From: lynbech@daimi.aau.dk (Christian Lynbech)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: desktop.inf and fileviewing
Date: 13 Nov 91 08:40:15 GMT
Organization: DAIMI: Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, Denmark
Lines: 58

[This may be common knowledge, but the following trick was new to me.]


The following trick will enable you to view any file with a program of your own
choice, just by double-clicking on the file.

Install the program as normal with some (actually any) extension. Save your
desktop and load desktop.inf into your favorite editor. Now find the line that
correspond to the installation of the fileviewer, and move that line up BEFORE
the lines that determines what files are executables. Furthermore edit the
extension to *.*@

After doeing this, my desktop.inf looks like this:


#a000000
#b000000
#c7770007000600070055200505552220770557075055507703111103
#d                                             
#E 78 13 
#W 00 00 00 03 4C 0C 08 C:\APPL\*.*@
#W 00 00 02 0B 4C 09 00 @
#W 00 00 0A 0F 34 09 00 @
#W 00 00 0E 01 34 09 00 @
#M 02 00 00 FF D HARDDISK@ @ 
#M 01 00 00 FF C HARDDISK@ @ 
#M 00 00 00 FF A FLOPPY DISK@ @ 
#T 00 07 02 FF   TRASH@ @ 
#F FF 04   @ *.*@ 
#D FF 01   @ *.*@ 
#P 03 04   C:\BIN\MANPAGER.TTP@ *.*@ 
#G 03 FF   *.APP@ @ 
#G 03 FF   *.PRG@ @ 
#P 03 FF   *.TTP@ @ 
#F 03 04   *.TOS@ @ 
#G 03 04   C:\APPL\UTIL\DIVERSE\CMD\CMD.PRG@ *.CMD@ 
#G 03 04   C:\TEX\SHOWDVI\SHOWDVI.PRG@ *.DVI@ 
#G 03 04   C:\APPL\UTIL\DIVERSE\TOM_SHEL\TOMSHELL.PRG@ *.TOM@ 



As you can see, the viewer (in my case c:\bin\manpager.ttp) is now placed
before the *.APP and *.PRG stuff.

The trick is that the document type for c:\bin\manpager.ttp is *.* which
matches anything. Therefore it must be the last pattern tried by the desktop.
The desktop searches the list in reverse order, therefore the entry must be
first. Otherwise any other program would be seen as a document for the
manpager, including any executable file!

I tried it yesterday and it really worked. I have TOS 1.4, but I suspect that
it should work under older versions as well.


Christian Lynbech

DAIMI                                           office: R0.32   phone: 5034
University of Aarhus,DK-Denmark                 email: lynbech@daimi.aau.dk



From: r0mill01@ULKYVX.BITNET (Robert Delius Royar)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: desktop.inf and fileviewing
Date: 13 Nov 91 11:16:32 GMT
Reply-To: r0mill01@ULKYVX.BITNET
Organization: University of Louisville
Lines: 39

In article <1991Nov13.084015.19026@daimi.aau.dk>, lynbech@daimi.aau.dk (Christian Lynbech) writes:
>[This may be common knowledge, but the following trick was new to me.]
[Info about the inf file]
>
>
>After doeing this, my desktop.inf looks like this:
>
>#F FF 04   @ *.*@ 
>#D FF 01   @ *.*@ 
>#P 03 04   C:\BIN\MANPAGER.TTP@ *.*@ 
>#G 03 FF   *.APP@ @ 
>#G 03 FF   *.PRG@ @ 
>#P 03 FF   *.TTP@ @ 
>#F 03 04   *.TOS@ @ 
>#G 03 04   C:\APPL\UTIL\DIVERSE\CMD\CMD.PRG@ *.CMD@ 
>#G 03 04   C:\TEX\SHOWDVI\SHOWDVI.PRG@ *.DVI@ 
>#G 03 04   C:\APPL\UTIL\DIVERSE\TOM_SHEL\TOMSHELL.PRG@ *.TOM@ 
>
>
>I tried it yesterday and it really worked. I have TOS 1.4, but I suspect that
>it should work under older versions as well.

Be sure your inf file on pre 1.4 systems does not excede 1K

>
>
>Christian Lynbech
>
>DAIMI                                          office: R0.32   phone: 5034
>University of Aarhus,DK-Denmark                 email: lynbech@daimi.aau.dk

While it is undocumented, the 
#F FF 04   @ *.*@ 
Line controls the default print file option (or at least that's what's been
reported on the net some years ago).  My Desktop.inf contanins
#F FF 04   C:\ETC\TYPE.PRG *.*@ 
and that seems to work very well.

Robert Royar


-