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Text File | 1992-12-15 | 28.0 KB | 709 lines

ASwarm II V1.3 - Manual NAME SYS:WBStartup/ASwarm SYNOPSIS ASwarm CX_PRIORITY/N/K : <System Priority> CX_POPKEY/K : <Hot Key Description String> CX_POPUP/S : <Yes | No> BLANKKEY/K : <Hot Key Description String> SECONDS=TIMEOUT/N/K : <1 - 3600> CLIENTTIMEOUT/N/K : <1 - 60> DISPLAY/K : <Display Description String> CYCLE/S : <Yes | No> AIM/S : <Yes | No> WASPS/N/K : <1 - 10> BEES/N/K : <1 - 500> SPEED/N/K : <1 - 4> TIGHTNESS/N/K : <1 - 10> MOUSEBLANKMETHOD/K : <Hardware | FreeSprite> DESCRIPTION A Screenblanker Commodity with high security. Does not burn in the graphic into the screen when CPU is really busy. It's funny to watch, runs only under Amiga OS Release 2.04 or newer. SOURCE The source code is included, it can be compiled with SAS-C 5.10a or with the registered version of Dice V2.06.40 (or newer). The source is included to give you a chance to use the Client/Server model of ASwarm II, or to look how we've done the Commodity Interface. Please don't spread your improved versions of ASwarm II under the name of ASwarm, because this may confuse the public and it's not fair. COPYRIGHT ASwarm II V1.3 is freely distributable. ASwarm II V1.3 is free to be spread on public-domain and shareware disks especially on Fred Fish's AmigaLibDisks, as long as they are sold for a reasonable charge that is less than US $6 or DM 8.- . For use in commercial products the permission of the authors is required. ASwarm II V1.3 may be copied and distributed via electronic networks such as the Internet, also it may be held available on anonymous ftp-servers, mail-boxes or BBS's. The Copyright is still by the Authors. The source may be changed or improved. Please DON'T spread your own version of ASwarm II under the name of ASWARM, this will produce too much confusion (such as we had with ASwarm III, which is not our product). Just send us a note what you've changed, and if you really think it's necessary to spread your own version, use another name. AUTHOR & SUPPORT Markus Illenseer # Graphic routines Kurt-Schumacherstr. 16 # Documentation D-4800 Bielefeld 1 # Dice Support Germany INTERNET: markus@techfak.uni-bielefeld.de ZERBERUS: markus%techfak.uni-bielefeld.de@uucp.zer IRC: ill Matthias Scheler # Server-Client model Schützenstraße 18 # User Interface D-4799 Borchen/Nordborchen # SAS/C Support Germany INTERNET: tron@uni-paderborn.de FIDO: Matthias Scheler@2:242/55.36 ZERBERUS: tron%uni-paderborn.de@uucp.zer IRC: Tron SUPPORT FTP ADDRESS: ftp.uni-paderborn.de [131.334.2.32] anonymous access. amiga.physik.unizh.ch [130.60.80.80] anonymous access. Please refer to "KNOWN PROBLEMS" below, before you contact us for a Bug-report, any comment is welcomed of course. CHANGES For those who already know ASwarm II V1.0 or V1.1, please refer to the "SYNOPSIS" and "STARTUP" chapters. V1.2 of ASwarm II has been improved heavily. V1.3 fixes some bugs and is enhanced to work with new graphic modes. If you start ASwarm in the "SYS:WBStartup" drawer (or Workbench in general), please have a closer look to the new "Save Config"-routine which is able to update the Tool Types of ASwarm's icon automically. With ASwarm II V1.3 we changed the graphic routines to work fine with the interleaved bitmaps of Kickstart 3.0 and the VGA boards avaible for the Amiga. The input handler has been completely rewritten. Finally we found and removed the bug which sometimes caused swarms to dance in circles at the lower left corner of the screen. This happened in Aim-Mode only. PURPOSE & THEORY ASwarm is a screenblanker. The graphic during blanking phase is loosely based upon Jeff Buterworth's "xswarm" for X11 Windowing System. A screenblanker's goal should be to blank (disable) the screen output in order to prevent burning images into the monitor's phosphor. As it is boring just to disable the screen, and as the Amiga can handle multitasking, we could also draw some funny stuff while blanking the screen. The only problem about that: when we draw