Article-I.D.: mit-amt.546
Posted: Sat Dec  6 14:47:48 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Dec-86 03:43:43 EST
Sender: usenet@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: ralph@mit-atrp.UUCP (Amiga-Man)
Organization: MIT Amiga Users Group
Lines: 35
Keywords: workbench, file, requestor, icon, RKM

So, there I am whipping up a handy plotting application in C. I decide
that I want it to work from the Workbench Icon environment. Suddenly,
it's time to write the part that prompts a user for the file name.
My mind's eye turns on, I visualize:
A little text-oriented file requester pops up with the names of the
files and a little slider and.....

    HOLD EVERYTHING ! THIS IS FUTILE, CONFUSING, and POINTLESS !

Why should I be dealing with file names in a little text box when I'm running
a machine from an *ICON* interface ?  Heck, I started my program with an
ICON, how come when I want to read in a file I can't still pick an icon ?
Isn't this the obvious way for it to work ?????  It seems to me that it
should be possible to have the program, in response to a user trying
to read in a file, pop the application window to the back exposing the
workbench and it's open windows with icons. I then click around until I
find what I want and then somehow return to the application again with
that Icon somehow selected. This is the most consistant interface to use.
Understand the idea of multiple selecting Icons and then double clicking
the tool to get the names passed in as a workbench message. This is fine.
I am already writing all my programs to start this way. But once the
application is started then how to I get a selected icon ?

    HELP !

I've been reading my serious Amiga manuals (i.e. RKM) and trying to figure
out how to do this. Has anyone thought of this and tried it? Anyone know
how to do it. You realize once we get this code written, no program need
ever worry about how to get a file again. I'm psyched and if you can suggest
a way, send me e-mail. Or, if a discussion here seems appropriate, so be it!
I just have the strong conviction that the ICON interface is THE way to
converse with my Amiga and that this is the way all file requesters should
work.
                                   Thanks for listening !
                                   Ralph, a gradual student.

Article-I.D.: jade.1865
Posted: Tue Dec  9 02:37:34 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Dec-86 11:18:33 EST
References: <546@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: mwm@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike (Don't have strength to leave) Meyer)
Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica
Lines: 47
Keywords: workbench, file, requestor, icon, RKM

In article <546@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> ralph@mit-atrp.UUCP (Amiga-Man) writes:
 > Why should I be dealing with file names in a little text box when I'm running
 > a machine from an *ICON* interface ?  Heck, I started my program with an
 > ICON, how come when I want to read in a file I can't still pick an icon ?

Because not all files you may want to read in have icons? That's one
problem. If it isn't a problem for you (you know you'll always have
icons for everything), how about a requestor with LOTS of gadgets, one
per file?

 > I've been reading my serious Amiga manuals (i.e. RKM) and trying to figure
 > out how to do this. Has anyone thought of this and tried it? Anyone know
 > how to do it. You realize once we get this code written, no program need
 > ever worry about how to get a file again. I'm psyched and if you can suggest
 > a way, send me e-mail. Or, if a discussion here seems appropriate, so be it!
 > I just have the strong conviction that the ICON interface is THE way to
 > converse with my Amiga and that this is the way all file requesters should
 > work.

For an alternative, the people at Xerox PARC dreamed up an interface
called the "browser." It lets you wade through a hierarchy of objects
via a menu system. In it's original form, it has two windows. The top
window has a series of tall panes with names, and the currently
selected name from that pane backlit. If you select an object the
browser can display, it does so in the bottom window. If you select an
object that is a "directory", it lists its contents in the next pane.

The Amiga version uses the menu bar. The menu contains the current
path, looking like "df0:this/is/a/path/to/a/directory/". Each element
in the path is a menu, and pulling it down gets a listing of all the
files in the directory. Selecting a directory re-arranges the menu to
reflect the current selection (say, selecting "another/" under menu
"a" gets you a menu bar of "df0:this/is/another/"); selecting a real
file passes it to the main program.

There are three versions of the browser on the fish disks. The
original lattice version, which is pretty primitive. A MANX version
that's been spiffied up (scroll bars and such like). Finally, the mg1a
disk uses the browser to do a "find-file" on the selected file. Love
wading through include directories with it.

One interesting enhancement would be to notice .icon files, and use
the icon imagery in the menu instead of the name. Not clear how hard
that would be, though.

	Happy Hacking,
	  

		
		
		
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