
Disk Covers and T.I.M. Version 1.1



Disk Covers - A New Kind of Icon

I have a large collection of Graphics, I call them Pics, which I have
downloaded, scanned, digitized, or on rare occasion created.
They are stored on disks by catagory such as cartoons, space, etc. The
disks are named by catagory and I wrote slide show to view them.

I thought it would be fun to take one Pic from each disk and make a large
Icon from it that would pop up on the desktop when the disk was inserted
and run slide show when it was double clicked.

This would be a kind of album cover like my cd's have, to help better
remind me of the contents of the disk.

Alas when I ran T.I.M. to make my first one it died. The code overwrote
itself and the variables when ever it got over 80 lines high. This can't be
(I sez to me) I wrote this piece of slop to handle 100 lines, a 50 line
icon plus a 50 line mask, but such was not the case.

So back to pounding the keys, hacking away at my own already sloppy code,
T.I.M. Version 1.1 came into being. And my disk collection is starting to
get some covers.

First: How I use them.

1. Make a folder named ICONS on each disk.
2. Name the Disk Cover Icon the same name as the disk and put it in the
icons folder.
3. I already have the icon attached to the name of the disk, for a basic
program ($FC) and launching */BASIC.LAUNCHER.
4. Write and save a basic program by that name which will run the program
of your choice, Slide.Show, Windows, Etc. (See the Example)
5. Drag the disk to the trash and then pop it back in, you should now be
able to see your Icon Picture.
6. Turn on (an X in the block) Save Finder Info To Disk. This should be off
unless you are rearranging your desktop as it will speed up all window
closes and launches.
7. Drag the Icon Picture onto the desktop and close the disk's window.
8. Now Drag the Disk into the Trash, I also write-protect it then.
9. Turn off (no X in the block) Save Finder Info To Disk.

An alternate to step 7 is to move the icon pic and size the window so that
the window border surrounds the pic, this way you can close the window
but it will still pop up when you double-click the disk.

Next: How to make them.

1. The easiest way I have found is to use SHR Convert to load a Pic, then
reduce 50% by height and width and save as a $C1 (Screen) file.
2. Next load it into PaintWorks Gold or DeluxePaint II - Make a mask or
template to protect all but one color, then wash that color with the
color from the finder's pallette that most approximates the original.
3. To repeat, make sure you are using the finders colors to view the pic as
you work. I use DeluxePaint II and go from Restore Pallette on the spare
page to Use Brush Pallette on the Page I am converting.
4. When I have finished converting I save it to my T.I.M. disk as ESP.GIRLS
as an example then run T.I.M. to make the icon.
5. Be sure to save or convert it into a $C1 file with the image in the
absolute upper left hand corner of the screen.

You could also grab or load a Pic as a Brush and reduce or resize it to a
size you would like but then you have to go thru the boaring process of
counting pixels. Bah, Humbug. A single 50 x 50 percent reduction is 180
wide bu 100 high, do it twice and its 90 wide by 50 high, nice and easy.

Now for a few thousand words about T.I.M. Version 1.1

1. It will now let you define the program it launches.
2. Handles Icons up to 50 lines high with a custom mask.
3. Over 50 lines high it makes it's own mask.
4. Writes and reads back parts of the file to disk and then assembles them
into an Icon named TEST.ICON - You have NO CHOICE and any existing
TEST.ICON will be deleted.
5. Maximum height - 100 lines
6. Maximum width - Don't know, largest I have done is 160 pixels.
7. Minimum size - Again don't know, must be over $F squared (16 x 16).


That's All Folks - Have Fun

Fred

T.I.M. and DiskCovers copyright 1988 by E.S.P.Graphics
GrassHopper Software (TM)

The program, T.I.M., the DiskCovers included herewith, any Icons or
DiskCovers made by T.I.M. are FreeWare but remain the commercial property
of the creator.

E.S.P. Graphics will not bear or share any liability thru the use of
copyrighted material being reproduced without proper permission.

P.S. That means watch what you scan, convert, or digitize folks if you then
distribute it, be it in printed or electronically readable form.

