Configure Extension

by Matt Browne

Version 1.10

for RISC OS 3.1 or later

Configure Extension is a utility that improves the Configure application
provided by Acorn with RISC OS. It is partially aimed at the shortcomings of
the RISC OS 3.1 version, but it can be used with later versions
too; it's just that some functions are present both in Configure Extension
and Configure in RISC OS 3.5 and later.

The functions provided by Configure Extension are not available in the
RISC OS 3.1 version of Configure, except a couple which are provided
because there are bugs in Configure's implementation. Some functions are
not even available through *Configure commands.

Configure Extension follows normal RISC OS style conventions, so if you
don't understand its user interface please consult your Welcome Guide.

Using the application
Configure Extension can be run from the RISC User menu system or by double-clicking on its icon in a directory viewer.
The Configure Extension window will open, allowing you to
customise various aspects of your system, just like Configure. Details of what
each option does are described later on in this document.

Click on any of the options to toggle whether the feature is switched on or
off in the normal way. Clicking on Set with Select or closing the window
(or choosing Quit from the menu) will confirm the choices made and quit
Configure Extension. If you have changed various options and then realise you
don't want the changes you've made, click on Cancel.

If you click on Set or Cancel with Adjust the window will not be closed
after the operation has been performed.

Click with Menu anywhere in the window to bring up Configure Extension's
menu. It has the usual Info and Quit entries, and there is also a Save entry. This
brings up a standard RISC OS save box, which can also be shown by clicking
on the Save... icon in the window. This save box performs the
exact same operation as the Save option in Configure. Consult your RISC OS User Guide for more
information.

You can drag a Config file saved by Configure Extension (or Configure) into
the Configure Extension window to load the file and set the machine
accordingly.

The configuration choices
This section describes what the various choices in Configure Extension do. If
you are unsure what you want, it is suggested that you have the following options selected:
	Use 3D icons in desktop
	Use solid sprite dragging
	Use dithering in desktop
	Truncate long filenames
	Run ConfigExt with Configure
and that you have the following delesected:
	Disable hardware testing
	Disable ARM cache
	Never obscure icon bar

The full list of options is as follows:

Caps lock mode
This is exactly the same as the feature provided in Configure,
except that it works! Consult your User Guide for more information. There
was a problem in RISC OS 3.1 Configure's templates file which meant that
the option you select inside Configure isn't really selected in the
machine! This problem was fixed in the versions of Configure
distributed with RISC OS 3.5 and later, so using Configure Extension
for this purpose under RISC OS 3.5 or later is unnecessary.

Use 3D icons in desktop
If this option is selected, most applications that support both 3D and
the older 2D look will use 3D icons. Recent Acorn applications and
some others support this feature, although it will make no difference
to other applications.

Use solid sprite dragging
If this option is selected, any application that supports DragASprite
to drag shadowed or ghosted sprites instead of rotating dashed
boxes will use DragASprite. If you are using RISC User's excellent
SmartDrag utility then this option will be ignored and DragASprite
will always be used. Otherwise the feature is supported by most
recent applications.

Use dithering in desktop
If this option is selected, the Wimp will use dithered patterns (a
pattern made up of different colours to produce specific shades of a
colour) to represent its colours more accurately in screen modes with
4, 256 or 32,000 colours.

Truncate long filenames
This option is a front-end for the *Configure Truncate command.
Consult your User Guide for more information.

Disable hardware testing
If this option is selected, full hardware testing will not be
performed when the computer is switched on. This feature is only
useful if you have an expansion card which is causing an apparent
hardware fault that doesn't really exist (if so, you will be
told by the producers of the card anyway). Otherwise it's not a
particularly good idea to have this option selected.

Disable ARM cache
This feature is only available if you are using an ARM 3 or later.
If this option is selected the ARM cache will be switched off by
default, making the computer slower. This function is a front-end for
the *Configure Cache command, so consult your User Guide for more
information.

Never obscure icon bar
This feature is only available if you are using RISC OS 3.5 or later.
If this option is selected, toggling a window to full size will leave
a space for the icon bar at the bottom of the screen. The Shift-Toggle
action is reversed, so if the option is set, Shift-Toggle will fill
the screen fully.

Run ConfigExt with Configure
This feature is only available if you are using RISC OS 3.1.
It isn't a real system setting; it just customises Configure
Extension.

If this option is selected, ConfigExt will be loaded whenever
you load Configure. Note that this function accesses the disc
containing the !ConfigExt application, so make sure the disc isn't
write-protected and the application isn't in a read-only archive.
When this option has been selected, set your boot-up sequence to boot
ConfigExt, or open a directory viewer with the ConfigExt
application in. Then, whenever you run Configure, Configure Extension
will be run too.

Feedback
Feedback about this application would be very much appreciated! Please feel
free to contact me at the following address:
	Matt Browne
	5 Inglefield
	Potters Bar
	EN6 1HD

	Email matt@hell.btc.uwe.ac.uk

Copyright  RISC User 1996
