@database "TaskE.guide"
@width 75

##
## $VER: TaskE.guide 1.1 (10.7.93)
## Free Software for Amiga Users
##
##  TaskE AmigaGuide documentation.
##

##
## Contents
##
@node main "TaskE Documentation"

	TaskE, A tool to aid in a software development environment

    Select from the following topics:

    @{ " Introduction                  " link introduction }
    @{ " Copyright and Disclaimer      " link copyright }
    @{ " Requirements and Installation " link requirements }
    @{ " Using TaskE                   " link usage }
    @{ " Credits                       " link credits }
    @{ " History                       " link history }

@endnode

##
## Introduction
##
@node introduction "Introduction"

 TaskE is a task manager. It provides you with information on tasks
 that are running on your Amiga. It also allows you to 'clean up' after
 failed tasks by closing their windows and screens. Thirdly you can
 attempt to remove tasks by sending them CTRL-C signals, and simply by
 disabling them.

 Since the AmigaDOS/Exec combination does not provide resource tracking
 and task management, we can only approximate such things with a program
 like TaskE. You can remove a task with TaskE which will unload its code
 from memory and you can close any screen and window resources the task
 had open, but you cannot 'truly' kill a task with Exec, so any other
 resources the task had open will still remain in 'limbo' until the
 machine is rebooted.

 I developed TaskE because the other task management programs I had seen
 available were not developed solely under 2.04 and with it's new look
 and feel. Also, they provided a lot of information that I really didn't
 find useful. TaskE is meant to be simple and functional. I hope you find
 use for it in your development environment.

 Additionally, full source is included so that others might learn from it
 and modify it to suit any specific needs they might have.

@endnode

##
## Copyright and Distribution
##
@node copyright "Copyright and Disclaimer"

 TaskE is Copyright (c) 1993 Michael D. Bayne.
 All rights reserved.

 Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modi-
 fication, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
    this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright no-
    tice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software
    must display the following acknowledgement:
       This product includes software developed by Michael D. Bayne.
 4. My name may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from
    this software without specific prior written permission.

 THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY MICHAEL D. BAYNE ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS
 OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
 WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
 DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL MICHAEL D. BAYNE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
 INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
 (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
 SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
 HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT,
 STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN
 ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
 POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

@endnode

##
## Requirements
##
@node requirements "Requirements and Installation"

 This software requires that you be running AmigaDOS(tm) 2.04 or higher.

 Additionally, reqtools.library ( Copyright Nico Franois ) is required
 by TaskE. I have not included it in this archive because I'm sure that
 you have it already and if not, get the Blanker 2.5 distribution and
 you'll then have yourself a fine screen blanker as well as the reqtools
 library.

 TaskE requires no installation, simply drag it to where you'd like to
 run it. It runs from both the shell and workbench.

@endnode

##
## Using TaskE
##
@node usage "Using TaskE"

 Project	Kill
 @{" About... " link about}	@{" Window " link window}
 ---------	@{" Screen " link screen}
 @{" Quit     " link quit}

 +--------------------+------------------+
 |                    |                  |
 |                    |                  |
 |                    |                  |
 |   @{" Screen List " link screenlist}    |   @{" Task List " link tasklist}    |
 |                    |                  |
 |                    |                  |
 |                    |                  |
 +--------------------+------------------+
 |@{" Reboot the machine " link reboot}|@{" Update Task List " link update}|
 +--------------------+------------------+

@endnode

##
## Credits
##
@node credits "Credits"

 ReqTools.library is by Nico Franois.

 Author information:

 Michael D. Bayne, Sophomore CS Student at Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech.

 E-Mail address:

 baynemd@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu         (bug reports, etc. here)

 Mailing address:

 Box 216                                  (mail bombs, etc. here)
 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
 5500 Wabash Ave.
 Terre Haute, IN  47803

@endnode

##
## History
##
@node history "History"

 Version 37.1	- Initial public release of TaskE

@endnode

@node about "About"

 Pops up a requester with a little blurb about TaskE and me.

@endnode

@node quit "Quit"

 Quits TaskE (as does the close gadget on the window).

@endnode

@node window "Window"

 Puts TaskE in 'Window kill mode' which means that if you press
 Ctrl-Alt-k while a window is selected, TaskE will close that window.

 After you close one window, TaskE exists 'Window kill mode.' So, in
 order to kill another window you would have to select 'Window' again.

@endnode

@node screen "Screen"

 Puts TaskE in 'Screen kill mode' which is exactly like 'Window kill
 mode' except it closes the entire screen and all windows which reside
 in it.

@endnode

@node screenlist "Screen List"

 This is a list of all open screens. If you click on one of the screens
 TaskE will bring that screen to front.

@endnode

@node tasklist "Task List"

 This is a list of all running (and waiting) tasks on your machine. If you
 click on one of these tasks, TaskE will pop up a requester with a little
 info on the task and ask you if you want to send it a break, remove it or
 do nothing at all.

 Sending it a break will send a CTRL-C signal to the task. If the software
 supports CTRL-C breaking, it will quit and TaskE will inform you that it
 exited successfully. If it doesn't, TaskE will tell you it didn't quit.

 Removing a task will remove that task from the system's task list and unload
 that tasks code from memory. This is dangerous because the task could be
 doing something complicated which would cause your machine to crash if you
 removed it. So use this option with extreme care. Don't go removing tasks
 while you're working on that last chapter of your soon to be best selling
 book that came to you in a fleeting moment and seems like it will never be
 with you again.

 If the task is removed successfully, TaskE will ask you if you want to re-
 move a screen or window as well. If you select screen or window, this will
 simply put TaskE in 'Screen' or 'Window' kill mode respectively. This is
 done so that you can conveniently remove a screen or window that the removed
 task had open. Like the menu option, TaskE will only stay in kill mode for
 one kill and then it returns to normal. So any other window or screen kills
 will require that you select the menu option again.

@endnode

@node reboot "Reboot the machine"

 Like the name says, this reboots your Amiga. If you were dorking with tasks
 a bit too much and things are starting to go down hill, you can click Reboot
 (or press 'r') and do a warm reboot. Just in case you don't feel like giving
 your amiga the three fingered salute.

@endnode

@node update "Update Task List"

 This will query the system task list for a new list of tasks and update your
 local display. Since the querying of the task list is very expensive (to the
 system), the list is only updated when you click this button. So, if you have
 run a new program since TaskE was started or you want to see what ordering
 your tasks have on the list, this button will update the task list.

@endnode
