Category : Alternate Operating Systems - Quarterdeck DesqView, CP/M, etc
Archive   : QTEC9306.ZIP
Filename : MAKEADVP.TEC

ID:MA DESQview: Making a Program Information File (DVP)
Quarterdeck Technical Note #259 Filename: MAKEADVP.TEC
by Quarterdeck Testing & Compatibility CompuServe: MKADVP.ZIP
Last revised: 8/21/92 Category: DV

Subject: Advice for developers and end-users on creating DESQview Program
Information Files (.DVPs), with emphasis on flexibility and
portability.


This technote contains the instructions for making a .DVP (DESQview
Program Information File) file for Quarterdeck to distribute to the public.
These instructions are NOT the same as the instructions on creating a .DVP
file for your own use, although you may find the information contained herein
quite useful for that purpose.
Consult chapter 7, "Changing a Program's Information", of the DESQview
manual as a first source of guidance for setting these parameters.

PROGRAM NAME
DESQview does not care what you put in this field. This selection only
affects the exact text appearing on the menu. Duplicate names are allowed.
Use a unique, descriptive name. If you have multiple DVPs for the same
program, assign each one a unique name (e.g., "WonderWord (text)" and
"WonderWord (WYSIWYG)"; or "WonderCalc (real mode)" and "WonderCalc (protected
mode)"). If you have multiple versions of the same program, put the version
in the program name ("WonderBase III"). If the same DVP is appropriate for
multiple versions of the same program list all version numbers (e.g.,
"WonderWord 3 & 4"). This field is 30 characters long.

KEYS TO USE TO OPEN MENU
Use any two alphanumeric keys. Choose a mnemonic keystroke combination.
Although you may assign a single key (DESQview allows this!). DO NOT do this!
If you do, you cannot open an other window (through keystrokes) that has this
key as its first key.

MEMORY SIZE (IN K)
Make this field contain the MINIMUM amount of memory necessary to run
your program, plus 20. Discover this by a binary search (see below) until you
find the point at which a change of 1 will make the program fail, then add 20.
For a complicated program be sure to try options that use more memory (e.g.,
use WonderWord's spell checker.) A program may run more slowly in this amount
of memory, but individual users may raise this number as they choose. Too-
large a number in this field will keep DESQview from loading a program even
when there is enough memory for it to run. This is a common mistake for users
to make. In addition to the extensive discussion in the DESQview manual, see
"MEMSIZE.TEC" and "OUTMEM.TEC" for further discussion of of setting this
field.
Binary Search: A binary search is the quickest method of finding an
unknown, but measurable, quantity. This is a somewhat modified binary search.
Start with "400" in "Memory size", if the program runs decrease to "300"; if
the program does not run increase to "500". Continue decreasing the number in
"Memory Size" by a hundred until you find the smallest multiple of a hundred
that works.
Once you have found the smallest multiple of a hundred that works,
decrease the number in "memory size" by fifty. If this does not work, add
twenty-five; if it does, subtract twenty-five: You are now at "x25" or "x75".
Continue decreasing or increasing this number by halves (from "x25", go to
"x12" or "x37"; from "x75", go to "x87" or "x63"), until you find the smallest
amount of memory that will allow the program to run properly.

PROGRAM
This field holds the name of the executable program. In the case of .COM
and .EXE files, use the extensions UNLESS the program will not run unless DOS
loads it. DESQview loads a .EXE or .COM program directly when you specify the
extension on this line; when you do not specify the extension is DESQview
loads a copy of COMMAND.COM in the window and then lets DOS load the program.
This imposes an overhead of 3-5K (depending on the version of DOS). DOS must

load batch files, so use of the extension is irrelevant for batch files. For
this reason, use a .COM or .EXE file instead of a batch file whenever
possible.
Usually put only the name of the executable on this line, not a path to
it or any parameters after it. When a program installs itself so that the
executable is not in the same directory as the directory that the programs
wishes to be current when the executable starts, use a relative path (e.g.,
WonderWord stores its executable (Wonderword.com) in the "programs"
subdirectory, and configuration file it needs to read on start-up in the
"config" directory, so that you CANNOT start WonderWord in the directory in
which the executable resides; in this case, put "PROGRAMS\WONDERWORD.COM" in
this field. There can be no spaces in this field. This field is 64
characters long.

