Ive upgraded a VirtualRPC_ADJUSTSA 4.39 system to RISC OS 6.16. I have a Filer_OpenDir command in an obey file which worked on 4.39 but on 6.16 the directory opens in a different place. On changing the X coordinate of the command, the Y position also seems to be affected. It looks like the X value is also being used as the Y value.
The Filer_OpenDir command in the obey file is
Filer_OpenDir <MDSD$Dir> 750 1000 800 720 -sn -li
where <MDSD$Dir> happens to be set to HostFS::HardDisc4.$
Has anyone else encountered such a problem, or am I doing something wrong.
On 23 Oct, 15:59, pdm <pd.mill...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> Ive upgraded a VirtualRPC_ADJUSTSA 4.39 system to RISC OS 6.16. I have > a Filer_OpenDir command in an obey file which worked > on 4.39 but on 6.16 the directory opens in a different place. On > changing the X coordinate of the command, the Y position also seems to > be affected. It looks like the X value is also being used as the Y > value.
I noticed a similar oddity with Filer_OpenDir under 6.16 on my RiscPC, and put the question into a post on the Select discussion group on 1 October. But it has not yet received an answer from Developer.
To demonstrate at least something wrong (by comparison with 4.39 and 5.14), try having a TestDir and making two obeyfiles:
and Obey2 containing: Filer_OpenDir TestDir 700 1000
then double-click them in the order:
Obey1 Obey2 Obey1
With 6.16, on the second execution of Obey1 the filer window moves to 700 700, whereas under 4.39 and 5.14 it stays put (although the width can change). This seems to show that under certain circumstances, the Y value does get replaced by the X value.
I will post this to the Select group too, and hope that a bug is acknowledged.
On 4 Nov, 22:32, BernardUK <b.bo...@bcs.org> wrote: <snip>
> I noticed a similar oddity with Filer_OpenDir under 6.16 on my RiscPC, > and put the question into a post on the Select discussion group on 1 > October. But it has not yet received an answer from Developer.
> To demonstrate at least something wrong (by comparison with 4.39 and > 5.14), try having a TestDir and making two obeyfiles:
Thanks for the reply. I was beginning to think it was just happening my system. I encountered the oddity a day before my Select subscription ran out, and I hadn't got round to joining the Select discussion group. I sent an email to RISCOS Ltd support but didn't get a reply.
> and Obey2 containing: > Filer_OpenDir TestDir 700 1000
> then double-click them in the order:
> Obey1 > Obey2 > Obey1
I tried this on RISC OS 4.02, 4.39, 5.11 and 6.16 and got the same result as you did - works as expected except on 6.16.
<snip>.
I use Filer_OpenDir quite alot with my virtual screen manager that I wrote to use instead of !Multiscreen - which doesn't seem to work on later versions of RISC OS.
In the end I got fed up with filer windows being in the wrong place and motivated by the fact that it might cost me another 99ukp for a bug fix, I decided to look for a workaround and ended up writing a module to correct the filer window's position. The module implements a single command for the window open part of the Filer_OpenDir command. i.e. the following opens the filer window where you expect it to be with the selected options.
The command stores each directory name and coordinates in a list in a dynamic area and when the module gets control back from the wimp on a poll word non zero event it scans the window stack repeatedly, between wimp_polls for a null event, for the filer windows and sends an open window request to the filer with the stored coordinates, until there are no more names in the list. Using a list caters for the possibility (real or not !?) of any number of Filer_OpenDir and pdm_OpenDir commands being issued before the module gets control back from the wimp.
I don't know if there is a simpler workaround but the module appears to work, at least in the way I use it.
If you want to risk trying out the module, I can email a copy to you.
On 6 Nov, 00:18, pdm <pd.mill...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> I encountered the oddity a day before my Select subscription ran > out, and I hadn't got round to joining the Select discussion group. I > sent an email to RISCOS Ltd support but didn't get a reply.
Well, I have raised the point on the Select group and had some further confirmation of there being a problem with 6.16, but so far no answer from Developer.
> I tried this on RISC OS 4.02, 4.39, 5.11 and 6.16 and got the same > result as you did - works as expected except on 6.16.
Yup,
> I use Filer_OpenDir quite alot with my virtual screen manager that I > wrote to use instead of !Multiscreen - which doesn't seem to work > on later versions of RISC OS.
Don't know !Multiscreen, but I do use Steve Revill's !MoreDesk under 5.14 (http://7thsoftware.com/moredesk/index.html : £17+) which is bang up to date and may do what you require, since (among many features) you can set up each desktop to open directories with full specification including position. (Note to self: I should check that this works correctly under 6.16 as well!)
> In the end I [snip] ended up writing a module to correct > the filer window's position. [snip detail].
Interesting, but it shouldn't be needed, should it?
> If you want to risk trying out the module, I can email a copy to you.
Thank you, but I'm more than satisfied with !MoreDesk for now...
On 12 Nov, 15:26, BernardUK <b.bo...@bcs.org> wrote:
> (Note to self: I should check that this works correctly under 6.16 as > well!)
I've now tried the Automatic Filer_OpenDir when switching between desktops using !MoreDesk under 6.16. Lo and behold, after several switches to and from the desktop for which an OpenDir is defined, its position reverts from the stored (x,y) to (x,x).
