Sticky Backdrop
by Glynn Clements

Note: This program requires System resources. You must ensure that !System has been 'seen' before running this program.

When run, this application adds an icon to the icon bar, and opens a backdrop window the size of the screen to which icons can be 'stuck'. That is, when a file icon is dragged to the backdrop, the icon is displayed on the backdrop in the position to which it was dragged. The icon then behaves as if it were in a directory viewer, in terms of what happens if it is Double clicked, Shift Double clicked, or dragged.

Clicking Menu over the backdrop displays a menu containing 10 entries. The first five entries are only available if Menu was clicked over an icon. Remove icon removes the icon. Background and Text lead to colour menus allowing the icon's text foreground and background colours to be set. Small icon allows the icon format to be toggled between large or small. File/App./Dir. 'xxx' leads to a submenu allowing the corresponding file/directory to be subjected to any of the commands *Count, *Info, *Access, *Cat, *Ex or Dir. The last three commands can only be used on directories.

Choosing Save saves the current backdrop state in the file !BackDrop.!StateSave. The backdrop will then start up in this state the next time that it is run. Choosing Rename displays a dialogue box containing two writeable icons and an OK box. Dragging a directory to either of the writeable icons results in the pathname being entered into the icon; this can then be edited as required. Clicking on OK results in any icons from the source directory being renamed so that they refer to the destination directory. This is used where a directory has been renamed or moved, and the icon pathnames must be updated accordingly. Note that the pathnames are case sensitive.

The lower set of Background, Text and Small icons entries have the same affect as the upper set of Background, Text and Small icon entries, except that they do not affect any existing icon, but those added to the backdrop from then on.

Clicking Menu over the icon bar icon produces a menu containing the usual Info and Quit options. Function keys F10 and F11 move the backdrop window to the front and back respectively.

The source code for this application, written in C, is included in the directory !BackDrop.c as an example of a C program.
