PROGRAM/SETTINGS
================

 Note:
 =====
        The following functions allow changes within various
        program settings. These will be initialised each time the program
        starts by via reloading the configuration file.
        Should any settings be changed, the current configuration has to
        be saved via the SAVE function, so that the changed settings will
        be used when starting the application next time. The screen
        colours, however, can be directly changed in the menu SCREENCOLORS
        and saved within the configuration file.

 Display:
 -------
        Opens a window and displays the current settings for
        the selected data path, DPaintIV, PPaint, active greyscale-
        palette, screen colours, etc.

 Data path:
 -----------
        This function defines the directory from which PMPro loads,
        saves or creates new catalogues. A path requester appears
        which allows the user to set this data path.
        By default PIC_MANAGER:CATALOGS/ will be used.
        This function, though, is mainly for users of Bernoulli drives
        to allow saving of the often quite large catalogues onto
        such a medium. The internal hard disk which is usually faster will
        not be affected by this data and the remaining space may be
        used for more important data.
        NOTE: The catalog/Load-function is able to handle
        multiple DataPath`s in an easy way. So please also read
        the chapter: "Catalog - Load"

 Screen Colours:
 --------------
        A palette requester appears which allows the user to change the 4
        screen colours to suit individual preferences.
        This is possible via sliders which allow changing of the
        R-G-B-parts of any given colour.

        The buttons have the following functions:

          - Save:    Saves the current screen colours within the
                     configuration file and closes palette requester.

          - Default: Resets screen colours to default values
                     (grey, white, blue).

          - Use:     Uses current screen colours and closes
                     palette requester.

          - Cancel:  Closes palette requester and restores screen colours
                     which were active before calling this function.

 Greyscale palette:
 ------------------
        A palette requester appears which allows the user to change and
        save the greyscale palettes (see function COLORIZE) to suit
        individual preferences. Colour numbers 0 to 3 (screen colour) are
        reserved and can only be changed via the function SCREENCOLORS.
        Sliders allow changing of the R-G-B-part of any colour (except
        the screen colours).

        The buttons have the following functions:

          - load palette    : Loads selected greyscale palette
                              (--> Cycle Gadget).

          - Save palette    : Saves the current greyscale palette
                               with the indicated name (--> Cycle-
                               Gadget).

          - Range           : Smoothes from the current colour to a
                               destination colour (as selected after
                               activation of RANGE).

          - Copy            : Copies the current colour to a
                               selectable destination colour.

          - Swap            : Swaps the current colour with a
                               selectable destination colour.

 DPaint IV / Personal Paint:
 ---------------------------
        A file requester appears which allows the user to select the
        executable program DPaintIV / Personal Paint.
        This is important to inform PMPro where these programs
        can be found.
        When working with wrong settings, these functions can't be
        accessed from the POP-UP menu. The given default settings
        DPAINTIV:DPAINT / PPAINT:PPAINT will not have to be changed
        with correctly installed DPaintIV and Personal Paint.

 Load:
 -----
        Loads the settings from the saved configuration file.

 Save:
 -----
        Saves the current settings to the configuration file.

 Default:
 --------
        Resets the current configuration to default values:

          - Data path  : PIC_MANAGER:Catalogs
          - DPaintIV   : DPAINTIV:DPAINT
          - PPaint     : PPAINT:PPAINT
          - Greyscales : Grey 1
          - Screen colours    : grey, black, white, blue
          - Dither Thumbnails: active
          - Printer Check    : active
          - Photo-CD         : Drive cd0:, Size: 384x256 Pixel


 Printer Check:
 --------------

    With this function you may turn off the checking of the printer's
    parallel port before printing. This may sometimes be necessary with
    network printers or serial interface cards.
    If your printer is connected with the parallel port of your Amiga,
    you should always leave the Printer Check active.


 Generate Catalog:
 -----------------

  Besides the extremely improved thumbnail quality through interpolation,
  multi-step contrast and sharpness adjustment, PMPro also offers
  the unique support of LHA/LZX archives, which can be found on various
  CD-ROM series (like e.g. Aminet). The Packer LZX V1.21 has not been
  included because of legal reasons, but you can find it on many
  CD-ROM series and on Aminet. Just copy it to your C: directory.
  The LHA packer has been included with PMPro, so that there are no
  more installation steps to perform. Please also read the chapter
  about LHA-LZX support.

  Now let's continue with the functions of this menu:

   - Scale quality: Besides fast, but somewhat worse quality, you may
     now select precise and best scaling for the
     thumbnail generation. It offers two stages, for 24 Bit graphics
     or for all colourdepths of the graphics. But please note that
     with the setting for 1..24Bit graphics (even those with only
     2 colours) will at first be transformed to 24 Bit, which of course
     does require more memory.
   - Dithering: Thumbnail quality in most cases can be increased
     by activating Floyd-Steinberg dithering.
     With Clipart-Graphics (with only 2 or 4 colours) dithering should
     be turned off.
   - Sharpening and contrast improvement: This may also be activated
     for thumbnail generation. Increasing it slightly, in small amounts
     often gives the best results. In combination with high quality
     scaling and Floyd dithering you will get excellent thumbnail
     quality. Comparisons show, that even thumbnails in 24 Bit
     colourdepth will not give more improvements, so such an option
     will not be missed (remembering that such thumbnails would
     require a lot more of hard disk space).
   - Autoborder: On CD-ROMs there are often graphics which have a
     single-coloured border (most often black) around them. When scaling
     these graphics to smaller sizes, a large area of the thumbnail will
     become black, which caused the actual graphics to become nearly
     invisible.
     When activating the Autoborder function, the ugly single-coloured
     area will automatically be removed, so that the original graphics
     will be visible.
   - Checking LHA-LZX Archive: with this option being activated, PMPro
     will automatically examine archives of type LHA or LZX when
     scanning directories and will catalogue the graphics archived
     in these. Of course you may as well just select a single LHA
     archive to be examined. More information can be found in the
     chapter about LHA and LZX archives. Please note, that this
     function must explicitly be activated to make PMPro scan archives
     automatically!
   - Close main screen: When memory is available in large amounts,
     the main screen of PMPro may now be kept open when expanding the
     catalogue. While cataloguing, the current thumbnail will now be
     immediately displayed on screen and you may visually follow
     catalogue creation.