PARAMETERS
This field holds the parameters you must pass to the executable when
loading (e.g. "/m" to run "WonderWord" in text mode; "/s" to run Microsoft's
"Windows" in Standard Mode.) The technote "CHOOSDIR.TEC" highlights a special
use of the "?" in this field (do not use the "?" in any default DVP). This
field is 64 characters long.

DIRECTORY
Leave this field empty. The user will fill it in as appropriate for
his/her system. This field contains the directory that will be current when
the window is opened. This field is 64 characters long.

WRITES TEXT DIRECTLY TO SCREEN
This field instructs DESQview to treat the program as if it writes
directly to video memory, whether it does or not. To perform these tests, set
"Virtualize text/graphics" to "N". To determine whether a program needs this
field set to "Y", set it to "N", ZOOM the window down, then, if the program
writes outside its screen boundaries, set this to "Y". Any graphics program
writes directly to screen. Set this field to "N" unless "Y" is necessary. It
is possible that a program can be made to be TOPview or DESQview-aware, and
thus not need this field set to "Y" if instructed to run in TOPview or
DESQview compatibility mode. Although most programs with this feature detect
TOPview/DESQview automatically, some do not, and must be told. Search for
this option in the program's manual. It is also possible that the program has
an option of not writing directly to screen, which you may use instead of a
"Y" in this field; the DVP author must search out such information him or
herself. For a further discussion of this matter, see "DIRECTLY.TEC".

DISPLAYS GRAPHICS INFORMATION
This field instructs DESQview to save a graphics screen for this window
when the window goes to background. If a program displays graphics, put a "Y"
here. If you put an "N" in this field, and the program displays graphics
information, when you switch this program back to the foreground, DESQview
will not restore its screen properly.

VIRTUALIZE TEXT/GRAPHICS
This field instructs DESQview to "virtualize" text or graphics. Set this
field to "N" unless the program writes directly to screen. If a program
writes directly to screen (see the test in that section above), set this field
to "T" or "Y". Set it to "T" if the program writes only text directly to
screen, "Y" if it displays graphics. You can discover whether "Y" is
necessary by setting this field to "T", ZOOMing the window down, and using the
program: If it writes outside the boundaries of its window, put a "Y" in this
field. For a further discussion of virtualization, see "VIRTUALI.TEC".
NOTE: Some programs use graphics only for certain functions (e.g.,
WonderCalc may display graphs while you use it principally to manipulate data
in a text mode) and display text the rest of the time. In such a case, you
may wish to set this field to "T" and not bother virtualizing (which uses
memory and CPU time) the graphics functions of WonderCalc, as they are not
useful when the window is not full screen or running in background.

USES SERIAL PORTS
Set this field to "Y" if the program can use a serial port, and "N" if it
does not. If you have any doubt, set this field to "Y". The end user may
choose to put a "1" or "2" in this field. Setting this field to "N" may cause
a program that wishes to use a serial port not to see it (but probably will
not.)

REQUIRES FLOPPY DISKETTE
Set this field to "Y" only if the program prompts the user for a floppy
disk (usually a key disk as copy-protection scheme). Mis-setting it does not
cause DESQview a problem, though.

ADVANCED OPTIONS

SYSTEM MEMORY (IN K)
System memory is used by DESQview-Aware programs and by DESQview to save
fonts for a program that changes fonts by use of BIOS calls. To discover if
your font-changing program uses BIOS calls to change fonts, set this field to
"5", open this window, change the font in the window, switch to another
window, then back: if the font has not reverted to what it was before you
changed it, DESQview has successfully saved the font, and the program uses
BIOS calls to change fonts. For programs that change fonts by means of BIOS
calls set this field to "5". Set this field to "0" except for such programs
and for DESQview.

MAXIMUM PROGRAM MEMORY SIZE (IN K)
Leave this field blank. If not blank, DESQview will allocate the amount
of memory in this field to the window, whether the program uses it or not;
setting this field high can waste memory. If an end user wants a program to
take more memory than the amount in "Memory Size", he or she may raise this
number; then the window will open if as little memory as is specified in
"Memory Size" is available, and take up to the amount in this field. In
addition to the thorough discussion of this field in the manual, see
"OUTMEM.TEC" and "MEMSIZE.TEC".

