
               !StickyBD, Version 1.80 (23-Feb-1990)
               =====================================
                 Public Domain by Sandie the Walrus


    -----> BACK THIS DISC UP NOW BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER <------


=============================================================================

This program is copyright but you are permitted to copy/modify the program
(both source and executable versions where applicable) provided that you
obey the conditions set out below:
     

*    The program is not copied for profit. You are permitted to ask for a
     "handling charge" to cover postage, work etc and the price of the disc
     (if supplied) but you may not charge money for the software. You must
     copy the entire application.

*    Any modifications should be sent to me and I'll write back giving
     you a version number for your modified copy of the program. This way, I
     can update the master copy and we won't have any confusion over which
     version of the program is the newest.

*    You may include parts of the code in your own programs provided that
     they are clearly identified as such.

*    This application is version 1.80 and supercedes all previous versions,
     which should be deleted once this copy is installed (unless, of course,
     you want to waste disc space).

*    This section bounded by the bars of equals signs is reproduced in full,
     unchanged

The supplied screendump is exempt from these restrictions. As I didn't draw
it myself I cannot control its distribution nor change its end-user licence
conditions.

=============================================================================


What !StickyBD Does
===================
!StickyBD makes the Desktop backdrop sticky allowing you to drag file icons
out of directory viewers and onto the backdrop. Using this feature you can
arrange all your most commonly used utilities on the backdrop and load them
with a single double-click - no more wading through mazes of directory
viewers (Hard disc users can cheer now if they wish).

In addition, !StickyBD provides the following extra features. Options NOT
implemented on other (inferior) Backdrop programs are marked with a *.

 Configurable options   -  * Icon on/off, Auto-boot on/off
 Display modes          -  * Black/White text, Large/Small icons
 Save & Restore         -    Save/Reload options
 Help                   -  * Built-in help system
 Background pictures    -    Loads background pictures


A Guided Tour
=============
Here's a quick tour of the program to familiarise you with it. Load
!StickyBD by double-clicking on its icon. An icon will appear on the icon
bar, informing you that the application has loaded. To create a background
picture, drag the file !StickyBD.Wood to this icon, and the Desktop's
normally boring grey background will change to a nice woodland scene
(change to mode 15 to see the picture properly).

Despite its changed background, the Desktop operates perfectly normally, and
you can multi-task Draw, Paint & Impression etc as normal (memory
permitting, of course). Now drag some file icons from the filer to the
background, and they will stick there. You can load the files by
double-clicking on them, or you can drag them to a new point on the backdrop
or into an application.

To remove an icon, position the pointer over it and press Menu, then select
the Remove option from the menu. Clicking on Save will save the position of
the icons, which will then re-appear when you next load !StickyBD. To change
their colour or size, press Menu over the backdrop and use the options in
the Display sub-menu.

This is the end of your guided tour. It hasn't shown you everything
!StickyBD does, but I hope that it has given you a rough idea of what the
program does and how useful it can be.


Using !StickyBD
===============
To load !StickyBD, you double-click on its icon from the Desktop. An icon
will appear on the icon bar - this shows you that !StickyBD is installed and
you can now drag file icons to the backdrop.

Once stuck, the files can be loaded by double-clicking or they can be
dragged to a new point on the backdrop, into an application or into a 
directory viewer. Directories and applications can also be stuck to the
backdrop; in this case they will be opened or run when double-clicked.

Holding down Shift whilst running an application from the Filer opens its
directory viewer instead. This option is also supported by !StickyBD.


Removing an object from the Backdrop
====================================
There are two ways of doing this. You can either double click on it with the
Adjust button (which runs it then removes it from the backdrop), or you can
position the mouse pointer over the object, press Menu and then select the
Remove option from the menu.

To remove the backdrop program itself, select the Quit option from the menu.


Saving the Backdrop
===================
Once you've got all your stuff stuck down to strategic points on the
backdrop, wouldn't it be nice to be able to save the settings so that they
would be restored the next time you load !StickyBD? Well you can - you just
select the Save option on the menu!

