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BIG PICS and SLIDE SHOW
The "BigPics" program combines up to 4 contiguous standard ($C1) screens into a
single "BigPic" file ($F3) which can then be displayed by scrolling the
sequential screens, line by line, in any of four predetermined directions. It
will also convert "BigPics" back to their original $C1 format.
"BigPics" generated by the program can be viewed via the utility itself or by
using the included "SlideShow" program. "SlideShow" will sequentially display all
"BigPics" and $C1 files contained in the directory in which it resides.
The icons are included just for fun. Put "BP.Icons" in your disk's ICON folder to
check them out.
The program, "BigPics", is menu-driven and text screen based. Unfortunately, I am
not programmer enough to offer this in a mouse-driven, desk top format. Sorry.
Perhaps you programmers out there will improve on it. Until then, you'll just
have to hit the keys.
Although fairly self-explanatory, a few comments about the program's operation
are in order:
-- When loading multiple $C1 screens to produce a single "BigPic", panel #1 must
always be the topmost or leftmost of your composite picture regardless of
scrolling direction.
-- The "(T)oggle BigPic Autoscroll Direction" option from the main menu is useful
if you later decide a picture scrolling from left-to-right or bottom-to-top would
look better the other way around. Its greatest worth, however, is saving time and
frustration when creating a "BigPic." For example, suppose you are generating a
"BigPic" composed of four $C1 screens which you plan to view by scrolling from
top to bottom. The final 10 lines of the picture's fourth screen, however,
contain no picture -- they're blank. Normally, after loading the four screens and
typing in the name for your "BigPic", you would select "Top to Bottom" scrolling
from the proffered menu. The program then asks if you want to set the "scroll
stop/start." Since you don't want to display the last ten lines, you answer
"(Y)es." Your picture then begins scrolling from top to bottom, and you are asked
to hit "S" at the point you wish it to stop during subsequent display. It takes a
while to scroll 790 lines before hitting "(S)top." If you miss it by one line,
you're unhappy (to say the least). An alternative is to tell the program
initially you want the picture to scroll from bottom to top. You would then hit
"(S)tart" after watching only 10 lines scroll by. The picture thus saved can then
be "Toggled" via the main menu. By answering "(N)o" to the question about setting
the scroll "stop/start" when toggling direction, your old "Start" point becomes
your new "Stop."
-- The remainder of the menu selections, I hope, are obvious and intuitive.
PLEASE NOTE: These programs are compiled from TML BASIC source code. TML has
discontinued development of its BASIC and, as it stands, it is not flawless.
These programs run with little or no problem on my IIGS under all versions of
GS.OS. On others, I am told, they may "crash" or "hang" unpredictably. The only
time these things have happened to me is when I have repeatedly launched the
programs without an intervening reboot. I don't know why this happens, but
suspect TML's code is somehow hanging on to memory which ultimately interferes
with GS.OS's operation after repeated launchings.
If these things happen to you, I apologize, but hope you still find "BigPics" and
"SlideShow" useful.