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Author Topic: WBStartup for OS1.3  (Read 5234 times)

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Offline Matt_HTopic starter

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2020, 09:10:26 PM »
Thanks. Getting a few errors with this one, I think. It seems to parse/execute directory contents correctly (and ignore non-executable binaries and text files, even with .info files) but it reports back "insufficient free store" and "**Unfreed signals 40000000!" Is that normal debug output or is something off? It hasn't crashed the system, although I haven't stress-tested it much.

Am I correct that it defaults to executing via WB? Semi-related, it occurred to me the other day that if it would be handy if it could parse a "CLI" tooltype in icons. I'm discovering that some 1.3-era stuff behaves differently if launched from CLI (i.e., quiet) compared to WB (i.e., pop up a requester). If a hypothetical 1.3 WBStartup drawer contained a mix of CLI- and WB-based programs, being able to understand a "CLI" tooltype would be an easy way to differentiate them while still using only one ALU command. Later OS releases can parse "CLI" to launch CLI commands from Workbench, so this would be a way to kinda-sorta backport that feature for a particular use-case.
 

Offline TribbleSmasher

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #15 on: June 07, 2020, 05:08:30 PM »
You can add a nice little toolbar/dock to WB1.3 as well, and, as it turns out, it now has the WBStartup feature as well:
http://thomas-rapp.homepage.t-online.de/amiga/wbdock.html
Quote
Update 01-Jun-2020:
added WBStartup feature: run all programs from a directory or listed in a text file at startup
« Last Edit: June 07, 2020, 06:03:07 PM by TribbleSmasher »
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #16 on: June 07, 2020, 07:23:44 PM »
@ Matt_H

Quote
but it reports back "insufficient free store"

That fault surfaced due to a very low stack size for the sub process.
Initially, that stack size was set to 1200 bytes, now it is set to 3200 bytes. I didn't notice it for some time, because I mainly ran my tests under OS3.
The BCPL based DOS requires some more stack space than I thought...


Quote
"**Unfreed signals 40000000!"

ALU has got no such message built-in. My guess is that you have got some inspection software running in the background that reports this, as ALU's sub process doesn't free its allocated signal when it quits (it doesn't need to!). I can, of course, work around this, if you still encounter this message.


Quote
Am I correct that it defaults to executing via WB?

No, there is no default, unless you explicitly instructed ALU with the keywords WB or CLI how it should handle application programs, regardless of its auto file type detection result.
If an application program has got an attached icon, it is executed as if it was run from the Workbench. If there is no icon file for the object file, it gets executed as ordinary CLI command or script.


Quote
Semi-related, it occurred to me the other day that if it would be handy if it could parse a "CLI" tooltype in icons. I'm discovering that some 1.3-era stuff behaves differently if launched from CLI (i.e., quiet) compared to WB (i.e., pop up a requester).

That's not difficult to implement but it really slows down everything.
Loading icons into memory is a time consuming process because they will be scattered loaded in.
In my opinion it would be better, if you really encounter issues, to separate those two file types; make a sub drawer for executing application programs as if they would be launched by Workbench and another sub drawer for executing ordinary CLI commands or scripts.
But then no icon must be placed in the drawer for executing CLI commands or scripts, or it fails again due to ALU's auto file type detection, unless you specify the keyword CLI:

SYS:WBStartup/
SYS:WBStartup/WB/
SYS:WBStartup/CLI/

then:

C:alu SYS:WBStartup/WB stack 8000 waitwb
C:alu SYS:WBStartup/CLI

If you wish to state explicitly how they should be started, regardless of the auto file detection use:

C:alu SYS:WBStartup/WB stack 8000 waitwb wb
C:alu SYS:WBStartup/CLI cli

Note the appended keywords.


Quote
If a hypothetical 1.3 WBStartup drawer contained a mix of CLI- and WB-based programs

For this purpose ALU was written. :-)
It really distinguishes between file types, be it now a script (ASCII), a CLI command or Workbench application program.