SCRIPT BUFFER SIZE
Set this field to "1000" unless scripts CANNOT be used by this program,
in which case set it to "0". Setting it to "0" will keep any scripts from
working in this window, and decrease DESQview's overhead for this window by
1000 bytes. The minimum non-zero size is 66 bytes. Programs that REQUIRE a
keyboard conflict setting of "4" often cannot use DESQview scripts; programs
that do not get their keyboard input from the BIOS keyboard buffer will ignore
DESQview's scripts. If the program CAN use scripts, you must set this number
to "1000". If the end user desires, he/she may set it to "0", or increase it.

MAXIMUM EXPANDED MEMORY SIZE (IN K)
Set this field to some number for any program that uses expanded memory.
Typical values for this field are "256" to "1024". Choose a conservative
value, in deference to users without a lot of RAM. If you leave a blank
number in this field, a program that grabs all expanded memory (or XMS or
VCPI) will take it all. This field represents a joint maximum on EMS and XMS.
In addition to the discussion in the manual, see "MEMSIZE.TEC" for more
discussion.

TEXT PAGES
Leave a "1" in this field. Open the window, and bring up a high
resolution screen, put the window in background, then restore it. If the
screen does not restore properly, raise "Text Pages" (up to 8) until it does.
You waste memory by assigning more text pages than the program uses: do not
do this.

GRAPHICS PAGES
If the program does not use graphics, there will be a "0" in this field
from the "N" in "Displays graphics information". If the program does use
graphics, put a "1" here, bring up a graphics image in the program, put the
window into background, then restore it. If the screen does not restore
properly, raise the number of "Graphics Pages" by one (up to eight) until it
does. If it never restores properly, the program uses a video mode DESQview
cannot restore (or you have run out of expanded memory) and leave a "1" in
this field. You waste memory by assigning more graphics pages than the
program uses: do not do this.

INITIAL MODE
Leave this field blank. The end user may change it as he or she needs.


INTERRUPTS
Leave "00" and "FF" in these fields. Never change them.

WINDOW POSITION

MAXIMUM HEIGHT
Set this field to 25, unless the program runs in 50 line mode,
in which case you can set it to one of these numbers.

MAXIMUM WIDTH
Set this field to 80, except in the case of programs that have modes
of greater width.

STARTING HEIGHT
Leave this field blank unless the program does not start properly
unless this field has the same number as "Maximum Height". Programs
without a cursor do not justify in a non-full-screen window, and graphics
programs load more slowly in a non-full-screen window. Using a number
larger than 25 will force the window to open in 50 line mode.

STARTING WIDTH
Leave this field blank unless the program does not start properly
unless this field has the same number as "Maximum Width".

STARTING ROW
Leave this field blank, unless you put a number in "Starting
Height", in which case, set it to "0".

STARTING COLUMN
Leave this field blank, unless you put a number in "Starting Width",
in which case, set it to "0".

SHARED PROGRAM:

PATHNAME
Leave this field blank, unless you must load a shared program. In
addition to the manual, see "SHARED.TEC" for a discussion of shared
programs. This field is 64 characters long.

DATA
Leave this field blank, unless you load a shared program that needs
some information in this field. This field is 64 characters long.

CLOSE WINDOW ON EXIT
Start with this field blank. When you quit the program, if its window
does not close (but leave you at a DOS prompt in the window), set it to "Y".
If the window closes automatically just after you open it (as may be expected
with some batch files and all TSRs), set this field to "N". Leave this field
blank otherwise.

USES ITS OWN COLORS
Set this field to "N" for a monochrome program, and "Y" for a color
program.

ALLOW CLOSE WINDOW COMMAND
Set this field to "N" for programs that may malfunction when not exited
by their own means. Closing a window when a program is open is just like
turning your computer off when that program is open, possibly keeping the
program from updating all its files. Close the window by the close window
command on the program in question, see how it responds (check the files you
were editing, other files the program had open, etc., to see if they have
been updated/closed properly), then open the program again, and see if it
complains; Wordperfect, for one, will always ask if you have other sessions
open when you open it after closing the window on it. If it does, set this
field to "N". Traditionally, Quarterdeck has put an "N" in database programs
and a "Y" on most others, though Quarterdeck recommends always closing a
program by its own means rather than closing the window on it.

RUNS IN BACKGROUND
Leave this field blank unless the program is one which must always run in
background, such as a communications program. DESQview decides whether a
program runs in background on the basis of the entries in the "Writes text
directly to screen" and "Virtualize text/graphics". DESQview suspends the
operation of any "Writes text directly" window that is not being virtualized
unless this field is set to "Y". Leave the setting of "N" to the end user.

