TOS4 Trap v1.0 -------------- [released April 4, 1994] Copyright ½ 1994 Trace Technologies Program by Keith Gerdes ARCHIVE CONTENTS ================ TOS4TRAP.TXT - this file TOS4TRAP.PRG - TOS4 Trap v1.0 General info ============ TOS4TRAP was scheduled to be part of a "Falcon-specific" utility package I am currently working on. Due to the present demand for this program, I didn't think I should delay its release until the entire package was ready. Look for details about the package in the near future. Also, a demo of one of the modules should be available at the time of release. o What does TOS4 Trap do? Monitors certain GEMDOS calls to make passed parameters "TOS4 GEMDOS compatible". When it runs, it checks the version of TOS and will not install in memory if you do not have TOS 4.xx. o Which programs are indirectly addressed by this system patch? Currently I am aware of: STalker - print block in terminal window - w/o TOS4TRAP, an error alert NeoDesk - delete folder (NOTE: pre-NeoDesk4) - w/o TOS4TRAP, contents are deleted but the folder is not MaxiFile - delete folder - w/o TOS4TRAP, contents are deleted but the folder is not Desk Manager - file renaming - w/o TOS4TRAP, files are not renamed and others I would think. o Shareware? You may evaluate this program for a 14 day trial period. If you find the program a useful addition to your system, you are expected to register. See the 'Contact Info' and 'Shareware' sections for further details. Operation ========= TOS4 Trap installs a routine into the GEMDOS system vector, checking for certain system calls matching specific input conditions. Installation ============ Copy TOS4TRAP.PRG to your AUTO folder. It should run early in the bootup sequence to allow monitoring of other AUTO programs. This does not mean first or second or any particular location, just as long as it can do its job. Usage ===== When run TOS4 Trap in the AUTO folder, it will stay resident after execution. You can run TOS4 Trap from the desktop, but the ideal location is the AUTO folder with the rest of your Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs. Configuration ============= None... Errors ====== If you do not have TOS 4.xx in your computer, TOS4 Trap will not be installed in memory after it runs- ie. no "program info" will be printed on screen. Troubleshooting =============== You should not run into any problems with TOS4 Trap installed in your system. However, if you do find a conflict, try changing the run order of your AUTO folder. Feel free to contact me for assistance. Misc ==== The above list of programs is by now means complete. To keep it up-to-date, please send feedback. Technical stuff =============== 1) Wildcard characters in Fopen(), Pexec() and Frename() TOS4TRAP allows you to specify a wildcard (ie. ? or *) in a GEMDOS Fopen [file open], Pexec [execute a process] or Frename [file rename] system call. All TOS versions prior to TOS4 allowed wildcards to be used in a filename passed to these calls. This was not supposed to happen, so TOS4 corrected the oversight- breaking some programs. For example, a common operation I used to perform was saving info to a program which could be named either APP or ACC- ie. Fopen(FILENAME.A??). The correct method is to find a file match then open that file- ie. Fsfirst(FILENAME.A??), Fopen(found filename). Another example: At the NewDesktop, try 'loading the desktop INF' file with a filename NEWDESK.IN?. TOS2 & 3 GEMDOS allowed this. TOS4 won't. 2) Ddelete() with trailing backslash Under TOS4, you can delete a folder's contents without problem. However, deleting the folder itself changed in TOS4. If a Ddelete() [delete directory] call is made with a trailing backlash, '\', the backslash is removed from the path spec by TOS4TRAP; enabling you to delete a folder in certain programs- ie. NeoDesk and MaxiFile. NOTE for 1) & 2): Changes are made by copying the path spec to local memory, processing the path for TOS4 compatibility and then passing this new path on to GEMDOS. 3) Fwrite (send data to printer) TOS4 broke one type of GEMDOS printer output. Using TOS4TRAP enables output in certain programs- ie. STalker. Support ======= Great strides are taken to make sure TOS4 Trap will not cause problems as a new addition to your system. If you do run into any difficulties, report them to me ASAP. You can reach me by phone, GEmail (includes Internet) and GEnie's ST-RT, CAT2 TOP12. - Keith Gerdes GEnie: K.GERDES Internet: k.gerdes@genie.geis.com Tech support: (713)771-8332 [weekdays 1PM-5PM Central Time] Shareware ========= Registering is easy: Send in the shareware fee of US$5. What else do you get for your investment? + Tech support and bug fix updates! + Plus a special discount on a future product. Please make payment by check (issued by a U.S. bank), U.S. funds money order (drawn on a U.S. bank), or postal money order. [NOTEs: GEnie gifts of time are not accepted. And no credit card orders.] Payable to: Trace Technologies or Keith Gerdes Send to: Trace Technologies [TOS4TRAP] PO Box 711403 Houston, TX 77271-1403 TraceTech products ================== TraceTech's products are compatible with all Atari ST/TT/Falcon computers and all TOS versions. Commercial: * Data Diet v2 (++) A realtime file compression system. Use files the same as always, but have them occupy MUCH less disk space! The programs you use don't know Data Diet is trimming