amos-professional/AMOS/Accessories/AMOSPro_Help/LatestNews_200.Txt
2020-04-26 02:58:13 +02:00

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About AMOS Professional Version 2.0
This section of help describes the modifications done to AMOSPro since the
previous version V1.12. Please select one of these options:
{[IFeatures ,4,3] Features added to AMOSPro }
{[IResource ,4,3] The Resource Bank Creator }
{[IUserGuide ,4,3] Corrections to the User Guide }
{[IFuture ,4,3] The future updates }
{[IHelpInfo ,4,3] Latest News of Version 1.12 }
Features added to AMOS Professional
When you run it, you'll realise that AMOSPro has not changed very much since
V1.12. V1.12 had fixed many bugs and had major enhancements compared to
V1.00.
Even at V1.12 we realised we'd need to update AMOSPro so that it was
structured more modular - thus ensuring it was modern in terms of software
design. We are now able to update AMOSPro much more easily than was
possible. In otherwords we've thought ahead to make our life easier when
creating new updates like AGA support. It has also ensured the Compiler
intergrates wonderfully.
Here's the list of modifications:
* AMOSPro
The re-write of AMOSPro has resulted in a vast reduction in the size of the
"AMOSPro" file. It is now only a mere 20K. AMOSPro is now only a loader:
it loads "AMOS.library", the main instruction set ("AMOSPro.Lib"), the
various extensions, the editor and the monitor files. That's all it does.
* The Main Instruction Set
The main instruction set is now treated as a normal extension to AMOSPro.
Every instruction routine is now callable from another extension. The
system is now fully modular.
AMOSPro.Lib is common to both the AMOSPro Interpreter and the
Compiler. This means that a new AGA update for example, would add commands
to AMOSPro.Lib and these would be available under both interpreter and
Compiler.
* The Extensions
With the extension system being extended to cope with all the different
syntaxes of the AMOSPro instruction set, it is now much more versatile. You
can create reserved variables within extension, have single or double
floating point parameters etc. The extension system is also compatible with
all the extensions written for AMOSPro since V1.00.
Extension writers should wait for the AGA version of AMOSPro before
releasing their code into the public domain: AGA will induce many
modifications within the screen structures of AMOS. Information about these
new screen structures will become available when we release the AGA version.
* The AMOS.Library
- The requester routines are now part of the library. This reduces the size
of the requester extension to a mere 250 Bytes
- The default Mouse.Abk has been included within the library. If you want
to, you can remove it from your APSystem folder, so long as your
AMOSPro_Interpreter_Config does not call it.
- AMOSPro_Default.Font is no longer necessary: AMOS.Library now asks for a
system font to create the AMOSPro window font. As a default this font is
Topaz 8, but you can change it to whatever 8x8 fixed size font you wish
using Interpreter_Config.
You'll be glad to here that the default font is now the same throughout
AMOSPro: In the menus, the graphical text instructions and in windows.
* Default resource banks
The resource banks have been cleaned up. Some icons have been redrawn to
offer a better graphical interface. The Default resource includes new
graphic elements to create new kinds of buttons and editing zones.
* AMOSPro Interpreter Config
The default screen setup has been rewritten to accept the future AGA
palettes.
* AMOSPro Editor Config
The editor screen setup has also been rewritten to cope with the extended
AGA palettes, availables when AMOSPro works in AGA.
* New function: =ZDialog (Channel,X,Y)
This new instruction can be very useful: it returns the number of the
interface zone under X and Y coordinates - without waiting.
Channel: Number of an opened dialogue channel
X : X screen coordinate to test
Y : Y screen coordinate to test
Result:
-1: the coordinate does not point to a zone
>-1: the number of the zone
{[IHelpInf ,4,3] Back to main menu }
Problems removed from Version 1.0
* Block in the editor.
The editor used to add garbage at the end of a block when cutting the block
which included a non-tokenised line.
* Program to menu problems: you could totally mess-up the editor's menu by
adding/removing "Programs to Menu" on certain menus, like "Help",
"Configuration" etc...
* From V1.12 of AMOSPro, INPUT could not be seen from the monitor.
* Doing a screen close in direct mode on a screen which included an active
dialogue channel, resulted in AMOSPro stuck within an infinite loop.
* Such a line:
Vdialog$(0,1)=Array(a$(1))
was accepted by the test. This line was false, as the Array function
returns an integer (the base of the array) and Vdialog waits for a string.
