DiskMAG Volume 1 Number 2 (Nov 1988) : UTILITIES / SuperView.doc

	SuperView,   A IFF display program.  by  David  Grothe  V 2.0

	*
	* Copyright 1988 by David Grothe
	* All rights reserved.
	*
	* This program is Shareware,  if you use this program
	* please send $10 to: 
	*
	* David Grothe
	* 20 SW 39th
	* Okla City, OK  73109
	*
	* You may pass the program around as long as this Doc file 
	* remains a part of it.
	*
	* If you would like to distribute this program with your 
	* software, you must contact me first.
	* 


SuperView is a program that will display IFF pictures of all types 
on the Amiga.  The program supports the following features:

   Multiple files on one command line.
   WorkBench  (icons) are supported.
   All display modes supported.
   Auto Overscan
   Color Cycle ( DPaint and GraphiCraft types)  CRNG  CCRT
   AmigaBasic  ACBM  type files
   Author chunk is supported
   Displays the first cell in a ANIM file
   Written in Assembly, PURE code that can be resident under 1.3

New for version 2.0

Display options that include the following:

	-a		Suppress Author Text
	-c		Suppress Color Cycling
	-d <dir>	Display all pictures in a directory
	-f <file>	Read a text file for picture names
	-h<n>   	Change the display height of a picture
	-l   		List picture information
	-m<x>   	Select view modes.
	-o   		Override the Auto Overscan 
	-p   		Disables Pointer Clearing
	-r   		Repeat command line
	-s<n>		Display picture for n seconds
	-w<n>		Change the display width
	-x<n>		Change the position of the display area x
	-y<n>		Change the position of the display area y

Also new to version 2.0 is:

	Smooth transition between pictures.
	Color Cycling continues while next picture is loaded.
	Scroll around in large pictures.
	Pointer Clearing during picture viewing.

Overscan sizing and positioning has also been improved.

New controls:

	Left Mouse 	Button Scrolls around in a picture
	Right Mouse 	Button Continues to next picture
	Spacebar 	Starts and stops the color cycling
	ESC 		Aborts the command line






Using SuperView from WorkBench.

SuperView has a complete WorkBench (Icon) interface built in.  
To use SuperView from WorkBench, you must have an icon for your picture. 
Most all paint programs build icons for you as you save a picture, so 
this should not be a problem.  There are two ways to view pictures at 
this point.  The easy way is to click once on the picture icon, hold 
down the shift key, and then double click the SuperView icon.  You can 
reverse this and click once on the SuperView icon and double click your 
picture icon.  To view more that one picture,  you hold down the shift 
key and click each picture that you want to show and the SuperView icon.  
You don't have to select the icons in any kind of order as long as you 
double click the last icon you select.  The pictures will be displayed 
in the order that you select them.  You can also make the picture icon 
itself run SuperView by putting SuperView in the default tool of the 
icon.  This way you can just double click the picture icon to view it.  
For a detailed description of how this is done, see the article in 
Ami Exchange Mag V1.4.  

After the picture is loaded from workbench, you can stop and start the 
color cycling with the spacebar, hold down the left mouse button to 
scroll around in a large bitmap picture, press the right mouse button 
to go to the next picture,  or press the ESC key to abort. Pressing the 
ESC key will remove the current picture and cancel out any pictures that 
you had selected that you have not viewed yet.


Using SuperView from the CLI

Here is where the real power of SuperView comes out.  
From the CLI,  you can choose many display options that allow you to 
view a picture in different ways.  The command line from the CLI is

1> SuperView [option[...]] <fileName> [[option[...]] <fileName>].... 

You can use up to 255 characters on the command line.  
Here is a list of the options and how to use them.

	-a	Suppress Author Text

If you use this option, no Author text will be displayed from the AUTH 
chunk in the IFF file.  

Example: 

1> SuperView -a Mickey


	-c	Suppress Color Cycling

This option will prevent the picture from color cycling.  If you use this 
option,  the spacebar will not start color cycling.  

Example:

1> SuperView -c Spray


	-d <dir>	Display all pictures in a directory

The -d option will take the name of a directory instead of a picture 
name and display every picture that if finds in that directory.  
SuperView will overlook files that are not pictures, so you wont have 
to worry about having non-picture files in the directory.  Any options 
that you select before the directory name will stay in effect for each 
picture in the directory.  After the directory has been displayed, 
SuperView will continue on with the rest of the command line.  This 
option works well with the -s option. 