USES MATH COPROCESSOR
Set this field to "Y" if the program can use a math coprocessor. It does
not matter if the machine does not have a math coprocessor.

KEYBOARD CONFLICT
Set this field to "0". Then execute a DESQview script in the window, and
a DESQview transfer of a half-page of text. If this works properly, you do
not need a setting of "1" or "2". If the transfer or script does not work,
change the setting to "1" and try the same test again. If this does not work,
set this field to "2" and try again. Some programs will not allow scripts or
transfers to execute. If this is the case, leave a "0" here and proceed.
Multitask with this window open, and see if it steals keystrokes from
the foreground window when it is in the background. If it does, set this
field to "4". If the program continues to steal keystrokes from the
foreground window when it is in the background, set "Maintains Separate Shift
States" to "Y" in DESQview Setup, Advanced Features, Keyboard, and keep the
"4" in keyboard conflict. If you found that you needed a setting of "1" or
"2" in the previous test for scripts or transfers to execute properly, add
this to the "4" you found here and use "5" or "6", respectively.
If a program crashes, usually when the DESQview menu is brought up over
it, or, perhaps, when multitasking, it may need a setting of "8" in this
field. Problems solved by this setting may not be obviously keyboard
problems. This setting may make it possible for TSRs that are invoked by a
keystroke and loaded before DESQview to pop up in this window. If you
discovered that a setting of "1" or "2" (or "4", "5", or "6") was required in
the previous tests, that value may be added to "8" to get a Keyboard Conflict
behavior of the sum of these settings. This field is hexadecimal, so "8" +
"6" = "E", "8" + "4" = "C", "8" + "2" = "A", etc.
See "KEYBCONF.TEC" for a more detailed explanation of this setting.

SHARE CPU WHEN FOREGROUND
Set this to "Y". The end user may change it to "N".

SHARE EGA WHEN FOREGROUND/ZOOMED
This is meaningful only on EGA systems. Set it to "Y"; the end user may
set it to "N".

CAN BE SWAPPED OUT
Set this field to "N" for a communications program and terminal emulation
programs that cannot be swapped out and for any VCPI program. Communications
and terminal emulation programs that require that "Uses serial ports" be set
to "N" must have an "N" in this field. Otherwise, leave it blank, and
DESQview will decide on the basis of entries in other fields when this window,
if ever, gets swapped out. The end user may change it to "Y".

PROTECTION LEVEL
Set this field to "0"; it is for diagnostic purposes only. See the
manual or "PROTECT.TEC" for a discussion.

APPENDIX: DESQVIEW.DIR
The auto-install feature of DESQview must search for a unique file to
determine whether a program is on a machine. Many program names are used by
more than one program (such as "Q.EXE"); unless DESQview can identify a unique
file as a marker for a specific program, DESQview cannot install it
automatically. DESQVIEW.DIR contains records that contain this unique file
name, associated with its program, for AUTOINST to search for, and install
automatically. When you submit a .DVP, please list a few names of possible
unique files to allow Quarterdeck to install this program automatically. Even
if Quarterdeck cannot include a unique file name, the program can be added to
DESQVIEW.DIR.

APPENDIX: How to obtain Technotes
You may obtain technotes from the Quarterdeck BBS (310-314-3227), by
calling QFAX (our automated FAX-back service, at 310-314-3214), on Compuserve
(go QUARTERDECK, library 2), or BIX. Many technotes are also available on
large local BBSs, often in "DESQview" or "multitasking" file areas.

Quarterdeck BBS QFAX# Compuserve BIX
--------------- ----- ---------- ---
PROTECT.TEC 120 PROTEC.TEC We do not
KEYBCONF.TEC 206 change the
OUTMEM.TEC 114 names of
MEMSIZE.TEC 129 technotes
WINSIZE.TEC 161 WINSIZ.TEC for BIX,
CHOOSDIR.TEC 217 but they
DIRECTLY.TEC 109 may be
VIRTUALI.TEC 229 VIRTIZ.TEC ZIPped.

************************************************************************
* Trademarks are property of their respective owners. *
*This technical note may be copied and distributed freely as long as it*
*is distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed for profit. *
* Copyright (C) 1992 by Quarterdeck Office Systems *
************************ E N D O F F I L E *************************