something, we must take care that our animations don't burn themself into the monitor. This usually happens, when the screen blanker has not enough time to draw, so the graphics rest on the same place. When the screenblanker has not enough CPU time, it's because there is another CPU-intensive programm, such as a raytracer or C-compiler, running. As the screenblanker isn't important for the user, we found a way to manage both cases: Screenblanker has CPU time or not. When it has CPU time, the blanker draws the funny graphics, when it hasn't, the screenblanker-draw routine is disabled and the screen is really blanked (black) until it gains back CPU time. This is done with a simple server-client model. The server runs with a normal priority, but just has a WaitPort()-loop (NO real CPU usage) to detect the time-out and to detect the amount of CPU time. The client is started when the server reached the TIMEOUT, the client runs with a low priority. When the server reached the CLIENTTIMEOUT and remarks that the client wasn't able to draw anything, then the screen is really blanked. There was a discussion on comp.sys.amiga.misc (Usenet) for screenblankers, at all, we found that ASwarm completely fits on the demanded features and requirements. VERSION To prevent a Version War, we renamed ASwarm to ASwarm II . There are some other versions of ASwarm or Swarm available, such as ASwarm as IPC-Port-Blanker for DMouse, written by Markus Illenseer (written in KickPascal, available with Source on demand), or Swarm by Christian von Roques, with assembler subroutines for drawing, unfortunately not with the multiple-swarm option (yet ?) (also for DMouse). There is also a Swarm-Modul for 'Shadow-Master', refer there. The upcoming 'Crepuscule', a multi-blanker also contains an ASwarm-Modul. As ASwarm can be compiled with DICE _and_ (or) SAS/C, you can detect the Version with: (CLI) "Version ASwarm FULL" It will show you the used compiler. Default is SAS-C. Also the size of the binary should differ: 19284 Bytes for the DICE version. 16996 Bytes for the SAS/C version. Unfortunately Jake Rose 'improved' our ASwarm II V1.0, renamed it to ASwarm III (which is correct, it's a new version of ASwarm). Please DON'T use ASwarm III, it has too many Bugs (Sorry Jake, not your fault). Those Bugs are fixed in our ASwarm II V1.1 or V1.2, but still exist in Jake's version. It is possible that ASwarm III (and of course our old ASwarm II V1.0) crashes your machine. STARTING ASwarm II is a COMMODITY, therefore it _only_ runs under WB Release 2.0 (V37.175) and newer. A Commodity is normally started in the "SYS:WBStartup" drawer. So it will be automatically started on the workbench startup (LoadWB, usually in "S:Startup-Sequence"). So, just copy "ASwarm" and "ASwarm.info" to "SYS:WBStartup", or click and move the icon to the drawer. To get ASwarm started without rebooting now, double-click the icon. If the Tool Types weren't changed yet, a window shows up. Double-click once more, if the window doesn't show up. This is the 'Edit-window' of ASwarm. Now click on the Gadget 'Hide' or the 'Close-Gadget' to close the window. ASwarm is now started. After 60 seconds the screen will be blanked, of course only when the user doesn't touch the keyboard or the mouse (or other Input-event's occure). You can start ASwarm from the CLI or another Shell. For example you can start ASwarm in the S:User-Startup: Run >NIL: <NIL: ASwarm CX_POPUP=NO ASwarm II now supports "dos.library/ReadArgs()". For a small help on the command line arguments, start ASwarm with a '?' as Parameter. ARGUMENTS As every good Commodity, ASwarm supports Tool Type entries. Click the ASwarm.info and press "Right Amiga i" (or use the Workbench Menu Item 'Information') to change or add a Tool Type entry. In fact this is no longer necessary, as we do support a 'Save Config' now, which does save all parameters into the Tool Types of the icon. In the ToolType list there is (per default) entered: DONOTWAIT # Tell WB to not wait on a return CX_PRIORITY=0 # Priority in "commodities.library"'s