Introduction
Inovatools 1 is a library of routines that not only add features to the
Intuition user interface, but make it easier to program.
Inovatools 1 can be linked in directly to C and Assembler programs or
treated as an AmigaDos library, just like Intuition, MathTrans, etc., so
other languages like Basic, Forth, and Modula 2 can use it.
A quick summary of the tools:
- Drag Gadgets.
This turns an Intuition Gadget that is displayed with an Image into a
gadget that can be dragged by the user anywhere on the screen.
- Knobs.
These are rotating proportional gadgets that can rotate in a full circle
and baclc around again, if so desired. These are very useful for letting
the user describe something that can turn full circle, like a direction
indicator.
- PopUp Menus.
This takes a standard Intuition menu strueture and displays it as a PopUp
menu. Sub menus are supported.
- File Requester.
A generic file requester that will work in any screen. File names are
stored in memory, so disk access is kept to a minimum. The requester can
display files by type if required.
- List Display.
These are routines for the handling and display of generic lists. A
window with the list oriented from top to bottom is displayed with scroll
gadgets on the side. The user can select items, scroll the list, add and
delete items. The file requester is a good example of a program that uses
this tool. It displays the file names and the volume names as two lists.
- Palette Editor.
This is a general purpose color palette editor that will worlc in any
screen in any mode (with the obvious exception of HAM). Provides both RGB
and HSI methods for describing a color. A good example of ICnob gadgets,
by the way.
- Intuition Tools.
Over two dozen routines designed to make working with Intuition as
painless as possible. Everything from routines to set up string gadgets
to reentrant windows.
The next seven chapters cover all of the tools in depth. Chapter 9,
Programming with Inovatools 1 covers how to link Inovatools 1 into your
program.
Then, there are function summaries for all of the routines.