HotWire! By Charles F. Johnson & John Eidsvoog *** DEMO VERSION *** Copyright 1989 CodeHead Software Demo Documentation by Charles F. Johnson Revised: Saturday, April 8, 1989 ****************************************** * * * This demo program and the accompanying * * text file may be freely distributed as * * long as both files are included, and * * neither file is modified in any way * * whatsoever. * * * ****************************************** Included Files: --------------- HOT_DEMO.PRG The HotWire demo program file. May be installed in an AUTO folder, or run from the desktop. HOT_DEMO.TXT The file you're reading now. What is this thing? ------------------- At CodeHead Software, we're obsessed with finding ways to extend the limits of the ST's operating system. HotWire carries on in the tradition of G+PLUS and MultiDesk, by adding new features to the ST desktop. It functions as a sort of "command center" to allow you to quickly and easily run the programs you use, simply by typing a "hot" key. Imagine typing F and running Flash...or typing P and running Timeworks Desktop Publisher...all without opening a single window or wading through level after level of folders. And YOU tell HotWire which "hot" keys to use for which programs, with an ultra-friendly, intuitive GEM interface. If you're using floppy disks, you can simply insert a disk and hit a single key to start up any application...no more opening windows and double-clicking files. We've tested HotWire with a LOT of programs, and so far it has been compatible with every single one of them...even the ones that other shells can't run! For example, HotWire is fully compatible with Easy Draw and OUTPRINT, CAD 3D 2.0, Timeworks Swiftcalc (and GRAPH.PRG), Base Two, and just about everything else. Here's a list of features: o Run any ST program instantly simply by pressing a "hot" key from the ST desktop, or from the HotWire Menu! o Summon up the HotWire Menu instantly (whenever you're on the GEM desktop) with a keypress! o Auto-Start any ST program at bootup! o Hard disk users: no more slogging through folder after folder to run your favorite programs. Launch any program instantly with a single keypress, no matter where it resides! o Floppy disk users: just pop your program disk in the drive and hit a key! No more waiting for the desktop to open a window. o Choose from among over 400 possible "hot" key combinations! o The HotWire Menu displays up to 54 programs at once, with graphic representations of their associated "hot" keys! Each program can have a 20-character "title" (not just a filename). o Lists of programs can be loaded and saved, either with the file selector or with a single keypress! o An intuitive, aesthetically appealing GEM interface lets you easily customize the HotWire Menu to your own preferences. o Unique "work file" command line features make HotWire an excellent shell for developers working in C or assembly language. (In fact, HotWire was used along with Atari's MAD MAC assembler to develop itself!) o Runs either from your AUTO folder or from the desktop (it's NOT a desk accessory), and can either be installed as a resident program, or run like any other ST application! o If you have CodeHead Software's MultiDesk (which lets you load an unlimited number of desk accessories at any time) HotWire lets you use any of the accessories loaded into MultiDesk, without exiting the HotWire Menu! You must have MultiDesk version 1.8 or higher for this feature to be active. (See below for details of a special upgrade offer from CodeHead Software for current MultiDesk owners.) o Written entirely in assembly language. Uses only 40K of your precious memory. o Fixes the GEM desktop's "Install Application" feature, so that documents don't have to be in the same directory with their related applications! (No more editing the DESKTOP.INF file, or programs that can't find their resource files...) o Works properly with applications that communicate with desk accessories via the AES event system. (For example, Cyber Control with CAD 3D, Art Gallery or DEGAS Elite Fast Loader with DEGAS Elite, etc.) o Applications that are run through HotWire behave exactly as they do when run from the GEM desktop! No mysterious glitches, or unexpected results. How do it know? --------------- Since this is a demonstration version of HotWire, we aren't going to spell out every detail of its use in this text file. It would be a pretty lengthy text file if we did...and besides, Larry Herzberg and I just spent several weeks writing all that stuff into the HotWire manual. Larry is responsible for another soon-to-be-released CodeHead product called MIDIMAX, an amazing new real-time MIDI performance tool ... but that's another story. (And another demo. Watch for it soon!) In any case, here's the short course in how to HotWire your ST. Ignition -------- First, you should know that HotWire can run in one of two ways -- as a "resident" program that sits in the background waiting for you to awaken it with a keypress, or as a normal, one-shot ST application that is wiped out of memory when you exit. Installing HotWire as a Resident GEM program -------------------------------------------- There are two ways to "install" HotWire as a resident GEM program. You can install it automatically when you boot your ST by putting it into a folder called AUTO on your boot disk. If you don't already have an AUTO folder on your boot disk, you can create one by using the desktop's "New Folder" option (see your ST users' manual for more details). When the HotWire demo is installed from an AUTO folder, it will pause when it first runs and ask you to press a key before continuing. We also take this opportunity to remind you of the key combination used to open the HotWire Menu from the GEM desktop (see below). And by the way, this "pause and wait for keypress" routine is not in the release version of HotWire. After the bootup process is complete, HotWire will automatically display the HotWire Menu. (The release version of HotWire also lets you auto-run any ST program at this