AutoSave Plus
Automatic Save Utility
By A C Rowland
from AutoSave by Andrew Hersee

    CONTENTS
  1 Introduction
  2 Configuration
  3 The iconbar icon
  4 How it works

Introduction
This program is designed to automatically save
files from Wimp applications at regular intervals.
It adds to Andrew Herseys program a prompt before
saving and a user friendly configuration option.
It requires RISC OS 3.1 or later and supports
interactive help.

When first run, you are presented with a
configuration dialog box. Here you should:
   specify how often you want AutoSave Plus to
    save your documents
   add the names of the applications you want it
    to work with to the Task List.
AutoSave Plus does not just work with every
application willy-nilly: it may be undesirable in
some circumstances and some applications have a
built-in autosave feature which should be used in
preference.

Configuration
This dialog box sports a Tip Box giving context
sensitive help.

The easiest way to add an application to the list
is to run it, and when it is installed on the
iconbar, choose AutoSaves Add entry... button
and select the applications name from the drop
down menu. This ensures that the name is entered
accurately, because names must appear EXACTLY as
they do in the Task Managers task display. Of
course, only choose suitable applications, i.e.
ones which...
   are editors
   take the input focus when you click on them,
    i.e. the window border goes cream  Paint, for
    example, does not do this.
The drop down menu simply lists all running
programs, whether suitable or not (as AutoSave has
no way of knowing how any particular application
works).

To enter a lot of applications at once: run them
all as above, then click Menu over the Task List
and move onto Add entry in the menu. Then use
Adjust to keep the menu open as you add the names.

For each application in the list you may set up
your preferences individually. If you select
Reminder only AutoSave Plus will not attempt to
save documents but will simply generate an error
reminding you to save. You should also use this
option if the application concerned has no save
key.

If you select Auto save you should position the
caret in the Key field and press whichever key
the application uses to save (usually F3). You may
also specify whether this is to be fully automatic
or not: when Full is selected (the button
turns red) files will be saved without further
ado, as if you had pressed F3 then Return
yourself. If not, the Save as: window will be
presented and it will wait for you to alter the
filename before saving if desired.

The settings may be changed in future by selecting
the application in the Task List and choosing
Setup.... Note that any changes you make will
not take effect until you choose Change or press
Return. The settings for a group of applications
may be changed all at once  just use Adjust to
select all the ones you want first  but in this
case it is not possible to alter the spelling of
names.

To remove applications from the list, select them
as above and choose Remove.

Finally, do not forget to choose Save to make
the changes permanent and close the dialog box.

The iconbar icon
Clicking Select over the iconbar icon causes the
document containing the caret to be saved
immediately (if a single keypress save works in
that application). The advantage of doing this,
rather than just saving from the application
itself, is that AutoSaves timer is reset.

Clicking Adjust over the iconbar icon pauses
AutoSave Plus and greys the icon to indicate this.
A second click with Adjust will restore it.

The iconbar menu gives access to the usual things,
including the Configure dialog and this help file.

How it works
Whenever the delay you specified elapses, the
program finds out which window contains the caret.
If this window is a pane (a window inside another
window) it will search for the parent window. It
checks that the document is titled, and that the
window title contains an asterisk, by convention
indicating that the document has been modified. It
will also check that the application is known to
AutoSave Plus, and if so will then take the action
you specified when you configured the program. If
you selected Auto save there will be a beep and
a prompt window will open presenting you with the
choice of cancelling, saving immediately or saving
after a delay, when you will see this window
again. F2 switches to Delay, F1 to Save now
and keys F3-F7 give preset delay times. Of course,
Escape and Return have their usual functions. You
are advised not to continue typing or click
outside the prompt window when it is open.

 RISC User 199697