Head Start 1.1
By Charles F. Johnson and John Eidsvoog
Copyright 1989 CodeHead Software
Documentation by Charles F. Johnson
Released: Monday, March 20, 1989
Head Start 1.1 is a complete rewrite of the popular/infamous public
domain program, STARTGEM. Its purpose is to easily allow you to
auto-boot any type of program from your AUTO folder, including GEM
programs. Head Start is much more flexible than STARTGEM; you can
choose from among a list of up to 128 programs to auto-boot, using the
mouse. And it's also more sturdy than STARTGEM; Head Start will wait
until all desk accessories are loaded and the desktop is fully
initialized, before running the auto-boot program. STARTGEM has an
annoying habit of auto-starting programs while the desk accessories are
still loading, which can lead to all sorts of interesting and colorful
system crashes.
Head Start 1.1 also has special hooks built into it, that allow it
to communicate with MultiDesk. These hooks allow you to auto-run any
shell program which replaces the desktop, and make MultiDesk wait to
load its accessories until the shell program is running. (NOTE: you
should only use this option if you don't plan on quitting the auto-run
shell program to the built-in desktop. Also note that under most
normal circumstances it's not desirable to use the 'WAIT' option.)
Copyright stuff.
----------------
Head Start 1.1, MAKELIST.PRG, and this document are Copyright 1989
CodeHead Software. However, they may be freely distributed as long as
this text file, the Head Start program file, and the MAKELIST program
file are all included. Neither this document file (HEADSTRT.DOC) or the
program files (HEADST11.PRG and MAKELIST.PRG) may be altered in any way.
Copies of these files may not be sold, and this document may not be
reprinted, without the express written permission of CodeHead Software.
We've tried to make Head Start as bug-free as possible.
Nevertheless, CodeHead Software cannot be responsible for any damages
that may occur as a result of the use (or misuse) of Head Start or
MAKELIST.PRG.
Preparing to use Head Start.
----------------------------
Head Start 1.1 is designed to run from the AUTO folder on your boot
disk; therefore the first thing you should do is copy HEADST11.PRG to
your AUTO folder. If you don't already have an AUTO folder on your boot
disk, you will need to create one. Refer to your ST users' manual if
you're unsure about how to do this.
Before re-booting your system to try out Head Start, you'll need to
create the Head Start data file, which contains a list of all the
programs you wish to choose from. When Head Start runs, it looks in the
main directory of your boot disk for a file called HEADSTRT.DAT. This
data file is an ordinary ASCII text file, and can be created with any
text editor and most word processors, or with the included MAKELIST.PRG
(see below). It consists of the full pathnames of each program file,
each on its own line. The file can contain up to 128 pathnames, and it
can also contain comments (lines that start with a semi-colon) and blank
lines. Here's an example HEADSTRT.DAT file:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Example Head Start data file
C:\FLASH.PRG
A:\TIMESET.PRG
XW C:\NEODESK2\NEOMASTR.PRG
B:\1STWORD\1STWORD.PRG
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two special options which can be enabled for each program
in the list. These options are set by starting the line containing the
pathname with a special character, either 'X' or 'W' (or both) followed
by a space. In our example, we've set both options on the line
containing the pathname C:\NEODESK2\NEOMASTR.PRG.
The 'X' option tells Head Start to make this program the default
autorun program. When Head Start runs, the selection cursor will be
placed on this filename, and it will automatically be selected for
autorunning if the timeout (see below) expires. Only one program can be
marked in this manner; if more than one line in the data file contains
the 'X' flag, the first one will be used.
The 'W' option is intended to be used in conjunction with our
commercial product, MultiDesk. If the 'W' option is set, Head Start
will detect the presence of MultiDesk (versions 1.7 or higher) and tell
it to wait to load its accessories and steal its vectors until the
autorun program is actually running. This enables MultiDesk to work in
a more reliable fashion with certain "shell" programs which are
intended to replace the desktop. If you do not have MultiDesk
installed, the 'W' option has no effect. (See below for information on
upgrading to MultiDesk 1.8.) As mentioned above, you should use this
option only if you do NOT plan to quit the "shell" program back to the
built-in GEM desktop.