point.) The other way to install the HotWire demo as a resident GEM program is to double-click the file called HOT_DEMO.PRG from the desktop, and when the demo program runs, click on the button labeled "Install." When you double-click HOT_DEMO.PRG from the desktop, the program waits for about three seconds for you to select one of the buttons -- "Run," "Install," or "Cancel" -- then automatically selects "Run" as the default. So if you wish to "install" the HotWire demo this way, make sure to click the "Install" button before the three second timeout expires! When HotWire is resident, it remains in your computer's memory until you reboot. Any data you've entered into the HotWire Menu will remain intact even if you exit HotWire. *** IMPORTANT! *** To open the HotWire Menu when it is "installed" as a resident GEM program, hold down the Control key and type function key F1. You must be on the GEM desktop to open the HotWire Menu. "Running" HotWire ----------------- If you double-click HOT_DEMO.PRG from the desktop, and either click the button labeled "Run" or wait for the three-second timeout to expire, HotWire will run like any other ST program, and not take up any permanent memory. When you exit HotWire after "running" it, all data you've entered into the Menu will be lost. This feature gives you full access to the HotWire Menu of 54 programs even if you're running some other shell program...just "Run" HotWire as if it were a normal program. (Normality, what a concept.) The HotWire Menu ---------------- When the HotWire demo first runs, you'll see a box full of dotted lines (54 of them to be precise) with a row of icons at the bottom. To install a program into the Menu, click with the left mouse button on one of the first eight slots in the box. (Only the first eight slots are active in the demo version of HotWire.) A file selector will appear. Locate and select the program file you wish to install in that slot. After choosing the program file, the Options Box will appear, to let you set various parameters for this program -- such as whether the program needs a command line, whether it runs as a GEM or TOS application, etc. The blank line at the top of the box is waiting for you to type in a "title" for this program. The "title" can be up 20 characters long; if you leave this line blank when you exit the Options Box (by clicking OK) the filename will be entered in the HotWire Menu in lieu of a title. The Options Box is also where you enter the "hot" key combination you wish to assign to this program. Just type in a character from A to Z in the box provided, and select the combination of "shift" keys (Left Shift, Right Shift, Control, and Alternate) by clicking on the appropriate buttons. Once you've installed programs into the HotWire Menu, you can run any one of them simply by single-clicking on its "title" with the Left mouse button, or by typing the "hot" key combination you've assigned to it. If you want to change the parameters for a program, single-click its title with the Right mouse button. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The "hot" key you've assigned to a program is not only active when you're looking at the HotWire Menu -- it's active any time you're on the GEM desktop. You can run any program in the HotWire Menu simply by typing its "hot" key even if the HotWire Menu is not open. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Wrap-Up ----------- Well, that's about all the docs you get with the demo version; from here you're on your own. There are a LOT of features included that haven't been mentioned; play around with the demo and you should be able to find a few of them. (Remember that the ST mouse has TWO buttons...) Some itty-bitty, not-too-important features (like, oh, "LOAD" and "SAVE") are entirely omitted from the demo version, so you may find it difficult to use for any serious work. Also, as mentioned above, only the first eight menu slots are active. What can I say? It is, after all, a free demo version. But it should be enough for you to get a taste of how easy HotWire can make things for you. Of course, the release version (the one you have to buy) has a complete 32-page manual explaining all the ins and outs of HotWiring an ST, along with explicit information for developers and others who wish to explore some of HotWire's more advanced uses. (Like "work files" and "variable command line parameters"...) And all the features missing from the demo are, of course, in the release version. HotWire will change, simplify, and streamline your relationship with your computer. (It has certainly improved our productivity here at CodeHeadQuarters.) If you're wasting a lot of time getting from one program to another, HotWire is for you! By the way, the demo version of HotWire does not work with the disk-based version of TOS 1.4. Special MultiDesk 1.8 upgrade offer! ------------------------------------ Current registered owners of CodeHead Software's MultiDesk can upgrade to version 1.8 absolutely FREE when you purchase HotWire. Just send back your original MultiDesk master disk with your HotWire registration card, along with a self-addressed envelope with 45 cents postage affixed, and we'll ship you the latest version of MultiDesk at no charge. (Except for the 45 cents postage, that is.) MultiDesk 1.8, in addition to support for HotWire, also features full compatibility with Electronic Arts' Thunder! spelling checker accessory. Ordering Information -------------------- HotWire is currently available for $39.95. To order the latest version of HotWire or any CodeHead Software product, call us at (213) 386-5735 during business hours (PST). We accept Visa and Mastercard. The number above is also equipped with a FAX machine. If you don't want to order by phone, you can send a check or money order for the amount indicated plus $2.00 shipping (Canada $3, Europe $5). California residents please add 6.5% sales tax. CodeHead Software P.O. Box 74090 Los Angeles, CA 90004 Enjoy the HotWire demo! - Charles F. Johnson, John Eidsvoog - CodeHead Software - April 8, 1989