AutoPilot
Joan,
Most files stored for tranfer via telecomm are ' compressed archives'.
This keep all of the related files together and makes the transfer much
faster and less expensive. To unpack these archives, you need the proper
unpacking software. Archives with the file extension .LHA are compressed
with LhARC and requires LHA138.RUN, which you will find (along with all of
the other packing programs) in library 16 of AmigaUser. LHA138.RUN is a
self-extracting-archive and does not require any other program to unpack.
You'll need to COPY LHA to your C: directory… do this in the following
manner:
Let's say you download LHA138.RUN to a floppy in your DF0: so the full
PATH to LHA138.RUN would be:
DF0:LHA138.RUN
First, we have to unpack the self extracting archive (LHA138.RUN), so,
open a shell and type:
CD DF0: this makes DF0: the current directory
Now type:
LHA138.RUN
this executes the self extracting archive… you'll
see the program extracting all of the included files
to the current directory (DF0:)
Now type:
COPY LHA C: this will place LHA (the actual program) in your
C: directory, which is always in the AmigaOS PATH,
making all commands in C: available from anywhere
on the system. You see, the operating system needs
to know where it can always look for certain things
like the COPY command, DIR command, startup-sequences,
etc… so the C: and S: directories are ALWAYS part
of the PATH. By putting commands and frequently used
programs somewhere in the PATH, they do not need to
be 'assigned' because the Amiga will always look in
the current directory, then the PATH, and then the S:
and C: directories for a command issued in a shell.
Now you can use LhA from anywhere… so let's get it unpacked:
type:
CD WORK:AUTOPILOT (or whatever the path is to the directory
where you have AP.LHA)
then:
LhA -x x AP.LHA you'll see LhA extract all of the AP files
Now, before you can run and set up AP, you must add the following ASSIGN
to your S:user-startup:
ASSIGN AP: <PATH:>AUTOPILOT
where <PATH:> is the full path prior to the AUTOPILOT directory
you made. Example, if the directory containing the AUTOPILOT files
is named AUTOPILOT and is in your WORK: partition, the ASSIGN would
be:
ASSIGN AP: WORK:AUTOPILOT
In this way (after you reboot your computer) anytime the AutoPilot program
wants to read or write a file to the 'virtual' device "AP:", AmigaDos will
automatically use WORK:AUTOPILOT… it's just like a forwarding address!
It's easy to add the ASSIGN statement:
from the shell type:
ED s:user-startup you'll see the user-sartup file appear
Now, with the cursor positioned at the first charachter on the first line
of the file, Type: <control>-A (by holding down the CTRL key and pressing
the A key)… this will insert a new blank line… now enter the proper
ASSIGN statement. That's it… save the file by typing:
<ESC>x <return>
to use an ESC command, you press and release the ESC key, then press
and release the command key ('x' in this case). When you press the
ESC key, you'll see an asterick appear at the bottom of the file…
this tells you that you are in command mode and ED is waiting for a
command. When you press x, ED saves the file back out to its original
filename and exits.
Just adding the ASSIGN to your user-starup file doesn't do anything
until that file is actually executed… and the easiest way to
execute it is to just re-satrt the computer:
Now, reboot your computer (hold down the ALT, R-Amiga and L-Amiga keys
simultaneously (this often called the "three-finger salute).
At this point, you will be able to click on your work partition, click on
the AutoPilot drawer, click on the AutoPilot icon, and begin the program
setup by choosing the SETUP menu from the main screen.