[AppBasic] DrawScript Filetype Problem

[Fred Graute]

In message <dbd36ded53.D_Lane at lakeview.demon.co.uk>
          David R Lane <D_Lane at Lakeview.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> In message <mpro.n2w9nn006no4p04ro.pittdj at pittdj.co.uk>
>           David Pitt <pittdj at pittdj.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > David R Lane, on 23 Mar, wrote:
>
> >>
> >> 'Between emails' I had already corrected the Draw.ModeWhen file to what
> >> you have above. I have now changed the filetype of the Modes.Draw.Choices
> >> file to text; but, unfortunately, the file seems to be a binary. So the
> >> problem remains.
>
> [snip]
>
> > As Fred says bin the old file and let StrongED save its default, the old and
> > new file names are the same so the presence of the old style data one will
> > be preventing the saving of a new style text one.
>
> >> I don't know where you got your Choices file from, but mine came in the
> >> dsed/zip file from Joe Taylor's website,
> >> http://www3.mistral.co.uk/joe_taylor/drawscript/ (see DrawScript
> >> configuration mode for StrongED on downloads page).
>
> > I made my own some time ago.
> >>
> >> Thanks for help so far. Could you email me a copy of your choices file?
>
> > In a fit of creativity I have renamed the mode as DrawScript and added the
> > beginnings of a Mode StrongHelp file.
>
> > A emailed zip will turn up shortly.
>
> Hi Fred and David,
>
> Neither of your solutions has worked. No Choices file was saved in
> Defaults.Modes.DrawScript using Fred's suggestion.

Apologies David, perhaps David and I were too brief in our explanations
due to being very familiar with StrongED.

Choices are, normally, being saved to !StrED_cfg - the application that
holds StrongED's choices. It's usually located in either Boot:Choices or
in the same directory as StrongED.

An easy to check to see where StrongED saves its choices is to click
Shift-Select on its iconbar icon. This will open !StrED_cfg.UserPrefs
when StrED_cfg is in use, else it will open !StrongED.Defaults.

In the directory opened by the above, go to the DrawScript directory and
delete the Choices file. Then follow the steps I provided earlier.

> I tried David's Choices file, but the filetype problem remained. I can
> see the differences his Choices file makes to the DrawScript window
> including a black background - it was white before.

Unlike older versions, StrongED 4.67 and above no longer store the mode
colours in the Choices file but in ColoursStd or ColoursAlt instead. By
default, ColoursStd is 'black on white, and ColoursAlt 'white on black'.
I guess David sent you all configuration files, not just Choices.

> I notice that every filetype name that I have looked at consists of no
> more than 8 characters, sometimes abbreviating the fullname that we
> know the application by down to 8 or less characters, e.g., EasiDoc,
> and "DrawScri" is just 8 characters.

Names of filetypes should not be longer than 8 characters because the
SWIs to read them only return 8 characters (two 32-bit words). The
system variables holding those names do not have such a limit. So,
depending on how the filetype name is extracted it may shown in full or
abbreviated to 8 chars.

> Perhaps editors are different (but not Edit).

Yes, programs like Zap and StrongED can edit any type of file therefore
there needs to be a way to specify the filetype. Most other applications
save in their native filetype.

> I am no expert, but my guess is that some changes from DrawScript to
> DrawScri need to be made in files in Defaults.Modes.DrawScript, or
> changes from Drawscri to DrawScript in the !DrawScript application.

No changes should be required. Like David, I have updated my copy of
DrawScript mode and it's all working fine.

> This is where one of those applications/utilities that search for
> files containing a certain word would be useful?

Er, you mean StrongED, yes? ;-)

-- 
Fred Graute
http://www.stronged.iconbar.com/