Welcome to the first beta test of Stoop 2
=========================================

IMPORTANT:

The program files that accompany this text file should be kept 
together and should not be posted onto other BBS's or sent to 
PD/Shareware distributors - the full release package will be freely 
distributed, but I would like to keep this beta from being spread far 
and wide.


INSTALLATION:

As this is a beta program, you should back up your current Stoop set 
up, if you have one.

Use the INSTALL program to replace your current set up, it will 
attempt to convert any old STOOP.CFG file it finds to the new format.

Note. Two CFG files will exist after installation (if a STOOP.CFG 
exists), one called STOOP.CFG will hold details about each user 
(passwords, colours, etc.) and the other (DEFAULT.CFG) will hold the 
configurations for the buttons.


REGISTRATION:

Registered users can use their keys until 1st April 1996, you can 
obtain a new key by sending email to:

phodgkins@cix.compulink.co.uk

or by sending an SSAE to:

Phil Hodgkins,
106, Knighton Fields Road East,
Leicester,
LE2 6DQ
UK.

I WILL REQUIRE YOUR NAME AND KEY!!!!


DOCUMENTATION:

I haven't had time to prepare a manual, if you have not used Stoop 
before please use the manual from version 1.05.

Some notes:

To use a hotkey to activate a button press Alternate + underlined key.

Use the cursor keys and Space to select files on boards and 
fileselector. On the fileselector, use Insert to enter folders.

You can drag the mouse on boards and the fileselector to select 
multiple files. Press Control to deselect them instead.

If you set up multiple users, Stoop cannot be bypassed at boot up.

Stoop will run in 640x480x2 colours from the Desktop.

Stoop is not compatible with MagiC and will exit immediately after 
starting. This means that a Coldboot is required to run Stoop again.

In groups, files can be set to be turned off if Shift is held down 
when selecting them - they will appear in red and yellow.


I think most of the other new features will be fairly obvious, email 
me if you have any questions.


WHAT BETA TESTERS SHOULD DO:

1. Report bugs.

If the bug is difficult to produce, please send me instructions so 
that I can reproduce it. Please make sure that you can reproduce the 
bug first.

2. Suggest improvements.

If you think that an extra facility would be a good idea, please send 
me a description.

If you think the way that something is done is poor, please send me a 
description of the way you would like it to be done or your reasons 
for disliking it.


FEATURE LISTS:

The following lists show what there is still to do and what has been 
done. Please don't expect all the features in the To Do List to be 
incorportated in the first full release.

To Do List
---------- 

Miscellaneous

- Make TT compatible (possibly making it MagicMac compatible too).

- Remove all strings to a separate file (makes for easy translation).

- Make compatible with multitasking OS's.

- Make compatible with MagiC.

- Allow MAGX.INF to altered in the same way as NEWDESK.INF (set 
  resolution and auto program).


Start UP

- Add a command line to automatically select a configuration.
  

Info board

- Add a dialogue giving information about Stoop.

    Sven Bornemark (Support in Sweden)
    Tom Thomason (Swedish Translator: Falcon ProCentre)
    Georges-mile April (French Translator)
    Time and Date of last boot (touch Stoop folder)


Bugs

- Stoop.bak problem with INSTALL, it occasionally causes a crash.

- F9 key not saved as default!


Sets

- Add merge and remove files.


Launcher

- Add multiple program files to be launched (useful for running a RAMdisk 
  and then a main application).
  
  
___________________________________________________________________________

Done List
---------


Miscellaneous

- Random selection of single file in board, example use - background 
  picture for a desktop.

- The Launch and Environment interface has been split into two and the
  text handling has been much improved.
  
  Instead of holding the all the text for each preset button in a single
  file, two lists of up to 10 files can be set up for each preset (one
  for the Launcher and one for the Environment). The files can be made
  active/inactive in the same way as the files on a board.
  
  The files on the list are loaded, merged and saved to a new file when
  a preset is run and Stoop is exited.
  
  Each file can be loaded, viewed and edited in Stoop. New files can be
  created.
  
  The Launch and Environment can be independantly switched off.

- Add proper environment strings support, this hasn't been done but from 
  now on the support for env strings is supplied in the the public domain
  GEMENV by Ian Lepore.