queue CX_POPUP=YES # Show up the window on start CX_POPKEY=CTRL ALT s # Edit Window Hot Key BLANKKEY=CTRL ALT b # Immediate Blank Hot Key TIMEOUT=60 # Time after which ASwarm blanks CLIENTTIMEOUT=5 # Time after which the Client is disabled DISPLAY=PAL:Hires # The Resolution of the Display CYCLE=YES # The Color-Cycling is enabled AIM=NO # The Aim-Mode is disabled WASP=2 # Number of Waps is 2 BEES=25 # Number if Bees is 25 SPEED=4 # Speed is set to Speed-Mode 4 TIGHTNESS=5 # Tightness of Bees is set to 5 MOUSEBLANKMETHOD=Hardware # how to blank the mouse These Tool Types are the normal way to give arguments for Commodities and pure Workbench programs. Please refer also to your AmigaDOS Manual (Section "Workbench Programms", especially chapter "The WBStartup Drawer") to get an idea of the Tool Types entries. TOOL TYPES DONOTWAIT When started from WBStartup, let WB know that it doesn't have to wait for ASwarm. CX_PRIORITY=<-128 - 129> Priority in "commodities.library"'s queue CX_POPUP=<YES | NO> When ASwarm is started, the Edit-Window may show up when set to 'YES' or any (!) other String than 'NO'. CX_POPKEY=<Hot Key> Please see below for the Hotkeys. The hot key opens the Edit-Window of ASwarm. BLANKKEY=<Hot Key> Please see below for the Hotkeys. The hot key immediatly blanks the screen. TIMEOUT=<1 - 3600> This is the timeout counter in seconds. During this time NO input from the user must occur in order to start the blanker. Usual time is about 60 secs. CLIENTTIMEOUT=<1 - 6> After this time, the server disables the screen, it has then remarked that the client can't draw anything due of CPU time. Usual time is about 5 secs. DISPLAY=<Display Type> Please see below for the Display Types. Here you can change the size of the screen on which ASwarms draws. CYLCE=<YES | NO> Disable the colorcycling of the Bees. AIM=<YES | NO> Search-the-nearest-Wasp mode enabeld. WASPS=<1 - 10> The number of drawn Wasps. BEES=<1 - 500> The number of Bees. SPEED=<1 - 4> Slow down ASwarm. 4 is maximum speed. TIGHTNESS=<1 - 10> Indicates how close the Bees may come to the Waps. The higher, the closer. MOUSEBLANKMETHOD=<Hardware | FreeSprite> Verison V1.3 of ASwarm II always switch of the mouse pointer by disabling the sprite dma. This works fine with normal graphic modes, but usually fails on one of the new VGA boards. When switching to "FreeSprite" ASwarm II uses now a software methode which should work with these boards, too. Attention: "FreeSprite" damages the mouse pointer on AGA computers, so use "Hardware". NOTE: The Tool Type Entries should be written in upper-cases. NOTE: For compatibility reasons, we also support the Tool Type 'SECONDS' , which is equal to 'TIMEOUT'. If you use the 'Save Config' option, 'TIMEOUT' is used. HOT KEYS Refer to your AmigaDOS Manual (Section The Extras Programs, The Commodities Drawer) to get a valid list of the available hot keys, the following may obsolete on a new "commodities.library" version. The Hot Keys can be edited with the String-Gadgets in the 'Edit-Window' of ASwarm. The Syntax and Correctness is checked. SYPNOSIS: [<qualifier> [<qualifier>...]] <key> Qualifier keywords (Press and hold one or more qualifier) alt either Alt key ralt right Alt key lalt left Alt key shift either Shift key rshift right Shift key lshift left Shift key capslock Caps Lock key rcommand right Amiga key lcommand left Amiga key control Control key numericpad Enables the use of a key on the numeric keypad rbutton Click (and hold) the right mouse button midbutton Click (and hold) the middle mouse button (only avail for mice with a connected third button!) leftbutton Click (and hold) the left mouse button newprefs Preferences changed diskremoved Disk removed diskinserted Disk inserted Keys (to be pressed and released, only ONE Key can be chosen) a .. z, 0 .. 