Example:

1> SuperView -d df0:
1> SuperView -s10 -c -d df0:
1> SuperView -s10 -d -a df1: -r


	-f <file>	Read a text file for picture names

This option will read a text file and use it as a script to display 
pictures.  The format of the file is the same as the format of each 
picture on the command line.  

Example:

-a Mickey
-s10 MyPicture
-d -s10 -c df0:
GreatPic
-x200 -y100 BigPic

Each picture in the file can have its own options.  When all of the files 
have been displayed,  SuperView will continue with the rest of the 
command line.

Example:

1> SuperView -f MyScript
1> SuperView -f MyScript -r
1> SuperView -f MyScript -s10 Spray


	-h<n>   Change the display height of a picture
	-w<n>	Change the display width

These two options change the display size of a picture.  You can use one 
or both of them on a picture.  These options change the display size of 
the picture, not the size of the picture.   If you tell it to use a 
smaller display size than the picture is, you will be able to scroll 
around in the smaller display area.  The best way to under stand this may 
be to try it.   

Example:

1> SuperView -w320 -h200 Mickey
1> SuperView -w320 -h200 -m Mickey
1> SuperView -w200 -h100 -x60 -y50 Spray


	-l   List picture information

If you want to know the size of a picture, or if it is HAM or HalfBrite, 
then this is your option.  This will list out the size of the display 
area,  the size of the picture, what type of file it is (ILBM, ACBM, 
ANIM), any display modes, number of colors and bit planes. 

Example:

1> SuperView -l Mickey
1> SuperView -l -s10 Mickey
1> SuperView -l -w400 Mickey


 If you want to save this information to disk or printer,  you may 
redirect the output:

1> SuperView >Prt: -d -l df1:

This line will show each picture on drive df1: and list the information 
to the printer.


	-m<x>   Select view modes  
		h = HAM 
		r = HiRes 
		l =Lace
		b = HalfBrite

This will allow you to change any display modes that you want.  The 
display modes that are supported are,  Hi-Res (640 display), 
Lace (interlace), HAM (Hold And Modify), and Extra-HalfBrite.  If you 
just select -m option without any letters following it, all modes will be 
cleared.  If the modes are clear, you will get a standard lo-res screen.  
This is good for taking a Hi-Res, Lace picture and making it Lo-Res.

Example:

1> SuperView -w320 -h200 -m Mickey
1> SuperView -w320 -h200 -ml Mickey

This will give you a 320 X 200 picture of Mickey that you can scroll 
around in.  

	-o   Override the Auto Overscan 

This will cause SuperView to display the picture exactly like the IFF 
file said to.  No attempt to size or place the picture is made.

Example:

1> SuperView -o Spray


	-p   Disables Pointer Clearing

If you don't want your pointer to disappear when showing the picture,  
then use this option.

Example:

1> SuperView -p Mickey


	-r   Repeat command line

This will cause SuperView to repeat the command line in a loop.  With 
this option, the -s and -d or -f options, you can make a slide show.  
This is the only option that you put after everything else and everything 
past the -r is ignored.  The only way to stop this is to hit the ESC key.

Example:

1> SuperView Mickey Spray -r
1> SuperView -s10 Mickey -s5 Spray -r


	-s<n>  Display picture for n seconds

This option will remove the picture after n seconds.  You can still 
continue by pressing the right mouse button or ESC key.  This option 
and the -d option work well together.

Example:

1> SuperView -s10 Mickey
1> SuperView -s10 -d df1:




	-x<n>	Change the position of the display area x
	-y<n>	Change the position of the display area y

The -x and -y options are used to position the display area on the screen. 
For overscan, you need to shift the picture to the left and up from the 
normal 0x 0y so you use  -x-16 to shift left and -y-8 to shift up. Also, 
if you want to change the display size with the -w and -h options, you 
can center the smaller screen with these options.

Example:

1> SuperView -x20 -y10 Mickey
1> SuperView -w200 -h100 -x60 -y50 Spray

 
If you have any problems with the program, you can leave me a message
on AmigaLine BBS at (405) 631-9040....