The easiest way to create the HEADSTRT.DAT file is with the
included MAKELIST program, which lets you use the GEM file selector to
create the list of pathnames, and saves the list to a file of your
choice. MAKELIST will also let you set the 'X' and 'W' options for each
pathname. When you run MAKELIST.PRG, it will display its instructions
on-screen -- therefore we won't document the program here.
If only one filename is listed in HEADSTRT.DAT, Head Start will not
even pause for input -- it will simply autorun that file. (This lets
you use it the same way you used to use STARTGEM, if you wish.)
Running Head Start.
-------------------
Once the data file is created, re-boot your computer with the disk
which contains the AUTO folder with HEADST11.PRG in it, and the
HEADSTRT.DAT file in the main directory. If you've set everything up
properly, when Head Start runs it will display a list of the filenames
contained in the HEADSTRT.DAT file. If this list doesn't appear, make
sure the HEADSTRT.DAT file is in the main directory of your boot disk,
and that it contains valid pathnames and follows the format described
above.
The selection cursor (a transparent box) will be placed either on
the first name in the list, or on the default autorun program (which is
specified with the 'X' option - see above)). You can move the cursor
around through the list of files with either the arrow keys or the
mouse. When the box is resting on the file you wish to autorun, press
the Return key or the left mouse button to select it, and Head Start
will continue. To exit Head Start without selecting any autorun
program, press the Esc key or the right mouse button.
If you have specified a default autorun program in your
HEADSTRT.DAT file (with the 'X' option) and you don't move the mouse or
type any keys when Head Start runs, it will "timeout" after five seconds
and exit, automatically selecting the default program. If no default
program is specified, the timeout feature is disabled.
When you exit Head Start 1.1 with an autorun program selected, Head
Start leaves part of itself in RAM. This "resident" code then watches
for the right combination of events to tell it to autorun the chosen
program. When you exit with nothing selected, Head Start 1.1 is
completely wiped from memory.
A few caveats.
--------------
Head Start works by using techniques which are highly specific to
the two versions of TOS that are currently in release. It relies on
certain sequences of Line F calls which are completely undocumented by
Atari. It's not our normal practice at CodeHead Software to use
undocumented techniques; but unfortunately, this is the only way to
reliably autorun a GEM program with the current versions of TOS.
This means that Head Start will only work (at present) on the
original version of TOS in ROM, or the later revision which appeared
with the Mega STs. As of this writing, TOS 1.4 has still not been
released by Atari, and the current version of Head Start 1.1 will not
work with beta versions of TOS 1.4. This shouldn't really matter, since
TOS 1.4 has its own method of autorunning programs.
Head Start 1.1 and MultiDesk 1.8.
---------------------------------
As mentioned above, Head Start 1.1 contains "hooks" which enable
it to communicate with MultiDesk 1.8. When you use the 'W' option
described above, MultiDesk will think the autorun program IS the
desktop, and you'll be able to load setups and clear accessories just
as if you were on the built-in desktop. Therefore, we don't recommend
that you use the 'W' option if you plan on exiting the autorun program
to the standard GEM desktop; if any of the accessories have intercepted
any traps or interrupts this will probably result in a crash (sooner or
later). The proper way to exit a program which has been autorun with
the 'W' option (when MultiDesk is present) is with our friend, the
reset button.
Updating to MultiDesk 1.8.
--------------------------
Registered owners of MultiDesk can upgrade to version 1.8 (which
enables you to take advantage of Head Start's 'W' option) by sending
your original MultiDesk disk and $5.00 to:
CodeHead Software
P.O. Box 4336
N. Hollywood, CA 91607
(MultiDesk is CodeHead Software's ground-breaking desk accessory
loader, that lets you load up to 32 standard ST desk accessories into
only *one* drop-down menu slot. MultiDesk is highly compatible with a
majority of existing ST accessories, and has a host of useful and
intuitive features. MultiDesk sells for only $29.95. You can find it
at your favorite ST dealer, or order it directly from CodeHead Software
by calling our order line at (213) 386-5735. Credit card and COD orders
accepted.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy Head Start 1.1! (And watch for HotWire!, another innovative
product currently available from CodeHead Software!)
- Charles F. Johnson
John Eidsvoog
CodeHead Software
P.S. and *please* don't steal software!