In article <31314718-e462-458e-8821-de06e4932...@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>, BernardUK <b.bo...@bcs.org> wrote:
> On 12 Nov, 15:26, BernardUK <b.bo...@bcs.org> wrote:
> > (Note to self: I should check that this works correctly under 6.16 as > > well!)
> I've now tried the Automatic Filer_OpenDir when switching between > desktops using !MoreDesk under 6.16. Lo and behold, after several > switches to and from the desktop for which an OpenDir is defined, its > position reverts from the stored (x,y) to (x,x).
This is exactly what I'd expect to happen given the description of the ROL Filer bug in this thread.
Thanks,
Steve
-- Steve Revill @ Home Note: All opinions expressed herein are my own.
On 12 Nov, 15:26, BernardUK <b.bo...@bcs.org> wrote:
> On 6 Nov, 00:18, pdm <pd.mill...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
<snip> > > I use Filer_OpenDir quite alot with my virtual screen manager that I > > wrote to use instead of !Multiscreen - which doesn't seem to work > > on later versions of RISC OS.
> Don't know !Multiscreen, but I do use Steve Revill's !MoreDesk under > 5.14 (http://7thsoftware.com/moredesk/index.html: £17+) which is bang > up to date and may do what you require, since (among many features) > you can set up each desktop to open directories with full > specification including position. <snip>
Except, understandably, that doesn't allow for operating system extensions to the Filer_OpenDir options e.g. -ThumbNails -VerticalList - ReverseSort -ClaimFocus -DefaultLegacy in RISC OS 6.16. That's one reason I was using the Filer_OpenDir command.
> > In the end I [snip] ended up writing a module to correct > > the filer window's position. [snip detail].
> Interesting, but it shouldn't be needed, should it?
> > If you want to risk trying out the module, I can email a copy to you.
> Thank you, but I'm more than satisfied with !MoreDesk for now...
Just to clarify. I wasn't suggesting that you try my virtual screen manager, but the module I wrote to address filer windows being in the wrong place in the specific case of using the Filer_OpenDir command. !MoreDesk sends a FilerOpenDirAt message to the filer when auto opening a filer window, so the module wouldn't help in that case.
But as you mention !MoreDesk. When it was initially released I did consider using it, but I'm not a big fan of the desktop viewer/micro view features that it and many virtual desk programs use, nor of decorating my desktops with backdrop images, but still wanted to have an organized set of desktops and windows. So I decided to continue with my own program which has a more light weight, unobtrusive approach, and which already had the facility to provide an unlimited number of named virtual screens, and only needed to use a menu system and a small control panel to access them and easily do the usual things of listing windows by task or screen (or all windows on all screens), selecting a group of windows and move or tab through them and hide, re-show, fetch, or get them from a screen, move or copy them to another screen, etc. And it uses the hidden windows stack to hide windows from, view instead of a large negative x or y offset, to avoid certain situations like WinEd marking a file as modified when its window is moved off screen. Apart from that my program already contained alot of similar functionality to !MoreDesk such as backdrop and pinboard association, ability to include or ignore windows, user configuration and alerts (implemented by a small script language), obey files and its own script files can be run when a screen is first entered, or on every visit or exit, etc.
However, on your recommendation I downloaded the latest !MoreDesk demo and tried it out again. It's gained some good features since I last looked at it. I encountered one little problem with it though. When I used the Window submenu to move windows to the front or back of the stack applications started crashing and I needed to do a restart to regain a usable system. This occurred with windows of about half of the DrWimp example programs, which might sound like a big problem but I am building a C version of the DrWimp lbrary and a front end DrWimp C application builder to go with it and use both the BASIC and C example programs regularly in testing. It would be unfortunate to encounter the crash in mid source edit. But, there is a way round it - the corresponding keyboard shortcuts ^F and ^B work ok.
In article <f2a10069-27df-4ccd-af20-05832fab8...@d21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>, pdm <pd.mill...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> On 12 Nov, 15:26, BernardUK <b.bo...@bcs.org> wrote: > > Don't know !Multiscreen, but I do use Steve Revill's !MoreDesk under > > 5.14 (http://7thsoftware.com/moredesk/index.html: £17+) which is bang up > > to date and may do what you require, since (among many features) you can > > set up each desktop to open directories with full specification > > including position. <snip>
> Except, understandably, that doesn't allow for operating system extensions > to the Filer_OpenDir options e.g. -ThumbNails -VerticalList - ReverseSort > -ClaimFocus -DefaultLegacy in RISC OS 6.16. That's one reason I was using > the Filer_OpenDir command.
That's true. Those display options could always be added if someone were to contact me and ask for them. I'd probably need the output from *Help Filer_OpenDir as a guide.
> But as you mention !MoreDesk. When it was initially released I did > consider using it, but I'm not a big fan of the desktop viewer/micro view > features that it and many virtual desk programs use, nor of decorating my > desktops with backdrop images, but still wanted to have an organized set > of desktops and windows.
I'm very interested in hearing how people use their systems, especially because I find unexpected things which give me inspiration for MoreDesk development.
I don't really understand what you mean about not being a fan of the desktop viewer and micro view features. They only appear if/when you ask them to.
Also, the features in MoreDesk for decorating your desktops with background images (and pinboard icon sets) are off by default, so I don't know why that should affect you.
Ta for the bug report, by the way, I'll look into it. :)
Thanks,
Steve
-- Steve Revill @ Home Note: All opinions expressed herein are my own.
|