away the fat, but you'll notice the difference right away. Also includes DD Tools, DD INFo Editor and Squish v1. A complete system for saving megabytes of storage space. Flexible user options put you in control of your data. You can exclude files, folders and drives which you don't want compressed. You can even specify the compression type to use by several methods- filesize, extender, path name and program name. And you have the choice of compressing your data in three modes- offline, realtime or program transition. Data Diet - simple to install, easy to use and flexible enough to adapt to your system needs. New for v2: Reserve memory, VROdisk, 3 more INF sections, DDINFOED, DD Tools operation filters, improved compression speed and percentage by utilizing available memory, etc. (++) An upgrade from Data Diet v1 is available. Contact TraceTech. * Data Rescue The complete realtime data recovery solution. o Realtime tracking ALL file and folder deletions are monitored so you can immediately rescue accidental deletions, or at any timespan afterwards assuming the associated data is still valid. o Efficient resident program The memory resident portion of Data Rescue occupies less than 10K of RAM. o Two delete tracking modes 1) DAT tracks file AND folder deletions by using a small data file. 2) RESCUEfolder is a trashcan system which moves files to \RESCUE upon deletion, with each folder intelligently maintained. o Intelligent maintenance Any time GEMDOS encounters an out of storage space error, the RESCUE folder is automatically purged of the oldest files and the aborted operation completed. And on bootup each RESCUE folder is maintained by two criteria- file age and/or content size. o RESCUEfolder You can set any temporary paths used by programs to a RESCUE folder so that the temp files are automatically maintained for you. o Small DAT size The size of the DAT tracking file is constant and can be computed by taking the size of the drive in bytes and dividing by 512 for a hard disk or by 682 for a floppy disk. [ie. a 5Meg partition would have a 10K DATARESC.DAT file] o Deleted fragmented data Rescuing fragmented data is a breeze requiring NO user interaction! o Partial data recovery If part of a deleted file is overwritten, you can still rescue the available data. o Rescue Data And not to forget this user convenience- the first character in a name is encoded so the user does not have to remember it or even enter it when rescuing a file/folder. A specialized solution, not just another feature. [NOTE: Compatible with DATAlite2.] * Squish II (++) An executable file compression system. Save storage space quick and easy by compressing your programs and accessories. Multitasking operation. Advanced windowed graphical user interface. Memory efficient design. Transparent, on-the-fly file uncompression in memory. Flexible user options. You control the system! Recursive batch mode. Commandline support. Converts several "packed" formats: ie. PFX, Ice, Fire, BA, Pompey, Squish v1, etc. Faster and better compression than v1. Compression Factor is a user adjustment for the compression routine, ranging from 0 to 9. CF0 gives ~Squish v1.4 compression percentage, ~3x faster. CF3 gives ~PFX compression percentage, ~3x faster. Squish II includes these options: Turbo, Compression Factor, Set Fast bit, Clear Fast bit, Clear Heap, Recursion, Skip Squished, Squished Only, No CF Update, Keep TimeDate, Keep Backup, Specify Destination, Show Alerts, Excluded Filename List, Included Extender List, Excluded Root Folders and Exclude Filesize > xxxxK. Definitely NOT just another "packer"! (++) An upgrade from Squish v1 (aka DC Squish) is available. Contact TraceTech. Shareware: * Load Aladdin Use ST Aladdin on your Falcon030. Use the extra serial ports on your MSTe or TT in ST Aladdin. Frees up the serial port on all Atari computers when not online. Enabling other programs to access the serial port when running ST Aladdin. And save connect charges with the included Idle Guard feature- automatically hangs up the modem after serial I/O has been idle X minutes. * TOS4 Trap This program. Projects in the queue: FastMenu, Missouri and the "Falcon" Utilities. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This program is supplied in the belief that it operates as specified, neither the company (Trace Technologies) nor the authors shall be liable in any circumstance whatsoever for any direct or indirect loss or damage to property incurred or suffered by the customer or any other person as a result of any fault or defect in the goods or services supplied by the company and in no circumstances shall the company be liable against consequential damage or loss of profits -whether or not the possibility thereof was separately advised to it or reasonably forseeable- arising from the use or performance of such goods or services. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This archive contains a SHAREWARE version of the program TOS4 Trap. You may freely distribute this archive in its _entirety_, but you cannot charge for it or alter the programs or contents of the documentation in any manner. Trace Technologies retains all copyright exclusive rights except exclusive distribution of this SHAREWARE version. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Reprint notice: Permission to reprint this document must be obtained from TraceTech.