Gallery Sprite Viewer
by Mike Ironmonger

Gallery is an easy to use multitasking application for viewing sprites in any mode. Once installed, a sprite file can be loaded into Gallery either by double-clicking on the file or dragging it to the Gallery icon on the icon bar. In either case, Gallery's slot is is expanded to hold the file, the file is loaded, and a window appears that displays details of all the sprites in the file. Clicking on the Close icon of this window loses the file and shrinks the slot back to its original 32K.

To view a sprite, simply click on some part of its details and it will appear full size in a window, plotted in the best available colours. Clicking the Menu button over a sprite window opens a menu with two options:

Scroll bars - This option allows the window's scroll bars to be toggled on (the option is ticked) and off.

Palette - This option provides a submenu that allows you to specify which palette the sprite was defined in. For 256 colour sprites this option is shaded out since it's assumed that the default palette is always used. For all other sprites the current palette is indicated by a tick on one of the four options in the submenu:

Desktop - This is for sprites created using the standard Desktop palette. If the sprite doesn't have its own palette then this is the default option.

Mode default - This is for sprites created using the default palette for a mode. This is the palette in use after a mode is entered outside the Desktop (e.g. after a MODE 12 statement in Basic).

Sprite's own - This is for sprites that have their own palette and is the default option for such sprites. If a sprite doesn't have its own palette this option is shaded out.

Loaded - This option is initially shaded out. When a palette file is dragged to the application, it is loaded and the option then becomes available. It also automatically becomes the current palette for any sprite that isn't displayed with its own palette.

When any of the above options are chosen the sprite is automatically redrawn in the new colours. A redraw is also performed on any sprites that are on display when the palette is changed or a new mode is entered.

 RISC User 1992
