CONFFILE.TXT

18/12/94

CONFFILE.TXT

Configuration manual for no|Desk version 3.0

Copyright 1994 by no|Desk Software GmbH

Documentation:
     Ralf Mertens
     Andreas Fahrig
     Christian Stamm
     Marco Zahnen

Translation by: 
Lorant Oswald and Howard Carson (Toronto Atari Federation)

The noDesk Configuration Files
------------------------------
There are a number of files for the configuration of noDesk 
whose structures are described in detail in the following text.


Object Definition File
======================
This is actually the most important configuration file in noDesk. 
It contains the definitions of all objects, with their associated 
commands (doubleclicks, drag operations, etc.). NODESK.NDQ is 
the object definition file in ASCII format. It is included in 
order to facilitate the preparation of your own object 
definition files. Before using your own object definition files 
in noDesk, you must transform them into Binary code using 
NDCMPLR.UTP. If you want to know more about the structure of 
object definition files - in order to create new ones yourself - 
you must read 'OBJECTS.TXT'. 

Menu-Tree Resource
==================
It is possible to create your own menu tree using a resource
editor such as INTERFACE and to associate individual entries in
the new menu tree with your own commands and programs using
MENUEDIT.UTP.
In order to let noDesk know the about the new menu bar, the name 
of the pulldown menu resource file must be handed to newdesk 
command. The commands that are associated with the individual 
menu entries are registered through 'aliases'. These aliases 
have the names (or are called) 'menucmdXY' where X is the number 
of menu titles in HEX format, and Y is the number of the 
appropriate entry in this title. X and Y can have values between 
'1' and 'F'.
In order to understand the system, you should look at our sample 
configuration. From there . . . it is child's play. We 
particularly liked the opportunity to place icons in the 
pulldown menus, that enable the user to easily find frequently
used tools. If you set '1' for extended object types in 
program-info-object (upper left in the menu bar), then the menu 
bar will be drawn in noLook (3-D display) if the AES version
(screen manager) in your computer, permits it.

Icon Assignment Files (*.NDI) and Icon Resource Files
=====================================================
All noDesk icons are loaded from regular GEM resource files. 
Both Monochrome and Colour icons are recognized and 
appropriately displayed. Don't forget however, that colour icons 
can use up quite a lot of RAM!
The Icon Assignment File is used to assign an icon from a 
resource file, to noDesk objects. The first line of this file
contains the maximum number of possible icon assignments for the
four different object types (separated by a <space> character):

<Drives> <Tools> <Folders> <Files>

The second line contains the name of the icon resource file to 
be used, with its full path name. It is followed  - each 
separated by a <space> character - by the assignment blocks for 
the individual object groups (Drives, Tools, Folders, Files). A 
simple example for an icon assignment file, looks like this:

     20 20 60 100
     C:\NODESK\CNF\NODESK.RSC

     A                   Floppy
     B                   Floppy
     C                   Hard Drive
     D                   Hard Drive
     E                   Hard Drive
     F                   Hard Drive

     DRUCKER             Printer

     *.*                 Folder

     *.*                 File

An icon is assigned to an object name (eg: 'C' for Drive C:) 
through the icon's label text. In the above example the resource 
file C:\NODESK\CNF\NODESK.RSC contains (among others) 5 
different icons with labels "Floppy", "Hard Drive", "Printer", 
"Folder", and "File".
It is important that in the resource editor, each icon has a 
unique label! This label must NOT contain a <space> character. 
The length of the label determines the minimum width of the icon
