@database "DOSPrefs.guide"

@Node Main "DOSPrefs Main Help"

DOSPrefs is a small commodity with three functions:

1. Control the "@{"Wildstar" Link "WildStar"}"-flag of the Amiga OS 2.0+ dos.library.

2. Control the "@{"Noclick"  Link "NoClick"}"-flag of the Amiga OS 2.0+ trackdisk.device.

3. Provide an all new "@{"Unixdirs" Link "UnixDirs"}"-feature.

These functions can be controlled when DOSPrefs is started by @{"Tooltypes" Link "ToolTypes"},
or at runtime by Intuition(tm)-@{"menus" Link "MainMenu"}.

Furthermore, DOSPrefs is localized, using the locale.library (requiring
Workbench 2.1+) to adapt to your prefered language, and provides a context-
sensitive help system with AmigaGuide(tm) (requiring amigaguide.library V34+).
(Simply press "Help" !)

@EndNode

@Node "ToolTypes" "DOSPrefs ToolTypes"

When DOSPrefs is started from the Workbench(tm), it evaluates the tooltypes
of its icon; when it is started from the CLI, it evaluates the commandline
arguments (the recognized Parameters are in both cases the same). The 
parameters recognized by DOSPrefs are summarized in the following template:

CX_PRIORITY/N/K,CX_POPKEY/K,CX_POPUP/K,PUBSCREEN/K,WILDSTAR/K,UNIXDIRS/K,
NOCLICK/K

CX_PRIORITY (default: 0): This is the priority for the commodities event
handling mechanism.

CX_POPKEY (default: lalt d): This is the hotkey that causes DOSPrefs to
show its interface. (By the way: starting DOSPrefs a second time will have
the same effect as pressing the hot key; the first DOSPrefs will pop up and
the second will terminate immediately.)

CX_POPUP (default: yes): This determines, if DOSPrefs is to show its
interface on program startup.

PUBSCREEN (no default): This is the name of the public screen on which
DOSPrefs is to open its interface. If this parameter is not specified or
the given screen cannot be found, DOSPrefs opens its interface on the
default public screen.

WILDSTAR (default: yes): This determines, if DOSPrefs is to set the
@{"wildstar" Link "WildStar"} flag of the dos.library on startup.

UNIXDIRS (default: yes): This determines, if DOSPrefs is to install the
@{"unixdirs" Link "UnixDirs"}-patch on startup.

NOCLICK (no default): This determines, for which floppy drives DOSPrefs
sets the @{"noclick" Link "NoClick"}-flags on startup. You have to list the
drives seperated by "|"s, e.g. "DF1:", "DF0:|DF1:|DF2:".

CAUTION: If an empty drive clicks even if you have set the noclick flag
for this drive, unset the flag immediately. Your disk drive may be damaged
otherwise.

@EndNode

@Node "MainMenu" "DOSPrefs Main Menu"

The menubar of DOSPrefs has two menus:

    @{" Project " Link "Project"}
    @{" Settings " Link "Settings"}

@EndNode

@Node "Project" "DOSPrefs Project Menu"

The "Project" menu has the following items:

    @{" Save " Link "Save"}
    @{" About " Link "About"}
    @{" Enable " Link "Enable"}
    @{" Disable " Link "Disable"}
    @{" Hide " Link "Hide"}
    @{" Quit " Link "Quit"}

@EndNode

@Node "Settings" "DOSPrefs Settings Menu"

The "Settings" menu has the following items:

    @{" WildStar " Link "WildStar"}
    @{" UnixDirs " Link "UnixDirs"}
    @{" NoClick " Link "NoClick"}

@EndNode

@Node "Save" "DOSPrefs Save Settings"

This item saves the current settings.

@EndNode

@Node "About" "DOSPrefs About"

This item shows a nice, short copyright message. ;-)

@EndNode

@Node "Enable" "DOSPrefs Enable"

This item brings DOSPrefs to the active state. If it is already active,
this item is ghosted.

@EndNode

@Node "Disable" "DOSPrefs Disable"

This item brings DOSPrefs to the inactive state, if possible. If it is
already inactive, this item is ghosted.

This operation may fail if the "@{"unixdirs" Link "UnixDirs"}"-patch cannot be undone.

@EndNode

@Node "Hide" "DOSPrefs Hide"

This item hides the user interface of DOSPrefs. (Clicking on the
closegadget has the same effect.) To make the interface visible again,
press the hot key or use the commodities exchange program.

@EndNode

@Node "Quit" "DOSPrefs Quit"

This item terminates DOSPrefs, if possible.

This operation may fail if the "@{"unixdirs" Link "UnixDirs"}"-patch cannot be undone.

@EndNode

@Node "WildStar" "DOSPrefs WildStar"

This item toggles the wildstar-flag of the dos.library. If the flag is set,
"*" will be recognized as an abbreviation for "#?" in search patterns.

@EndNode

@Node "UnixDirs" "DOSPrefs UnixDirs"

This item enables the unixdirs-patch of the dos.library. What does this
patch do ? It allows the use of the special directory names ".." and "."
like under UNIX (thus the name of the function).

".." represents the parent-directory of the current directory (like "/").
So "../blabla" is identical to "/blabla", etc.

"." is the current directory. Thus you can say "copy ../blabla/*.c .".

Starting with version 3.0 of DosPrefs, the UnixDirs mechanism has been
extended:

You can now change the style of the pathname translation by setting
the local environment variable "PathStyle". Only the processes
that have this variable set are affected.

If you set "PathStyle" to "Amiga", the pathname tranlation is completely
disabled for this process.

If you set "PathStyle" to "Unix", in addition to the "." and ".."
translation, path names starting with "/" are translated like 
ixemul.library-using programs do, e.g.:

/usr/archive -> usr:archive
/local/bin   -> local:bin
/foo//bar    -> foo:bar      !!

In addition to that, two special translations are activated:

/dev/null    -> NIL:
/dev/tty     -> CONSOLE:

ATTENTION: As there is no equivalent to the unix root directory "/",
and in order to enhance compatibility, the path "/" still means
the parent of the current directory !

Any other value of PathStyle or not setting it at all will give the
default behaviour (only . and .. translation).

NOTE: Due to the nature of library patches, it may not be possible to
unpatch the dos.library, because a) the patched functions are in use or b)
someone has patched again some of the patched functions after DOSPrefs. 
DOSPrefs will detect these conditions and put up a requester allowing you to 
try again to unpatch the dos.library or canceling the operation.

@EndNode

@Node "NoClick" "DOSPrefs NoClick"

This item has four subitems labeled "DF0:" to "DF3:", that allow you to set
the noclick-flag individually for each of your disk drives. If a disk drive
does not exist, its subitem is disabled.

CAUTION: If an empty drive clicks even if you have set the noclick flag
for this drive, unset the flag immediately. Your disk drive may be damaged
otherwise.

@EndNode