* Integer multiplication.
From the very start of AMOS a bug in integer multiplication caused false
results for certain numbers. Not very annoying because no one has reported
it in 3 years!
{[IHelpInf ,4,3] Back to main menu }
Resource Bank Maker Enhancements
The resource bank maker has been enhanced and now offers the possibility to
store interface programs within a resource bank.
To reach the new functions of the resource bank maker, just click on the new
button from the main menu: 'Edit dialog programs' You will enter a new
panel with the list of programs currently present within the resource bank.
The purpose of these new function is to allow you to insert the Interface
programs within the middle of a resource bank. The interface strings will
no longer be required within your AMOS Program - line like: "A$=A$+" or
"Data". The interface program can be edited using any ASCII editor and then
simply loaded into the bank.
* Loading a program:
You can load any ASCII file into the list by clicking on the 'LOAD' button.
* Editing programs:
Edit your interface programs within any ASCII editor (ED, CygnusED or
others...) and then import them into the Resource_Bank_maker using the
'LOAD' button.
Large Ram or Hard-disk users (only):
It's possible to call up any CLI Ascii editor directly from the
Resource_Bank_Maker.AMOS accessory.
To Edit an existing program, select it with mouse from the list and
then click on the 'Edit' Button. If you do this when the selected program
is empty, a requester will ask you if you want to create a new one.
The editor called by this button is defined by the varable string 'ED_NAME$'
which can be changed by editing the actual Resource bank maker AMOS source
program file (around line 56). Or by clicking on the 'Change Default
Editor' Button. Be aware that these rules must apply to your editor:
1) The ASCII editor must freeze CLI multitasking during editing. So you
cannot have a 'run' command before the editor's name. With CygnusED you'll
have to add the option '-keepio' to ensure the editor presents itself to you
and not hide in the background.
Workbench's ED works fine, you might use a line like:
c:ED {f}
For CygnusED:
c:CED {f}
2) The {f} parameter is a dummy filename which your Ascii Editor usually
expects when you request an edit from CLI or Shell. It carries the dialogue
program position within the bank. When you've finished editing, just save
the file and quit the editor. You'll then be back in the resource editor
with the Ascii file stored within the bank.
If the Resource bank maker cannot find the Editor described by ED_NAME$, it
will only display your DBL program using the 'Readtext' AMOS function.
* Copy, Cut, Paste & Rename:
Use these buttons to duplicate, move and rename any Interface programs in
the list.
* Remove unusued characters:
By clicking here, you can filter and optimise the currently selected
dialogue program in order to save precious bytes and speed up (just a
little), your AMOS interfaces. Warning! Always keep a backup of your DBL
programs before removing unusued characters. You'll hardly be ably to read
them after they've had spaces removed. Only perform this operation at the
very end of you interface programming.
* How to access dialogue programs in banks from within AMOS?
This is very simple. Just call your dialogues by:
Resource Bank x (x = number of the bank where your DBL programs are)
Dialog Open 1,n (n = number of the DBL program within resource bank x)
This is much better that using:
S$=S$+... (initialising string S$)
S$=S$+...
Dialog Open 1,S$ ( S$ = big string containing your DBL programs)
The initialisation phase will be faster and you'll gain some variable buffer
space!
The other interface instrunctions are working exactly the same way.
(D=Dialog Run(1,label), Vdialog(1,va) and so on...)
{[IHelpInf ,4,3] Back to main menu }
Corrections to the AMOS Pro User Guide
Also read the "Correction to the User Guide" chapter in 1.12 help files.
Page 05.07.06
Read Text$ should read Read Text
Page 07.06.23
"Move On" should read "Movon"
Page 11.01.04
XGRAPHIC / YGRAPHIC
"Xtext" should read "Xgraphic"
"Ytext" should read "Ygraphic"
Page 11.04.04
EXEC instruction does not accept an "Output" parameter.
{[IHelpInf ,4,3] Back to main menu }
The future updates
We will continue with our update policy. Here are some of the things you
can wait for in the future:
- AGA Update
- Intuition On / Off to display an AMOS Screen under intuition and
therefore create real workbench applications.
- New instructions to handle intuition screens.
- More and more integration to the Amiga's system.
- and all your good ideas!
{[IHelpInf ,4,3] Back to main menu }