Pointer terminology
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 11:33 am
A few "terms" you're likely to run into on a QL if you start using pointer environment. I've seen some "ambiguous" uses of terms such as QPTR, so hopefully this little list of terms will help you use the right terms when asking for help with something.
Pointer Environment - the general term used to describe having an on-screen pointer, non-destructive windows etc. On a QDOS system, this usually refers to the facilities you get when you use the little file called PTR_GEN.
Extended Environment - basically means Pointer Environment plus the Window Manager - the file WMAN for QDOS). These days, as most people use both PTR_GEN and WMAN together (and in SMSQ/E they are both built in so have to be used together) the terms tend to be used synonymously, although the "technical" difference remains.
Window Manager - some people tend to think because of the name that the Window Manager saves and restores windows as you move between programs. Wrong. That is provided by pointer interface (ptr_gen). What window manager does is to provide the facilities for how your colour schemes look, provide the standard look menus and borders and so on.
QPTR - people often use this term to mean the Pointer Environment or Extended Environment. However, QPTR is actually the name of a programming toolkit for the pointer environment by Tony Tebby and his old company QJUMP. It consisted of a huge manual (which I was never clever enough to understand!), plus a floppy disk which had the qptr toolkit and various example files.
Toolkit - software which either extends the system by providing a number of extra keywords for the BASIC interpreter, or sometimes a programming package consisting of some building blocks you can use to create new software.
Menu Extension/QMenu - Jochen Merz wrote a very useful little toolkit to use with the Extended Environment. One name referred to the manual, the other to the software - I can never remember which was which. Basically, it simplifies writing programs of your own which can be controlled by a mouse or cursor arrow keys and adds facilities to use your own little menus and lists to simplify things like file selection and choosing an item from a list.
Hope that helps beginners a little. Any more terms to explain, anyone? (Bet having said that that someone asks me explain something I've never heard of!)
Pointer Environment - the general term used to describe having an on-screen pointer, non-destructive windows etc. On a QDOS system, this usually refers to the facilities you get when you use the little file called PTR_GEN.
Extended Environment - basically means Pointer Environment plus the Window Manager - the file WMAN for QDOS). These days, as most people use both PTR_GEN and WMAN together (and in SMSQ/E they are both built in so have to be used together) the terms tend to be used synonymously, although the "technical" difference remains.
Window Manager - some people tend to think because of the name that the Window Manager saves and restores windows as you move between programs. Wrong. That is provided by pointer interface (ptr_gen). What window manager does is to provide the facilities for how your colour schemes look, provide the standard look menus and borders and so on.
QPTR - people often use this term to mean the Pointer Environment or Extended Environment. However, QPTR is actually the name of a programming toolkit for the pointer environment by Tony Tebby and his old company QJUMP. It consisted of a huge manual (which I was never clever enough to understand!), plus a floppy disk which had the qptr toolkit and various example files.
Toolkit - software which either extends the system by providing a number of extra keywords for the BASIC interpreter, or sometimes a programming package consisting of some building blocks you can use to create new software.
Menu Extension/QMenu - Jochen Merz wrote a very useful little toolkit to use with the Extended Environment. One name referred to the manual, the other to the software - I can never remember which was which. Basically, it simplifies writing programs of your own which can be controlled by a mouse or cursor arrow keys and adds facilities to use your own little menus and lists to simplify things like file selection and choosing an item from a list.
Hope that helps beginners a little. Any more terms to explain, anyone? (Bet having said that that someone asks me explain something I've never heard of!)
