Suggestions to add to FTN95 help file (not v. important)

I looked for ages for info on putting a little icon on to the caption bar. It eventually dawned on me that it was the same as the icon that goes in the status bar when the window is minimised (%mi), but this took a long time to get into my thick skull as the window in question didn't allow minimising! The help file entry for %mi doesn't state this obvious correlation, and a seach using 'caption bar' and 'icon' didn't bring it up.

The other thing I looked in vain for in the FTN95 help file is what to do when the user clicks on a data file of the right type. I had set the file association manually. Of course the answer is simple and trivial - Windows calls the FTN95 program with the associated (and clicked) data file name given as the first argument/parameter on an 'invisible' command line. I suppose that it is obvious really, but nevertheless I couldn't find it in the online documentation, and hit on it only after following a hunch and a vague recollection of setting up some sort of interface file in a much earlier version of Windows than XP (1.0 or 1.1!) which mentioned the command line.

I'm still looking for automatic ways of setting file associations and posting shortcuts to the start menu and/or desktop, but I suspect that that is why one pays all that money for an installer!

Eddie

Eddie

Thanks for this.

I can add something to help file about %mi.

Setting the Windows Explorer file association is beyond the scope of the help file. As you intimate, you can set this manually from the Explorer Tools menu and Folder Options. I do not know of an automatic way of doing this (except from an installer) but you can write a program to add the required information to the registry. Plato does this to associate .ftn95p etc files with Plato when you choose the appropriate option in the Options dialog.

When it comes to programmatically posting short cuts etc, I think there is a Microsoft DLL that contains functions to help you here. I would try looking in the Microsoft MSDN for help when writing an installer. A a more direct approach would be to start by downloading the code in http://www.codeproject.com/tools/EasyInstaller.asp

Paul,

Possibly the information in %mi needs linking with (or repeating in) %ca in some way.

I think that your answer convinced me to (continue to) do the file association manually - it's only on 3 or 4 computers, and it isn't very difficult.

Regards

Eddie

When one looks back at an earlier post and discovers what one didn't know - it is sometimes embarrassing. 'All that money for an installer'? - there's a great one for free. Struggle creating a help system? There's at least one free help compiler.

I recently discovered another feature of %mi. It not only gives you an icon on the caption bar, but it also gives you a system menu. I had forgotten about this Windows 1 & 2 hang-over, as the most useful system menu functions appear at the right of the caption bar as icons. No wonder most windows don't announce their parentage with this icon, but only use it on the master window - i.e. once in a whole application, not on every window.

Eddie