Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!littlei!foobar!argent!agora!dmose
From: dmose@agora.UUCP (Dan Mosedale)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Christmas questions cause considerable consternation
Message-ID: <656@agora.UUCP>
Date: 21 Dec 87 00:47:22 GMT
References: <4306@garfield.UUCP>
Reply-To: dmose@.UUCP (Dan Mosedale)
Distribution: na
Organization: Advanced Solutions, Hillsboro, OR
Lines: 53
Keywords: IFF iff ARP.LIBRARY arp.library cheath

In article <4306@garfield.UUCP> john13@garfield.UUCP (John Russell) writes:
:3. Simple IFF routines.
:
:Thousands and thousands of lines of IFF code I've waded through... and not
:one modular or general-purpose enough for my liking. If I ever get the time
:to convert one to my particular needs, I'll make sure to distribute it...
:calls like Read_picture_info() -- returns a pointer to a structure whose tags
:are explained here, not 5 header files down. Will_this_picture_fit_my_screen()
:-- returns boolean. Create_a_screen/window_to_load_this_picture_in() --
:optional. Crunch_picture_into_screen/window() -- you know, the way DPaint II
:remaps colours and dimensions if it wouldn't normally fit or have too many
:colours. Load_picture_into_screen/window() -- if it is of the right size &
:depth.
:
:This is one area in which highly generalized (and also highly specialized,
:like the Crunch() function above) examples are sadly lacking. I don't have
:to be able to re-write trackdisk.device to fopen a file, why should I have to
:understand every structure definition and memorize every defined symbol in
:the IFF standard to be able to display a picture that I may be able to _create_
:in 10 lines of code? Why is there no iff.library with these calls already
:there, perfected and bug-free rather than every example saying "doesn't handle
:these 10 chunk types or overscan, processes these chunks in a non-portable
:way, and bypasses Intuition for this crucial section"?
:
:I'll say it again - if I can construct a complex and multipurpose graphical 
:interface such as a window, something which was not even dreamed of not many 
:years ago, by initializing one structure with simple and (dare I say?)
:intuitive parameters and calling OpenWindow(), reading in a picture should be
:just as easy. Joe User should be able to get it working right the same day he 
:learns how to open a window. A NewPicture structure with pointer to rendering 
:rastport or null if one should be created, pointer to newwindow structure if 
:rendering should be done in a new window, constraints on size, # colours, 
:viewmodes etc? Why not? Look for one Real Soon Now (right after I finish 
:typing this all in :-). You know, I think I'll do that!
:

This is an excellent idea!  Since IFF is fairly integral to the amiga,
perhaps the above mentioned routines ought to be added into ARP.library!
(Are you out there cheath? :)


:John
:-- 
:"Listen fathead, the ONE thing we DON'T need is some trigger-happy lunatic
: in charge... No I didn't mean you Mr. President... Yes sir, I'm sure you
: do get a lot of that sort of thing."
:				-- Judge Harold T. Stone

==
\\  "These opinions may in some way represent those of my employer...  //
 \\                     but I seriously doubt it."                    //
  \\ //  Dan Mosedale                               dmose@agora   \\ //
   \\/                   ...tektronix!reed!percival!agora!dmose    \//