pro-permian.cts.com (Kevin M. Smallwood) (04/30/91)

In-Reply-To: message from acct069@carroll1.cc.edu


>I was wondering if it'd be possible to implement a scripting langauge into
>ShrinkIt, so all you'd have to do is tell ShrinkIt to execute the commands
>located in a file.  The commands would tell ShrinkIt while sub-directory
>to archive, what files, or all files, and then tell it where to place the
>archive.  Maybe even be able to tell ShrinkIt to display a message telling
>the user to insert the next disk.

        I too would like to see this happen with the addition of two things.
First of all, allow ShrinkIt (8 bit version) to be launched from a script of
some sort that would feed it an automatic ProDos Quit path. (ie.
boot/hard1/shrinkit;/bbs1/startup/) Once ShrinkIt was done running the
'script' that Ron was talking about, STARTUP on BBS1 would be automatically
run. This would allow BBS sysops nationwide to back up their bbs on a nightly
basis without having to BE THERE AT THE CPU to do it. I *like the idea of
having a script that ShrinkIt could auto-exec.

Andy -- how much can we squeeze out of you (considering the price of
ShrinkIt)?

Kevin

>--
>Ron                      | Lightning Systems, INC. | Apple // Forever!
>acct069@carroll1.cc.edu  | (414) 363-4282  60megs  | I feel the need
>carroll1!acct069@uwm.edu | 14.4k HST/V.32bis       | for more speed...


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shrinkit@Apple.COM (Andrew Nicholas) (05/01/91)

In article <8939@crash.cts.com> kms@pro-permian.cts.com (Kevin M. Smallwood) writes:

>Andy -- how much can we squeeze out of you (considering the price of
>ShrinkIt)?

Scripting was one thing I wanted to add to the 8-bit version when it became
non-single-load (which is the biggest thing holding me back now, aside from
the frequent disasters my GS experiences in California... 'nother story :-)

When it becomes "non-single-load" is probably when I call it v4.0

andy

-- 
Andy Nicholas			GEnie & America-Online: shrinkit
Apple IIGS System Software		    CompuServe: 70771,2615    
Apple Computer, Inc.			      InterNET: shrinkit@apple.com