Short:        Font DataType Class Preferences Editor
Author:       Robert A. Sisk
Uploader:     sisk637 cyberonic com
Type:         util/dtype
Version:      1.1
Replaces:     util/dtype/FontDTPrefs.lha
Requires:     util/libs/mui38usr.lha util/rexx/rxmui.lha
Architecture: generic

FontDT is a preferences editor for Michael Letowski's font datatype class 39.5,
util/dtype/FontDT-1.3.lha. It is a MUI application written in ARexx, developed
on an A4000/040 with AmigaOS 3.9 + BoingBags 1 & 2, MUI 3.8, and RxMUI 42.5. In
addition to the usual features of a preferences editor it has pop-up edit menus
for the individual settings, it disables the edit menu items when they have
nothing to do, and the window is an AppWindow which will load a dropped
preferences file.

Each Strings line is treated as a separate string. Don't enclose a string with
quotes to include spaces as if you were typing a preferences file directly;
FontDT handles quoting for you.

I use an icon datatype class, util/dtype/IconDT44.lha, so several About windows
look a bit prettier. My system originally didn't provide the icon used in the
About Font window, so I copied :OS-Version3.9/icons/datatype.info from my
AmigaOS 3.9 CD to Env(Arc):Sys/def_datatype.info.

The links in the About requesters use OpenURL, comm/www/openurl.lha. To make the
About FontDT address link work, in OpenURL preferences I edited my mailer
command's address argument so the keyword is joined to its value by a space
instead of an equals sign. The equals sign apparently exposes a bug in
dos.library/Execute() that assumes an angle bracket indicates a stream
redirection.

When saving a preferences file, if Create Icons is checked and the icon file
doesn't already exist, FontDT will copy the file Env:Sys/def_prefs.info or the
system will provide a default project icon: Env:Sys/def_project.info or an
internal image. The new icon will have a Cmd tool type which specifies the
preferences file and also a copy of the program's Console tool type. However, if
the program's absolute path contains a space, the tool types won't be written.

If FontDT receives options from the command line or from the Cmd tool type, it
processes them with the following argument template. Otherwise, it reads its
options as tool types with the same keywords.

From,Edit/S,Use/S,Save/S,PubScreen/K,TextEditor/S

PubScreen overrides the corresponding setting in MUI preferences.

TextEditor uses the TextEditor class, dev/mui/MCC_TextEditor-15.24.lha, for
the Strings gadget instead of the Textinputscroll class.


Known Problems

Activating the Strings Textinputscroll gadget with the mouse removes the pop-up
menu. This is apparently a bug in RxMUI, Textinputscroll, or MUI. I've reported
the problem to RxMUI's author, but it has not been resolved. Workarounds:
Activate the gadget from the keyboard instead of with the mouse, or substitute
the TextEditor gadget by using the TextEditor option.

The height of the Background button is greater than that of the Foreground one.
Also, the height of the Y DPI slider above the bar is greater than that of the
button. These are apparently glitches in RxMUI or MUI. I've reported them to
RxMUI's author, but they have not been resolved.


History

1.1  Fixed bug: Disables Last Saved window and pop-up menu items when they have
     nothing to do.

1.0  First Aminet release.


I welcome your comments and questions.

Robert A. Sisk
sisk637 cyberonic com