#Mackie 1.4
12 messages in this thread
John:
Try ClockDJ (it's in one of the AmigaTech libs). Save for the
color-pattern aspect of the screen blanker, it does all you want, and a lot
more.
?|^] Ray Lewis
Mackie does one thing I havent seen in any other Hot key utility. It
allows you to bring a window to the front that is keyed to the same key
you used to trigger the program in the first place. ( what ??)
Example.(1) I have the W key progammed so that by depressing "Help W"
Whap will be fired up but if Whap is already running Mackie will just bring
the Whap screen to the front.
Example.(2) I have the Space bar programmed so that by depressing "Help
space" Mackie will bring to the front an open Cli if one is open, and if
one is not open it will open a newcli.
This implies that Mackie can issue intuition type commands to Screens or
Windows. To the best of my knowledge ClockDj does not have this type of
capability, to bring screens to the front using ClockDj you would have to
write an Arexx script and use the RexxArpLib commands to tell each
individual screen to come to the front if that screen existed and if it
wasnt running then issue a "Run Programx". This also doesnt address the
problem of controlling screens on the Workbench which ClockDj cant do
either. All of this is done in Mackie with a simple startup script so I
dont have to write and debug complex Arexx scripts, filling up an already
big Rexx: directory.
ClockDj is good. I use it as a clock and memory meter. I just prefer the
style and ease of use of Mackie.
I am currently using version 1.3 and wonder if you or anyone else have
the more recent version 1.4 on FF305, Would they please upload it?
John Lemoine 75320,143
Well, I know ClockDJ doesn't do the "hot key" screen or window shuffle. It
does have hot keys, has a screen shuffler (leftAmiga M shuffles through the
sscreens one at a time) and has a "click to front" window option.
Mackie sounds interesting, tho.
?|^] Ray Lewis
Ray:
I havn't used ClockDJ since version 4.07,( use DMouse now), but I can swear
it had a hotkey (left Amiga `) that would open up a new shell, and also had
other function (or Hot) key setups, programmable by the user. Am I missing
something here?
-Mike Schiller
CIS: 76416,3065
Almost any hotkey utility can start a NewShell. What sets Mackie apart
is that it can tell whether the program is already running and if so it
will bring its screen or Window to the front, if it is not running already
it will run the program.
I have yet to find a HotKey screen blanker that can do this as easily as
Mackie. ClockDj does offer some Intuition control using Arexx but it would
require a complex script to tell if a screen is already open and to control
its position in a stack of screens.
Mackie's macros are setup in a simple startup script and allow you to
set masks for testing various cli or workbench screen window combos so that
a program can be triggered from one hot key or if already running brought
to the front. Other programs may offer mouse acceleration and other
features but none I have seen allow testing of this type. Since many
programs dont open a Arexx port you cant always test that way to see if a
prog is active. Whereas most progs open a named Screen or Window, Mackie
can test to match the text in a Windows Menu Bar to see if it exists or not
thus allowing it to test if a hot key sequence is valid or not.
John Lemoine 75320,143
ClockDJ has hot keys, and comes with a newshell/cli hot key arleady
configured.
What Mackie seems to have, however, is an added feature. If you preset a
hot key to run a program, the first time you hit that hot key, the program
runs, and its window/screen comes front and center. If later you hit the
same hot key combo, but have not killed the program, instead of running
another active clone of the program (which ClockDJ would do) it instead
senses that the program is already running, and simply shoves its
window/screen up front.
?|^] Ray Lewis
Ray:
While that sounds nice, is there a way to make it open a new version of the
program? There are several times when I have one CLI doing one thing, and
I want to open up another one, sounds like Mackie wouldn't let me do that
(at least with it's hotkeys)
-Mike Schiller
CIS: 76416,3065
I have no idea if you can defeat that feature or not. I saw a note that
someone had uploaded the most current version of Mackie, so, if you're
interested, look in lib 1. If it's not too big, dl it and see.
?|^] Ray Lewis
Mike to overide Mackie's check of weather or not the program is running
already you just have to press the Ctrl key when you press the key that
would trigger the macro or program.
The docs included with Mackie are pretty sparse but the example
mackierc file is helpful, if you have trouble you might want to see some
other peoples .mackierc file. I could upload the one I am using. I have had
good results so far triggering Arexx scripts as well as Workbench and Cli
programs. I still use ClockDj as a clock and memory meter. I just turn off
it's hot key facility.
Sometimes it is hard to know what name to use as the mask to check for
when you want to bring a screen to front (ie. Diskmaster does not name its
screen Diskmaster, it is called Nomad.Task) however you can figure it out
eventually. I have found that by using Xoper to see what sceens and windows
are open I can find the correct names to use as masks for Mackie's trigger
keys. Regards
John Lemoine 75320,143
John –
I have uploaded Mackie 1.4 from FF305 to Lib 13, under the name mackie.zoo.
I expect it will be available once the SYSOPs check it out. I archived it
using Zoo 2.0.
Jeff Schweiger
Thanks a lot Jeff. I have been trying to get hold of that program for
more than a month now. It seems that since the legal battles over Tetris
clones FF305 has been pulled because of the game Obsess on it. So I have
had a hard time finding anyone who had Mackie 1.4.
Thanks again
John Lemoine 75320,143
No problem, glad to be of help.
Jeff Schweiger