9, etc. Normal keys f1 .. f10 Function keys up, down, left, right Cursor keys help Help key del Delete key return Return key enter Enter key (MUST be combined with 'numericpad'!) backspace Backspace key esc Escape key space Space key comma Comma key upstroke Upstroke key Examples lalt ralt return rcommand f10 alt x lalt numericpad enter NOTE: Choose your hotkeys CAREFULLY, because Commodities have a high priority in the input events chain (i.e. will override existing definitions). Also some hotkeys don't make sense or do collide with other tools or functions of the WB. NOTE: The Workbench screen (ot the default PubScreen, if this one has activated the Shanghai--mode) will be moved to front before starting the tool via HotKey. NOTE: When a combination of qualifiers and keys is illegal, ASwarm will start, but the Hot Key won't work. Example for illegal combinations: lalt a b # Two keys specified control rcommand lcommand # trivial :-) lbutton # No key specified If you edit the Hot Key's in the 'Edit-Window', the Combination will be checked. If invalid, the old Hot Key is still used. NOTE: Due to a bug in the commodities library, it is impossible to use a Mousebutton w/o a Qualifier and a Key. (ParseIX() doesn't set the ix_QualMask field right) EDIT WINDOW When the CX_POPUP is set to 'YES' and ASwarm is being started or when the hot key was pressed, a window shows up on the Workbench. Normally, the workbench is moved to the front. We've tested ASwarm's Edit Window under many circumstances, please give us a short note when you have a problem with it. You will see some Gadgets and a Scroll-List. The values inside the Text-Gadgets are via default set to the supplied Arguments in the Tool Types or CLI-Parameters. On a wrong Enter, the value will be reset to the old value. You will notice, that some Gadget have names with one character underlined. The underlined character refers to the key on the keyboard and will alter the entry. Use Shift to alter the entry in the other direction. Keys in "[]" are short-cuts. With them you can access the gadgets with the keyboard w/o moving the mouse. In Slider- and Cycle-Gadgets, the short-cut key will move the slider to the right, use Shift and the key to move the slider to the left. [T]imeout: The specified value for the timeout of the blanker. After this time (in seconds) the ASwarm shows up. Value may between 1 and 3600. C[l]ient Timeout: The time the server gives to the client for not being able to draw anything, then the screen will be blanked really to prevent burn-ins. Value between 1 and 60. [S]peed: Cycle-Gadget whose modes depend on the used system (68000 to 68040). Goes from 'Slow Motion' to 'Incredible'. [W]asps: The number of the flying Wasps. value between 1 an 10. B[e]es: The number of the Bees. Value between 1 and 500. T[i]ghtness: The tightness of te bees referring to the wasps. Value between 1 and 10, depends on Speed. [C]olor Cycling: Enable or disable the Color Cycling of the bees. [A]im Mode: Enable or disbale the mode in which the bees are looking out for the nearest wasp. [H]ide: Hide the window. All the new entered values will be acivated on the next blank. [B]lank: Blank immediately. All the new entered values will be activated. [Q]uit: Exit ASwarm. (Use 'Hide' to close the 'Edit-Window') [M]ouse Blank: Switch mouse blanking method (see above). Display Mode: (Please refer to the notes below!) Choose a desired Mode for the Display during blank-time. Use the scroll-bar to show up other available modes. This depends on the used system. If you only see the System Default Mode, then you have wrongly installed your system. Refer to 'Monitors' in your AmigaDOS Manual. MENU ITEMS: Menu items can also be used via the keyboard, use the shown Command Keys. Project-Menu: Load Config : Only available on Workbench-Start (either Double-Click or Sys:WBStartup-drawer). Loads the Configuration stored in the Tool Types in the Icon. Save Config: Only available on Workbench-Start. Saves the actual (!) configuration in the Tool Types of the Icon. This will overwrite all existing Tool Type Entries. It's no longer necessary to edit the Tool Type Entries. About: Shows up the version and Copyright. Hide: Hides the Edit-Window. Quit: Exit Aswarm. Edit Menu: Reset To Defaults: Resets all