JumpSTART Version 2.7 by Paul Lefebvre (c) 1991, 1992 (Released on GEnie and Delphi on July 22, 1992) JumpSTART is a disk menuing system that will make your ST easier to use. An attractive dialog box is displayed with a list of your most commonly used programs (games, applications, etc). These programs can be assigned descriptions of up to 20 characters in place of the normal ST filename and the list can contain up to 63 file descriptions, 21 on each page. JumpSTART runs in ST low, medium and high resolutions. The program will automatically detect which resolution it is in, load the correct JMP file list and display the appropriate dialog. It also works with both floppy and hard drive based systems. Any ST user with a little experience with the file selector will be able to set up JumpSTART so that anybody can quickly use the files they need. Setting Up JumpSTART Files in this LZH : CHANGES.DOC Version history JUMPST2.ASC Instructions in ASCII format JUMPST2.PRG JumpSTART 2.7 program file JUMPST2.RSC JumpSTART multi-res resource file JUMPST2.NIC NeoDesk 3 Icons STARTGEM.PRG Auto folder program to load JumpSTART at boot up STARTGEM.INF Data file needed by STARTGEM.PRG Floppy Drive Systems Place a copy of JUMPST2.PRG, JUMPST2.RSC and STARTGEM.INF in the root directory of each disk that you want to have JumpSTARTed. If you do not already have an AUTO folder on the disk, create one. Place STARTGEM.PRG in the AUTO folder. Preferably, all files to be JumpSTARTed should be kept in separate folders on the disk. Hard Drive Systems If you have a hard drive, I'll presume you do not need me to tell you how to set up things. I'll just mention that JUMPST2.PRG and JUMPST2.RSC must be in the same directory. I like to place all my JMP file lists in the same directory, but they can be placed anywhere. Using JumpSTART Set your system to medium or high resolution and double-click on JUMPST2.PRG. (Although JumpSTART does work in low resolution, it will come up in RUN ONLY mode and will not allow any changes to be made to JMP file lists.) You will now see the JumpSTART main dialog. All the center 21 file description boxes will be blank. (Add) Adding Files And Descriptions To The File List Click on the button marked 'Add'. A file selector will appear. This file selector is used to locate the program that you want JumpSTARTed. (Consult your manual if you are unfamiliar with how the file selector operates. I would recommend using an alternative file selector, such as UIS III) Using the file selector, locate the program that you want to JumpSTART and when it is displayed in the 'Selection' line, click on OK. If the program has a 'PRG', 'TOS', 'APP', or 'TTP' extender you will be presented with a new dialog box that will allow you to type in the description that will be used in place of the actual filename. You may enter whatever you want as a description, using any character. Click on OK to store it. The file selector will be redisplayed to allow you to continue adding programs to the file list. Any time that you want to quit, just pick cancel from either the file selector or the file description dialogs. When you pick cancel, the main dialog will be displayed with any files that have been added. The descriptions for these files will be displayed in the 21 file description boxes. The descriptions are automatically sorted if the Sort button is selected. Special Note : If you select a file that does not end in one of the previously specified extenders, JumpSTART will do an 'Install Application'. A new file selector will appear and you are required to select a file that ends in 'PRG', 'TOS', 'TTP', or 'APP'. Now you may enter a description as previously described. Ex. To add MRELIZA.BAS, select it from the file selector. At the new file selector, select GFABASRO.PRG (this file is required to execute GFA BASIC programs). Now give MRELIZA.BAS a description (Mr. Eliza). When you click on Mr. Eliza in the main dialog, it will automatically load GFABASRO.PRG and tell it to run MRELIZA.BAS! Instant-Loading JMP File Lists When adding a file, if the extender is JMP, then you will be immediately prompted for a description. After a description is entered, everything will be added to the file list as usual, but when you click on this description, the JMP file list it refers to will be instantly loaded into memory, replacing the one that was there. Notice the 'close' button at the top left of the file description boxes. This is similar to the desktop 'close window' button. Every JMP file list that is loaded (Instant-Load or with the Load button) has its pathname memorized. To return to the previously displayed JMP file list, click on the 'close' button. The previous file list will then be reloaded. Up to 10 JMP file lists can be stored in this manner. This feature will be of limited use to floppy drive users, but is incredibly useful for hard drive users. Changing The File List Description Click on the box at the bottom of the screen marked 'JumpSTART Disk Title'. This box will allow you to enter a title for the current file list. (Save) Saving The File List Select the button on the right marked 'Save'. A file selector will appear to allow you to name the file. The file selector will always open to the directory from which JumpSTART was loaded. To make it auto-load, it must be in the same directory as JUMPST2.PRG and have a specific name : STARTHI.JMP - auto-load for high resolution STARTMED.JMP - auto-load for medium resolution STARTLOW.JMP - auto-load for low resolution Make sure the correct filename is shown in the selection line and select OK. Changing To A Different Page If you have a file list with more than 21 descriptions, the box on the