The Save option saves the positions of icons on the backdrop, the full
pathnames of the programs they represent, the sprite to use for displaying
them and the filename of the background picture. It does not save the
picture itself as this would be a large waste of disc space. If you rename
the picture (or anything stuck to the backdrop), !StickyBD won't be able to
find them.


Background Pictures
===================
!StickyBD allows you to load up a background picture so you don't have to
look at a boring grey screen all day. Any sprite file containing a single
sprite (such as a screendump) can be loaded by dragging the file to the
icon bar icon (you may have to use the Configure menu to display the icon
if you normally have it switched off).

Note that to load the picture, !StickyBD must grab sufficient memory from
the Wimp's free pool. Displaying a mode 12 or 13 screen requires 80K of
extra memory, while a mode 15 or 20 screen requires 160K. If !StickyBD can't
get the extra RAM, it will complain politely and abort the picture load. If
this happens, you should kill off an application to free more memory, then
try again.

This disc includes a sample picture of a forest from Pro-Artisan. I think
you'll agree that it looks a lot more attractive than the standard dark grey
vista. The Interdictor title screen also makes a good backdrop.


Configuring !StickyBD
=====================
Some people find that they don't like the icon bar icon or use !StickyBD so
much they get sick of loading it (surely not?). By using the Config option
on the menu you can set these options without having to edit the program.
The Config option leads to a sub-menu containing the following two options.
Each option is on when ticked and off when unticked.

Auto-boot : If on, !StickyBD will load itself when it is first seen by the
            computer. If you switch auto-booting on, it is best to copy
            !StickyBD to a frequently used directory (such as the root).
            Auto-booting takes effect from when you next hard-reset your
            machine.

Icon      : This controls whether or not the icon bar icon is displayed and
            takes effect immediately.


Display Modes
=============
You can change the display variables (text colour and icon size) by clicking
on the options found on the Display sub-menu. As with the Configure options,
their status is saved immediately you click on them - you don't have to use
the Save option to record your favourite display mode or config settings.

Note that the 'Small icons' option does not use the separate "sm!xxx"
sprites for applications as storing them would reduce the number of items
you can stick to the backdrop (50 + 1 picture) by about one third. Instead,
bit 11 of the icon flags is set, which causes the sprite to be displayed at
half size. A slight reduction in picture quality is noticable with some
sprites in the Small icons mode.


A Note about other Applications
===============================
Most RISC OS applications expect to be run from a directory viewer and not
by !StickyBD. As a result, some may display an "invisible" icon on the icon
bar when run. This problem only occurs with improperly written applications,
and can be solved as follows (any one of the following on its own will cure
the problem).

1) Open the application's viewer before loading it. This is tedious and
defeats the point of !StickyBD so is not recommended.

2) Insert the line "*IconSprites <Obey$Dir>.!Sprites" into the application's
!Run file before the actual "Run <whatever$dir>.!RunImage" command.

3) If you're writing an application you can save people doing the above by
loading the application's sprites in the actual program itself, or in the
!Run file with a *IconSprites command. An application written using Acorn's
ANSI C Release 3 will do this automatically provided you set the resspr()
function's parameter correctly.


Other !StickyBDs
================
Currently, no other backdrop application offers as many features as
!StickyBD (there are 3 others). If you know of a better backdrop, write and
tell me what it does, and I'll update !StickyBD as necessary.


Hard Discs
==========
!StickyBD is VERY VERY useful if you have a hard disc. I can recommend
setting it to auto-boot and then installing it in the root directory, along
with !System and !Fonts - this way when you open your hard disc at the
beginning of each session, !Fonts and !System will be recognised, and
!StickyBD will load itself.

Alternatively you could put a Run <pathname> command in !System.!Boot, then
you could put !StickyBD in another directory, but if you do this, turn
auto-booting off.


Comments
========
Any bug fixes, comments, technical queries etc should be sent to the address
below. If you send a blank disc and an SAE I'll copy some more PD programs
onto it for you. Please let me know what you think of !StickyBD.

 Sandie the Walrus
  12 Mornington Road
   Radlett
    Herts WD7 7BL
     England

P.S. If you want some bespoke software, write to me with EXACT details, and
I'll send you a quote.



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