Short: Simulate WB startup from Shell Author: Stephen Williams (sw@nysa.u-net.com) Uploader: Stephen Williams (sw nysa u-net com) Type: util/cli Version: 1.0 Requires: AmigaOS 3.0+, util/libs/WBStart.lha Architecture: m68k-amigaos ======================================= WBLaunch 1.0, (c) 1998 Stephen Williams ======================================= 1. What is it? 2. What do I need to use it? 3. How do I use it? 4. Acknowledgements 5. Legal 6. The author 1. What is it? -------------- WBLaunch is a program whose sole aim in life is to launch other programs from the Shell, simulating Workbench startup. It does this with the aid of Stefan Becker's excellent wbstart.library. 2. What do I need to use it? ---------------------------- You need AmigaOS release 3.0 or above. wbstart.library requires this OS, so I made WBLaunch check for release 3.0 and refuse to start if it isn't present. You will also need wbstart.library release 2.0 or greater, a copy of which can be got from Aminet (util/libs/WBStart.lha). 3. How do I use it? ------------------- Copy WBLaunch into your C directory. If your dearchiver junked the protection bits, then do protect c:WBLaunch prwed WBLaunch may, of course, be used only from the Shell ;-) WBLaunch expects arguments according to the following template: PROGRAM/A,ARGS/M,VERBOSE/S,PRI=PRIORITY/N/K PROGRAM is the name of the program you want to launch. WBLaunch will search your path for this; alternatively, you may specify a full pathname. For example: WBLaunch sys:Utilities/Clock WBLaunch Clock ARGS are the arguments you want to pass. From Workbench, you'd do this by holding SHIFT and clicking in turn on the icons of the files you want to pass as arguments. WBLaunch will attempt to Lock() each of the arguments you pass, and will only pass on arguments which can be successfully Lock()ed. If you specify the VERBOSE switch, WBLaunch will tell you the full path of the program which it has launched, and the arguments which have been specified. The PRI argument may be used to specify a priority for the process to be started, for example WBLaunch CPUThrasher pri=-10 Once the Workbench process has been started, WBLaunch will return - there's no need to run it in the background. I recommend that you place a line like this in your User-Startup: Resident name=WB c:WBLaunch If you do this, you can simulate starting a program from Workbench simply by prefixing its name with "wb". Don't use WBLaunch to start Format or DiskCopy. On my machine, it barfs. I haven't got a clue why. Mind you, I haven't got a clue why you'd want to use WBLaunch to start Format or DiskCopy in the first place ;-) 4. Acknowledgements ------------------- wbstart.library is (c) 1991-1996 by Stefan Becker. 5. Legal -------- WBLaunch is (c) 1998 Stephen Williams, and released as freeware. It may be uploaded to FTP sites and bulletin boards. It may be distributed by PD houses, provided the only charge made is for distribution. It may be distributed on magazine cover disks and CDs. No profit may be made from WBLaunch. It is not in the public domain and may not be altered in any way. 6. The author -------------- Stephen Williams, sw@nysa.u-net.com, http://www.nysa.u-net.com/ Check out http://www.nysa.u-net.com/software/ for other programs by me.