09-14-91 WALPAPER.EXE -- README FILE ----------------------------- WHAT IT IS : Wallpaper is a COMPILED (i.e., executable) BatchWorks v2.0 batch program. WHAT IT DOES : Wallpaper maintains a collection of wallpapers in one compressed file and can extract them on demand and update the Windows desktop. It can also create the compressed file if it does not yet exist, and add or remove files from it at any time thereafter. WHY : Because Windows wallpaper files (.BMP) take up A LOT of space and they compress very nicely (70-95%). WHAT'S REQUIRED : Wallpaper requires PKZip.Exe AND PKUnzip.Exe, copyright PKWare, Inc. Both of these programs are available on a number of Compuserve forums. WHAT'S INCLUDED : Readme.txt - This file Walpaper.exe - The wallpaper program file (code) Walpaper.pif - The Windows PIF file necessary for the correct operation of the program INSTALLATION : Place the walpaper.exe and walpaper.pif files into a SINGLE directory. Since most of us want to keep the Windows directory as clean as possible, I suggest shoving them into a utilities directory of your choice. Now, assign a program to an icon in your favorite shell. The command line for it should read "[path]Wallpaper.exe". Title this icon "Change Paper". Now, repeat this same procedure for a second program icon, with a command line of "[path]Wallpaper.exe Update". Title this icon "Update Paper". Installation is now complete. TO RUN : Click on either icon. You will be asked to specify paths to the pkzip and pkunzip programs, as well as a wallpaper zip file, and to select a method for changing the paper (whenever this icon is clicked in the future). You will also be asked to specify a number which denotes the file size below which wallpapers will be tiled (for reference, a full-screen VGA 640x480x16 bitmap is 153,718 bytes). If you don't already have a zip file containing your bitmaps, you can create it at this time. If you do already have a walpaper zip file, just specify the full path and filename. After a new file has been created, or the path to an existing file has been given, Walpaper will extract the names of the bmp files and create a file named Walpaper.Ini in the directory where Wallpaper.exe resides. This file contains all the information pertinent to running the program from now on. After the program is run for the first time, which creates Walpaper.Ini, clicking on the icon will extract a new wallpaper from the zip file, display it, and delete the old wallpaper (previously extracted). TO UPDATE : Wallpaper.exe also acts somewhat like a wallpaper file librarian. Click on the "Update Paper" icon. You will be presented with 4 possible options. You can add new wallpapers to the zip file, remove wallpapers, change the update method (sequential, random, or user-selected), or rebuild the Wallpaper.Ini file. When adding files, you can optionally delete the original after it has been archived (to save disk space). When removing files, you can optionally delete the files after they are removed from the archive. After either adding or removing, the Wallpaper.Ini file is reconstructed to reflect the changes in the archive. The rebuild option is similar to the initial launch of the program (before Walpaper.Ini exists). You can change the paths of the zip programs or specify another wallpaper zip file to use. Rebuilding is really only necessary for these reasons. Rebuilding could possibly be used to alternate between two or more wallpaper zip files (but I like to keep all my bitmaps in one file). HISTORY : This program was originally written in Norton Desktop for Windows Batch Language. BatchWorks is identical to NDW's BatchRun, as both batch languages were created by the same person (I think), Morrie Wilson. BatchWorks v2.0, which has just been released, has an optional SDK that includes a compiler for creating standalone exe files from batch programs. Unfortunately, the compiler will not include any dialog box templates in the final executable, so I create these templates "on-the-fly" within the program, and delete them when they are no longer needed. To create Walpaper.exe, I did a little tweeking of the original batch program, compiled it, and it ran without a hitch. Although this program doesn't set any speed records, it is relatively fast and the benefits of storing COMPRESSED walpapers far outweigh any speed penalties. NOTES : Wallpaper.exe creates a temporary DOS batch file (~~WPTEMP. BAT) in the Windows directory, which invokes the zip programs. This batch file is called from the Wallpaper.pif file, and is deleted when no longer needed. Similarly, a temporary list file (~~WPTEMP. LST) is used to construct a list of filenames for Wallpaper.ini, and it is also deleted when no longer needed. The wallpaper.exe program waits for a window titled "Wallpaper" to close (the title of the pif window) before it continues processing, so DO NOT rename the PIF file's window title or command line! **** Since this program creates, adds, removes, and deletes files, and many unexpected events can occur in a multitasking system, I assume no responsibility for loss of data or damage to your system through the use of this program. ***** Wallpaper.exe is being distributed as freeware, although I retain the rights to the original code. BatchWorks v.2.0 (c)1991 Morrie Wilson, Publishing Technologies. Have fun, and reclaim some of that disk space! Send any comments or suggestions to me via Compuserve, 76346,1732. 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