I've to write ALU's manual otherwise no one than me can handle ALU. :-(

Please, try the new version, though, as this is the first version that has got all stuff built-in and which is fully functional. All earlier versions were just skeletons of my idea with no really functionality.


@ TribbleSmasher

Quote
You can add a nice little toolbar/dock to WB1.3 as well, and, as it turns out, it now has the WBStartup feature as well:

While it's a nice to have feature when the Workbench is up and running, such docks cannot start all programs and scripts residing in one drawer short after boot without user assistance - and for that purpose ALU was made.

 

Offline TribbleSmasher

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #17 on: June 07, 2020, 08:38:20 PM »
@Joloo
It wasn't my intention to undermine your efforts, please continue. :)

But WBdock is indeed a nice addition to a classic Workbench 1.3.
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #18 on: June 08, 2020, 07:15:04 PM »
@ TribbleSmasher

Don't worry.
My English isn't the best so I am trying to use short sentences, which might be misconceived by any native reader.
What I really wanted to state is that a dock app (with a GUI) and a CLI command like ALU cannot be comparable. Both suit different needs.
Beside that, the complexity of ALU tends against zero and as I wrote before, it is basing partly on source codes I've already written decades ago.
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #19 on: June 12, 2020, 11:16:06 PM »
I've got reviewed and completed 'alu'. I call it now the final version.
Enclosed is also a short description how to handle it.

Regards
 

Offline Matt_HTopic starter

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #20 on: June 13, 2020, 03:59:13 AM »
Thanks! It seems to be working as expected, but I'll let you know if any issues come up as I continue working with it. Managed to shave a few seconds off startup, too, since I don't have to fuss with all those extra scripts and manual program execution.

Really appreciate your lead on this--thank you again.
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #21 on: June 28, 2020, 10:05:56 PM »
@ Matt_H
Quote
Really appreciate your lead on this--thank you again.

It was my pleasure!  :)
Now I've myself a tool that I should have written already years ago, so thank you for encouraging!

By the way, version 1.3 is now online (since two weeks ready but I've forgotten to upload it).
It is now independent of the 'vbcc' compiler and can be compiled using GNU-C or MaxonC++/HiSoftC++, so anybody with a C-compiler and spotting a fault should be able to fix it himself, but please, if you do so, make the source codes publicly available again. Thanks!
 

Offline Matt_HTopic starter

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #22 on: June 29, 2020, 10:35:04 PM »
Have you put this up on Aminet? I think it's worth distributing more widely.
 

Offline trekiej

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #23 on: July 01, 2020, 04:37:25 AM »
Man, that is really cool.
 8)
Amiga 2000 Forever :)
Welcome to the Planar System.
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #24 on: July 01, 2020, 09:08:46 PM »
@ Matt_H

Well, anyone is allowed to upload it where ever he/she likes. Of course I can do an Aminet-upload, but at the moment it has got a very low priority on my side.
I still have some more programs awaiting an Aminet-upload, some for years.
Shame on me...  :(
 

Offline Matt_HTopic starter

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #25 on: October 08, 2020, 12:13:54 AM »
Little bump to say that I've just sent alu up to Aminet. Great little utility - deserves more widespread use. :)
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #26 on: October 12, 2020, 12:45:35 AM »
Just saw that you've uploaded 'alu' to Aminet - thanks for that!  :)
 

Offline Matt_HTopic starter

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #27 on: October 12, 2020, 08:10:56 PM »
Just saw that you've uploaded 'alu' to Aminet - thanks for that!  :)
Hey, thanks for writing it!
 

Offline Joloo

Re: WBStartup for OS1.3
« Reply #28 from previous page: October 15, 2020, 10:02:11 AM »
Who has got laid out the foundation? Was it you or me?  ;)
Let's honour the one with the idea, not the one who just pieced it together!  :D

In the end, I do profit myself a lot from this tiny tool as I can now fire up test environments for projects I've written without the need to create and maintain scripts, which were used in the past to start these test environments. Just "alu testcase/" does the trick now.

So, thanks a lot for coming up with the idea!