Edtrad Computers Present:
The DIY Demo Creator
Programmed By: N.E-D
17.5.1989
This DIY demo kit is a program
which enables ST users who are not
particulary talented at computer
programming to make clever demos to put
on their PD disks to give to their
friends, with a disk full of PD
software, for example.
I have tried to make the demo kit
simple yet flexible. The demo program
runs in all three of the ST's
resolutions, and allows you to make
your own scrolling message and draw
your own title screen in which your
message scrolls. The DIY demo kit will
NOT make PD quality demos. For one
there is no music, and two I don't
really think that people will waste
magnetic media on a scrolling message
with one picture, they will want a TEX
demo, or something like that.
All the the DIY demo kit makes,is
a demo which displays a picture with a
scrolling message. The user may press
any key to exit to desktop.
To create your own demos you need
some additional software.
You Need:
Degas (Elite) (or a drawing
program which can save in the degas non
compressed(PI?) format (NOT PC?
format).
1st Word (or any text editor
which can save in ASCII. EG Tempus)
I hope you have some suitible
software, if not your PD library may
well have some PD software which is to
the above requirements.
I shall explain how to make a demo
using the above software, if you are
using compatible software then you
can't follow the instructions word for
word but you will be able to get the
right idea.
1. You will first need to make
your picture. You need to decide which
resolution to make the demo run in.
(You should make an intelligent
decision. If you know your friend has a
mono monitor then don't do a colour
picture, equally if you have a mono
monitor and your friend has a colour
one then don't make a mono picture.)
If you can't use the resolution which
the demo will be run in then I suggest
you use Picswitch 0.7 (included on this
disk). This allows you to draw your
Degas picture in one resolution, you
can then save your work onto the disk,
load up Picswitch and convert it to
another resolution without ever going
into that resolution.
To make your picture you must load
up one of the templates which are
included on this disk. There are three
templates. One for each resolution. (If
you are making a demo to run in another
resolution that the one which you are
working in and you intend to use
Picswitch 0.7 then you load the one
which is for YOUR resolution.) When you
come to draw your picture you will find
that the template contains a
rectangular box and a trendy logo at
the bottom of the screen. YOU MUST KEEP
THE BOX WHERE IT IS, DON'T MOVE IT OR
PUT ANYTHING IN IT, IT IS WHERE THE
SCROLLING MESSAGE GOES. This is the
only restriction on the picture
format,you may remove the logo if you
wish, it serves no pratical purpose.
I suggest that when using your art
package you make sure that the colour
which the text is printed in (The
colour on the far right of the pallette
in Degas Elite) is visible against the
colour which the border is(The colour
on the far left of the pallette in
Degas Elite), if this is not so the
scrolling message may be invisible
against the background!
You must save your picture
E_DEMO.PI? where ? is the resolution: 1
for low,2 for medium and 3 for high.
I must remind DEGAS ELITE users to
turn the compression off when they save
their picture, this is done by moving
the mouse into the FILE heading and
clicking on COMPRESSION option. You
will be presented with a dialog box
which says NORMAL and COMPRESSED. Click
on the normal option. Degas (NOT ELITE)
users need not worry about this as they
don't have the compression option.
Once saved your picture is now
ready for conversion with Picswitch if
need be. (If you drew your picture in
the resolution which the demo will run
in you may skip this paragraph.) Load
up picswitch and then load up your
picture using the file selector. You
will see your picture on the screen.
You schould then press S. You will be
presented with a dialog box which has a
LOW,MED and HIGH button on it (amongst
other things). You should click in the
required resolution and then in the
save option. YOU SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE
DEGAS,ELITE AND NEO OPTIONS. THE
SETTING HERE SHOULD BE DEGAS AND SHOULD
REMAIN LIKE THAT. For furthur details
you should refer to the picswitch
manual (on this disk).
2. Making the scrolling message.
Load up your text editor or
word processor (EG 1st Word), insert
you demo disk and open a file called
E_DEMO.DAT First word users should do
the folowing, others just try to do the
same!
1. In the EDIT menu there is an
option called WP mode, it if it does
not have a tick by it then press in it.
(This turns on the Justify and Word
Wrap)
2. Go into the style menu and
press in the Justify option (You don't
want right justify, only word wrap)
{NOTE: First word plus users will find
this option under EDIT and under the
name HYPHENATION - or something like
that!}
3. You may now type in your text.
Leave about four spaces after each full
stop. This allows the reader to pause
as he or she would whilst reading a
real document.
4. Read through your text,
correcting any errors.
5. Go into EDIT and click on the
WP option again so there is no tick by
it.(This means the document will be
saved in ASCII format.)
6. Go into FILE and click on
SAVE.
3. Your demo is now ready. You
should put all the files:
E_DEMO.PRG - Demo Program
E_DEMO.PI? - Picture file (? would be
replaced by a number indicating its
resolution.)
E_DEMO.DAT - Scrolling message in
ASCII.
into the main (or root)
directory.
If you want auto-booting to take
place (ie when you boot with that disk
it loads the demo) you must do the
folowing:
1. Create a folder called AUTO.
2. Copy the AutoGem program (found
on this disk) into this AUTO folder.
3. Copy the file STARTGEM.INF
(found on this disk) into the main (or
root) directory with the demo files.
As your friend will boot will boot
with the demo disk in drive A, it opens
up the possibility of them getting a
virus off your demo disk. For this
reason, I have included the "STRIKE A
LIGHT" virus killer. You want to kill
any viruses that may be on your demo
disk and make it immune to attacks.
However you must read the document
which comes with the killer too before
killing any viruses. If want a better
virus killer I suggest you obtain the
VDU virus killer. It is a comercial
piece of software but is available for
about œ 6.50 from your PD library.
I hope you find this program
useful, it is public domain so you may
copy it freely, I do ask you to copy
all the files which you found on your
disk when you give a demo to somebody
else so that they can enjoy making
their own demos.
If you have any problems or suggestions
for new Public Domain software then
please send them to:
N.E-D,
Ave Des Perdrix 5,
1950 Kraainem,
BELGIUM.
If you get a growler,(you
will know if you do) then please report
it to me. Growlers should not occur at
all.
I apologize for any spelling
mistakes there are in here, I have yet
to get a spelling checker and my
spelling is abysmal! I have just done
my GCSE English and HOPING to pass!