parameters to buildt-in Default Values. COMMODITIES EXCHANGE With the Exchange Tool, you can temporarly stop ASwarm with DISABLE, restart it with ENABLE, remove ASwarm with KILL (as would do a Quit in the Edit-Window), SHOW up the Edit-Window, and HIDE the Edit-Window. The Exchange Tool is a comfort way to remove or dis/enable ASwarm. Please refer to the AmigaDOS Manual (Section AmigaDOS Reference and Workbench Programms) for further docs on Exchange Tool. DISPLAY MODES: Attention ! Please, please, please have care here !!!! We are NOT responsible for ANY user-error. The given list depends on the used System. All newer Amigas, such as A500+, A600, A2000C , A3000 do have the ECS Denise for extended Screen Modes (Not all Amiga's with Kick 2.0 on ROM do have a ECS Denise..). Of course you can start the desired Modes, but not all modes are available on all MONITORS ! Please do refer to your Manual of the Monitor and to the AmigaDOS Manual (Section Workbench Programms, AddMonitor) for more informations. The new Amiga 1200 and 4000 with WB 3.0 and their AGA chips have a complete different List as well. Why ? Simply because you can DESTROY your Monitor! Here is a list of the (normally given) ECS Display Modes: This list may be obsolete when a new workbench is released. NTSC:Lores NTSC:Hires NTSC:SuperHires NTSC:Lores-Interlaced NTSC:Hires-Interlaced NTSC:SuperHires-Interlaced PAL:Lores PAL:Hires PAL:SuperHires PAL:Lores-Interlaced PAL:Hires-Interlaced PAL:SuperHires-Interlaced VGA-ExtraLores # - VGA-ExtraLores-Interlaced # VGA-Lores # VGA-Lores-Interlaced # Multiscan Monitor needed Productivity # Productivity-Interlaced # - A2024_10Hz # A2024_15Hz # A2024 needed. Other Modes are available from 3rd. Party, but not mentioned. Overscan is used for all modes, adjust your Overscan-size with the ScreenMode Preference Tool. This list will only be avaible if the icon called "Mode_Names" supplied with Workbench 2.0 is in the WBStartup directory of your boot drive. This Mode_Names may also be obsolete in new versions of the workbench. NOTE: DON'T use VGA-Modes on a NON-Multisync or NON-VGA-Monitor DON'T even test Modes if you aren't sure about your Monitor-capacibilities. As the original XSwarm runs on a X11-Workstation, and as those ones have high graphics resolutions, I prefer SuperHires, as this Mode comes near to them. ASwarm II uses 4 colors. NOTE: Again, be careful please. Be warned. NOTE: The above list will be COMPLETLY different if you use WB 3.0 on one of the new AGA Amigas (A1200/A4000). KNOWN PROBLEMS: We do know of some problems and strange behaviours, some of them aren't strange anymore, when you read this: - Are your running ARQ 1.66 or below ? (A replacement Tool for the system requestors). Then you may try this: Change the timeout to a low value, e.g. 5 secs, then type in the CLI: wait 10 <RETURN> (do not wait for the prompt) dir bafasel: <RETURN> (device blafasel: nonexisting) ASwarm will blank as usual, but then ARQ pops up a requestor ON the ASwarm-Screen !! You can't close the Screen until you click on 'Abort'. And ASwarm can't blank the screen either anymore ! (It's ScreenClose() Command waits for the succesfull return...) This is a BUG in ARQ ! It's dangerous in some cases. It may burn in the requestor. Get the newest version of ARQ (V1.78) and the problem will vanish. - You are running a C-Compiler or a raytracer. ASwarm goes blank, but doesn't show any swarm, and during disk-access ASwarm comes up for a while. This is not a Bug, this is THE feature of ASwarm !! This is the way ASwarm blanks when high Cpu-use happens on the startup. And during disk-access the CPU time is usually less, so ASwarm may find time to draw something. - Collision with other Blankers. Well, in fact you can run as many Blankers as you want. Such as DMouse, Spliner, FracBlanc. ASwarm does always try to move it's screen to front, when it detects to be behind some other screens. - When a disk is inserted, ASwarm closes the screen (dis-blanks). This is normal. Disk-replacement is detected as an input Event. As