 Photo-CD:
 ---------

    Before cataloguing Photo-CDs you have to specify the correct
    drive within the corresponding input field.

    This function allows the configuration of cataloguing and displaying
    of graphics of a Photo-CD. The following settings have to be made:

      * CD-ROM Drive:    Enter the name of the CD-ROM drive
                         (e.g. "cd0:", "cd1:" ...)


      * Size        :    This function allows to determine the size
                         of the graphics when being displayed
                         on the screen. Sizes possible are:

                            192x128, 384x256 and 768x512 Pixel

      * OK          :    Uses the changed settings. For a permanent
                         change within the configuration file use
                         the function SETTINGS/SAVE.

      * Cancel      :    Leaves the menu without keeping any of
                         the changed settings.


 External programs (User-PopUp):
 -------------------------------
    This function allows the configuration of the second popup-menu
    (called via user-popup within the popup-menu or via pressing the left
    mouse button over a thumbnail) to suit your own needs.
    You may assign any function to each of the eight buttons.
    The user-popup is already pre-configured for the use of AdPro, ImageFX
    and DPaintV. WinView will also allow the user to display the selected
    graphics within a window on the PMPro screen.
    The directory Rexx1 of the PicManager-drawer contains many
    example scripts, which are easily (without programming knowledge)
    adjustable for your programs. The following sample script should
    explain how you can create your own ARexx scripts:

        /*
        **      EXPORTS A PICTURE FROM PMPro into ADPro
        **      (c) 1995  J. Schaefer
        ** NOTE: If you write your own ARexx-script to export pictures
        ** from PMPro to any program, change the file-
        ** and path-name of the picture to PicManFile
        ** (See below, CASE SENSITIVE)
        */
        ADDRESS "ADPro"
        ADPRO_TO_FRONT
        LOADER "UNIVERSAL" PicManFile
        EXIT 0

    Within this example a graphic will be exported to ADPro
    and the ADPro screen will be put to the front.
    It is important to mention that ADPro has to be started before
    trying to export a graphic to it.

    Now the description of the script:

    The first statement (ADDRESS "ADPro") is for supplying the
    ARexx port the name of the selected program.
    Please adjust this one.
    The second command puts the ADPro screen to the front.
    This function would also have to be replaced by the appropriate
    counterpart of the program the script is being written for.
    The next statement is perhaps the most important one. Here the
    specified graphic will be loaded into ADPro. Replace the graphic's
    name within the load command with "PicManFile" (it is necessary to
    remember case-sensitivity). PictureManager professional will replace
    this dummy name by the name of the selected graphic later
    (included in double quotes) and afterwards execute the ARexx Script.
    This allows selection of any external program from outside of PMPro
    and exporting graphics to it. Should the program only be started from
    CLI and not include ARexx capability, this will also be possible.
    In such a case you have to replace ADDRESS "ADPro" by ADDRESS
    "COMMAND". The next line will then have to contain a CLI-command (see
    script WinView.rexx in the Rexx1-drawer as an example).
    It is also possible to automatically process the graphic
    after it is exported to other programs. See Script
    "ADPro_DeepPress.rexx" within the Rexx1-directory.


 VECTOR FORMATS:
 ---------------
  In this menu you may set
  may set all necessary preferences for the vector file formats like 
  PS, EPS, CGM etc..

   Postscript Options
   ------------------
    - Ghostscript: select the program Ghostscript here
    - Colourdepth: select, which colourdepth should be used for importing
      Postscript files. 8-Bit will usually suffice.
    - Resolution: Which resolution (dpi - Dots per Inch) should be used
      for importing. The default value of 73 dpi usually complies to
      the screen resolution and should not be increased too much.
    - Activate: Should this module be activated (see note) ?

   Amifig / GPlot / EPS
   ---------------------
    - Select GPlot: select the program GPlot.
    - Activate: Should the GPlot module be activated (see note) ?
    - Select fig2dev: select the program fig2dev (which comes with Amifig)
    - Activate: Should the Amifig module be activated (see note) ?
    - load EPS: This function determines whether loading an EPS graphics
      imports the preview header or an interpretation by Ghostscript.
    - save EPS: Determines the resolution which is being used for saving
      EPS graphics. Saving EPS graphics does not require Postscript
      and thus is always available, even if Ghostscript has not been
      installed. 

  PLEASE READ ALSO THE CHAPTER "Vector Graphics Support of PMPro"