- Give the option of using SHBUF.PRG if the NEWDESK.INF file is >4 kB.

- Add 2-colour display option (faster and possibly compatible with some
  ST graphics boards).


Groups

- Click right mouse on group to show it.

- Turning off files when setting up a group, (hold SHIFT down on file and 
  left mouse click).


Filing

- Change folder management so that moves between partitions are allowed.

- Allow deletion of files which have been previously copied to a folder.


Bugs

- Something wrong with copying presets, changing one copy will change the 
  others.

- Autoprogram list, deleting the first file sometimes causes a crash


Start up

- EXIT can now be used to set up a timeout which just exits rather than 
  set up a preset.

- Give option on preset button setups for not running Stoop on the next 
  boot - useful for non-resetable RAMDISKS, (but the LAUNCHER.PRG list
  of programs to run after booting might be a better method). Basically
  the time of the last exit from Stoop is stored and up to 2 mins
  afterwards the _next_ _warm_boot is ignored.

- Add an alert when a multitasking OS is running, then exit gracefully.
  (Untested.)

Interface

- Control Right Mouse on a preset button to bring up the button set up 
  dialogue.

- Click right mouse on group to show it.

- The group of three buttons (BOARD, GROUP and BUTTON) is now named SET UP 
  instead of CONFIG., this is to reduce confusion with the CONFIG button.
  
- SET UP buttons (BOARD, GROUP and BUTTON) now have their own option 
  buttons, in 1.04 and 1.05 only BUTTON had its own set of OPTIONS. These 
  options replace the normal options (FSEL,SAVE,CONFIG..) when any of the 
  CONFIG buttons are chosen.
  
- DELETE is no longer a normal option, instead it is only available with 
  any of the SET UP buttons.
  
- CLEAR is no longer a normal option, instead it is only available with 
  the GROUP button.
  
- LOAD configuration has added to the normal option buttons.

- Keyboard shortcuts.

	
Preset Configurations

- Switch 68030 between 8 & 16 MHz, ditto blitter. Switch CPU cache 
  on/off. Switch between Falcon and STE buses.
  
  
Log On

- Multiple users can now log on.

- Users can be denied access to certain partitions.

- There are 3 levels of user

    Ordinary   - can use Stoop as normal (but access to partitions can 
                 be denied).

    Supervisor - as Ordinary, but can alter any users password, set 
                 partitions they can use, set which CFG they 
                 automatically load at start up.

    Limited    - Can use presets, groups, boards, etc. but cannot 
                 change the CFG in anyway.

- Multiple CFGs are allowed, they must not be called STOOP.CFG.

- Timeout is only available if there is only one user set up.


Keys

- ASCII characters above 127 now available.


Boards

- Boards can be set up to choose a random file, this changes each time 
  (i) the Stoop starts up or a preset configuration is selected. If 
  the preset is only being shown, the random file can be changed 
  manually before using the GO button.

- Rubber band for selecting multiple files (or hold down Control to 
  de-select them) 
 
- Give option for board to be displayed in unsorted order.


OPTION buttons

- Change OPTIONS buttons to

    FSEL    LOAD
    SAVE
    CONFIG	

  And when BUTTON is selected

    COPY    MERGE
    SWAP    REMOVE
    SETUP   MISC.
	
  And when BOARD is selected
  
    DELETE
    
  And when GROUP is selected
  
    EDIT
  	SHOW
    DELETE
      
  The above changes are not fixed - I may make further changes.


Fileselector

- Drop down list of last 20 paths used (a history list).

- Drop down list of extension masks on the extension button.

- Keyboard shortcuts for drives to use Alternate +drive (Control is no
  longer used for this)

- Double click on files in fsel to select and exit.

- Rubber band to select/deselect multiple files.

- Replace the ability to select folders (as well as enter them) this 
  was originally allowed but got lost somehow.

- Separate dialog when creating new folder and renaming files & folders.

- Reorder CPX/ACCS option (they are loaded in the order they appear on 
  disk).

- More normal scroll bars at the side of the file display.

- A button for going back a folder (as well as the Last and Root 
  folder entries)
  
  
  
Phil Hodgkins - 1st March 1996

  



