Autoglass

by Peter Arnold

AutoGlass is a module designed to simplify the use of the hourglass.
Load it by double-clicking on the AutoGlass icon. The module provides
one star command; HourGlass_Period. This takes one parameter which is a
time in hundredths of a second. The hourglass is then displayed with a
percentage increase from 0 to 100 over this time period.

This increment is done automatically and invisibly to the program that
called the module. This is useful in any situation when you know the length
of the delay before you start the operation.

As an example let us presume that you have a directory with a number of
applications inside it. You time how long it takes to open the directory
display and find that it takes six and a half seconds. To display a
percentage increasing hourglass whilst the directory is opening do the
following:

Open up the directory of the first application by holding down Shift whilst
double-clicking on the icon.

If the application has a !Boot file, load it into Edit. If the application
does not have a !Boot file then you should create one using Edit.

Add a line to the start of the !Boot file. In this case you require a delay
of 6.5 seconds (650 centiseconds). The line to add is thus:
HourGlass_Period 650.

Save the !Boot file and the job is done.

N.B. The AutoGlass module has to be loaded in order for the
HourGlass_Period command to work. I load it in in the !Boot file that gets
executed when I turn on my computer.

The !AutoGlass Application Directory
The !Run file loads the AutoGlass module and displays a message to this
effect. You then have to press Space or click the mouse to continue. To
remove the message and the prompt load the !Run file into Edit. Remove the
lines that begin with Echo. Save the !Run file. The AutoGlsBAS file is the
source code for the module. Make sure that you have a backup copy of the
module before you start to change it!

Don't call HourGlass_Period whilst a previous period is still active. If
you do this, the percentage update will stick at the number that it is on
for the duration of the second period and then continue upwards to 100.


 Copyright RISC User 1994