all input events shall disable the Blanker this one should, too. - The window doesn't open if the hotkey is pressed. Perhaps you have supplied a wrong hotkey description. Use the Commodities Exchange Tool to open the Edit-Window. The hotkey will appear in the Gadget 'Pop Key'. You can test the hotkey there. If an incorrect hotkey was submitted, the old hotkey will reappear. - ASwarm shows up the window though the Tool Type CX_POPUP is set to 'NO'. This happens when ASwarm is started twice. (Double-click (or call from CLI) = start, another double-click (or call from CLI) opens the window) - ASwarm is damn slow. Huh .. sorry :-) The Authors have fast machines.. Try to reduce the swarm-size (BEES) and the amount of swarms. Or use another, less big screen. - ASwarm makes noise when it blanks the screen. This may happen when a Display Mode is choosen, which is not of the size of the upto then active screen. Nothing dangerous. - ASwarm makes flickers on the Monitor when it blanks the Screen. This happen when ASwarm blanks on a PAL-Screen, but the upto then or then active Screen is or was NTSC. (Or vice versa) The Monitor needs a bit time to synchronize again. Nothing dangerous. - There is a 70Hz hack. This hack has problems with the productivity Environment. No Bug of ASwarm. WB 3.0 and WB 2.1 offer a "Euro 72" monitor which will make ASwarm II work with 70HZ without any problems. - There are some guys who don't start the workbench, those may wonder that they only can start a Hires-Screen. No magic here, the WB must read the Mode_Name in order to get the right resolutions. The screenmode-preferences tool seems to have hard-coded resolutions. As we want only to use the supported screenmodes, you have to use the workbench. Don't tell me about some 30 Kb the Workbench uses! With WB 2.1 and 3.0 this problem has vanished, too. Just add the monitors to your system. - The bees don't form nice swarms. This is not a bug, but a optimisation error. Has been improved now. CREDITS: Jeff Butterworth for his xswarm routine available for X11. ASwarm II has improved so much, that we must say it's only loosely based upon XSwarm. Matthew Dillon for DICE. So we could make ASwarm be compilable in the most common low-cost C-Compiler for Amiga.(Only registered version) Greetings to Stefan Becker, german and european distributor of DICE, who couldn't be convinced to use ASwarm II ... yet :-) ! SAS/C group for well done work. As yet the SAS version of ASwarm is faster and shorter... Willi 'Amico' Raeckers, always sitting on my nervs, asking for a new version :-) (Now with a smily :) Jörg 'Skull' Bublath, having the idea for the Aim-Mode. Markus 'Corwin' Stipp, for helping us with DICE and reporting the problems with Kickstart 3.0's interleaved bitmaps. Fred Fish, Mr. Public Domain, hope you like this enough to place it onto one of your new 'Fishes'. Permission herebye given. (Grmbl.. We're on FF770 and i still have no streamer device :^) Andrew 'Guardian' Denton for telling us, that Jay Miner likes our Blanker, and for having new ideas for future versions of Blankers. Dr. P. Kittel for allowing us to test ASwarm II under Workbench 2.1 on the CeBIT '92. It does still work correctly, and even with the new features it has. Peter, 'your' Amiga-Ball-Blanker is almost ready :-) Jake Rose for putting some nice features in ASwarm III which we implemented in ASwarm II, too (We didn't take one line of his code ...). If he only had suggested those features to us before he created a clone ... Rickard 'Richie' Olsson for telling us, that his cat 'Pixel' likes our ASwarm II, and ASwarm convinced him to use a Screenblanker at all :-) Roger 'Budda' Westlund, for the Bug-Report of the 70Hz Hack. Roland Bless for removing some bugs in the CLI args stuff Michael 'Massa' Janich for detecting the ugly bug in the blankkey routine. Holger 'Hal' Lubitz for the very good article about ASwarm II in the Amiga Plus Magazin 11/92. Various Net-Freaks for their suggestions and (strange) Bug-Reports. Markus Illenseer Matthias Scheler December 1992