lower left corner will change to say 'Page 1 of 2' (with more than 42 it will say 'Page 1 of 3'). To change the page, click on the up arrow to go up a page, and the down arrow to go down a page. (Load) Using The Load Button Select 'Load' from the right side of the dialog. The file selector will show all the files in the current directory. - If you select a file that has an extender of '.JMP', then the file list will be loaded and displayed. - If you select a file that has an extender of '.PRG', '.APP', '.TOS', or '.TTP', then the program will be run as if it had been installed as a button in the file list. - If you select a file with an unspecified extender, then JumpSTART will use a new feature to pass this file to your favorite text file viewer. To do this, create a file with the name 'JUMPST2.DAT' and on the first line of this file type the pathname (in capital letters) of your favorite text file viewer. Place this file in same folder as JUMPST2.PRG. You do not have to use this feature. If the JUMPST2.DAT file does not exist, then JumpSTART will simply not do anything if a file with an unspecified extender is selected. (Re-Read) Using The Re-Read Button The re-read button will re-load the first JMP file loaded by JumpSTART. If the re-read was successful, then the memorized file lists are cleared. Useful for floppy disk owners as it allows them to swap disks and press this button to load the JMP file list from the new disk. (Clear) Clearing The JMP File List From Memory Pressing clear will instantly clear the current JMP file list from memory. There is no warning, so use with caution! This does not clear the file list on disk. To make any changes permanent, select 'Save'. (Run) Running A File From The File List Select the button marked 'Run' and click once on the description. The file description will be displayed at the top of the screen while the program is loading. (Remove) Removing A Description From The File List Select the button marked 'Remove'. Each time you click on a description, it is removed from the screen and erased from the file list in memory. It does not change the file list on disk or remove the actual file from the disk. To make the changes permanent, select 'Save'. (New Description) Changing A Description In The File List Select 'New Description'. Now click on the description that is to be changed. The familiar 'New Description' dialog will appear, displaying the actual filename and current description and allow you to change the description. If a description is changed and the 'Sort' button is selected, then the list will be resorted. Be sure to 'Save' any changes. (New Path) Changing The Path Of A Description In The File List Select 'New Path' and click on the description of the file to change. A dialog will appear showing the description's complete pathname. If you wish to change it, select 'Change'. With the file selector, locate the new path and program to associate with the description, then click on OK. Be sure to 'Save' any changes. (Sort) Using the Sort Button Select the sort button if you want the file list to be sorted. De-select for an unsorted list. The sort setting is saved to the JMP file so that the next time it is loaded it will be set automatically. This will allow you to have some JMP files that are sorted and some that are not and not worry about the status of the sort button. (Help) Getting Help Select the button marked 'Help' in the top right corner of the dialog. (Use DA's) Accessing Desk Accessories Select the button marked 'Use DA's' in the upper left corner of the dialog. The screen will be cleared and the 'Desk' menu at the top left will allow access to desk accessories. To return to JumpSTART, select 'Return to JumpSTART' from the 'Desk' menu. Be sure to close all accessories before returning to JumpSTART or problems could occur. (Quit) Quitting JumpSTART Selecting 'Quit' immediately exits back to the calling program. JumpSTART As An Installed Application From the desktop, click on JUMPST2.PRG, select 'Install Application' from the 'Options' menu. Type 'JMP' as the extender click on install. Be sure to 'Save Desktop' to make the changes permanent. Now when you double-click on a JMP file list, it will override the auto-load filename for the current resolution. Note For TOS 1.4 Or Higher : DO NOT USE STARTGEM.PRG, instead install JUMPST2.PRG as an auto application. Closing Notes This program is freeware, but I do require that if you use it, you MUST send me a note (via EMail, or U.S. mail) telling me. If you're notifying me via U.S. mail, please let me know how you acquired JumpSTART. That's not too much to ask, is it? Distribute JumpSTART anywhere you can, but keep this LZH intact. For comments, questions, or suggestions I can be reached at : Paul Lefebvre GEnie mail address : P.LEFEBVRE 94 Bailey Avenue Delphi mail address : PLEFEBVRE Lewiston, ME 04240 Special thanks to Jinfu Chen and Phillip R. Poulos for their PASCALM source code. It has several routines which I found useful, including the LineA show mouse routine. Additional special thanks to the following people who have responded or given suggestions : Mark Slagell (Very helpful in locating bugs before version 2.5) Michael Everhart (Requested allowing JumpSTART to unload from memory. I haven't got around to this, but if more people request it, I'll add it.) Ronald King (Encouragement) Neil Harding (Suggested allowing uninstalled programs to be loaded) Kent Cavaghan (Including JumpSTART in Oak Springs catalog) Allen Fasoldt (Inadvertently suggested optional file sorting) Larry Lefebvre (Made too many suggestions to list, Helped with bug testing) Ken Brick (Reminded me of TOS 1.4 autoloading procedure)