"install complite" should read "installation complete" ;)

i installed excalibur, rebooted but no trace of excalibur on my screen? where is it hiding?

also, the User.guide.info icon seems to be a PNG icon and thus it doesn't work here.

the uninstaller doesn't remove ExcaliburEditMenus.

Quote:

Maybe you have a old Excalibur entry that you need to remove from wbstartup prefs in sys:prefs?

The install script should take care of that?

What screen resolution do you use?
does wbstartup prefs have Excalibur entry?
Is Excalibur enabled in wbstartup prefs?
Is Excalibur loaded, can you see it in Exchange?
Does AmiDock cover or hide Excalibur in anyway?
Was the presets and prefs files installed correctly?
Does Excalibur start if you click on the icon?

Quote:

http://os4depot.net/index.php?functio ... e=library/misc/png_im.lha

I use the PNG plugin for Icon library, it's hard to tell the difference once its installed, it’s a shame it's not included whit the OS, as it enables you to see Linux and MorphOS icons, whit out converting the icon first.

I will fix it, it should not be a requirement, I agree.

Quote:

That’s noted, will fix it in the next version.

Does anyone else have these problems, or is it just SpotUP?

@Lifeforit
I give a go for new versions and:

1). dl, unpack, run "quick install"
2). all going fine, in end bring me one prefs window about settings of which i as user give a #OOPS# of course (so i press "use). Then it bring me another window about which i also give a #OOPS# as user (and no one will in interest to worry about it at first place, maybe later, if they will like program), so i again press use.
3). reboot
4). it runs, and for my taste looks not so good to be in use for me.

What i mean is:

1). Its overwrite my amidock panel at bottom (can be understandable, as kind of replacement).
2). The background of start menu by default big-black and fat. The worse moment imho, as just put users off, as default look not good.
3). Its too big, i mean its really big and not tiny/shiny. There no needs to eat so much space for nothing.
4). I press on "Boing ball" (again that boing ball everywhere, when we will make something without ? like we have no creativity for anything else but only those balls) , and it bring me almost invisibly menu. I.e. i can't see anything, just a veeeery transparent menu.
5). Pressing on wb screen do not close that menu. Its stays till i not press that boing ball again.
6). Somehow i see names of entrys (almost transparent), and instead of shell its named "AmigaDos", i just press on it for interest of sake, and found that its pure shell (so why not name it as Shell ? )

That was enough for a try and i try to remove it. Unpack it again, press "uninstall" icon, and it start to delete file, and at end says "c:excalibur(#?.info|) Not Deleted: object not found)" and output window closes. So i reboot, and it didn't runs anymore, so seems uninstalls fine.

Now, if you care, there is what will be nice to do, if you want to make it better:

By default make everything cool. No black background 100% ! Make size of whole bar smaller. No need to bring to users on moment of the installation all those big-fat settings window in which they do not understand and do not want to dig in, they want unpack, run, and have something cool (and then later, change it maybe). If you want to ask users something, then just window "do you want to blablab ?" , those big settings windowses just scare.

When you press on that "boing ball", it should spawn a normal visibly menu by default, without that 80% transparency where nothing visibly. If anyone will want to plays with, he can use settings.

Any click on anything by lbm, or by rmb (wb screen, any app, topbar, anything) should close that menu which spawns when you press on that crappy boing ball. I.e. like on other oses.

Rename AmigaDos to "Run Shell", or "Shell.." , or "NewCli" or anything which looks more understandable.


In end, just check how it looks like on my setups:

1. My current setup:
http://kas1e.mikendezign.com/aos4/current.jpg

2. Once i install excalibur and press on that "boing ball":
http://kas1e.mikendezign.com/aos4/excalibur.jpg

You can see there and that black-strange background, and how almost invisibly menu is by default, and that when i run anything, that menu still stays there and didn't closes.

Even if all of this can be changed via prefs, its all (imho) should be by default.

@Kas1e

What goes wrong is the uninstall script it does not delete the prefs files, so when you reinstall it you get a question, like:

Old excalibur prefs exist, replace?

So you say “NO”, and so you don't get the new prefs files for Excalibur and there is no transparency configured in the old prefs files, so it defaults to minimum transparency limits (80%), and this what you see (If this was Excalibur 1.3.5 you see no menu and you be not able to close it, becouse it be 100% transparent.).

I think I need to rethink this installation process more.

Maybe you should get gestion if you want to Upgrade or Install, when you find the old prefs files, maybe the wording sounds a bit scary?

And if you have uninstalled the prefs files should not be there so you should not get the question in the first place, so what is really at fault here is the uninstall script.

I see you are using a smaller screen resolution then I do, and so it looks big on your screen, but it does not look that big on my screen, yes it might look better whit smaller edges, I will see what I can cut off the black ages, the problem is the rounded corners.

There are some thames in sys:prefs/presets/Excalibur if you don't like the black look.

Fixed the uninstall script, and did a clean install, hemmm there is some problems here.

Ok, tried it and noticed several problems...

For those that can't get it to start after a reboot that's because the program wasn't copied to your system... the default place is SYS:WBStartup which is now OBSOLETE.

Here is a modified install script:



@LiveForIt

The WBStartup drawer is still supported but not needed anymore, if it exists WBStartup prefs are ignored and the old way is used. They are not BOTH used.

Another problem is the menus are so transparent I can't see them... Probably my config, I'll check that later.

Edit. Nope can;t find anything that affects that problem :(

The menu logo 'inside' options need changing to logo: (Inside|outside|off)

Button radius allows negative values, is that correct?

@Severin

Quote:

No only “wbstartup prefs” is used, wbstartup directory is ignored, I'm quite shore about it.

Quote:

I have sort it out its due to the way I build Exalibur, it was last minute change I made, that made part of the program not recompile, I don't know way I did not notice it before I uploaded it.

Make clean
make all

fixed it.

Also I need to fix some problems whit the black theme, before I upload it again.
The default theme is broken, the fonts for context menu is too small, memory font color is black on black background.

Also making the borders smaller made the logo too big, the logo needs to scale, or the menu has to scale whit the logo.

Quote:

If you come up whit better name for it I might change it.

But it does not need to changing, you disable the logo, by removing the texture.
The naming might be a bit strange, the label "Logo" should not be needed as its in the logo frame gui element.

Quote:

Well it does not matter, is the answer to that question.

The GUI is pretty basic, I have not really dug that deep into reaction to see if I can prevent it.

@Kas1e

Quote:

If you click on the desktop the mouse click event will be sent to workbench, not to Excalibur.
Old version Excalibur (wb96) did have auto close feature, if mouse was outside the window it closed automatically.

Anyway there is a close menu when click on menu item in the Excalibur Prefs under Functional settings fan.

If the menu closed when the window went inactive, it wouldn't matter where the user clicked, the menu would close automatically.

And the blackness is not caused by an old prefs file being present, because there was no transparency here, and I've never installed it before. This was a clean install, but the transparency did not show, just solid black.

Simon

New version uploaded..


V1.4.2

* Fixed uninstall script
* Fixed install script I'm insalling into sys:Utilities, insted of sys:wbstartup
* Fixed some config issues (make clean, make all)
* Changes "Amiga DOS" to "Shell" in the menu.
* Converted two PNG icons to Amiga icons.
* Removed starting of prefs program for the install script, it does not need to be there, but kept the menu editor, as there are paths that user need to check
* Found a nice icon to replace the boing ball icon, a skull from Free Vectors.
* Created a icon menu button, just b&w.
* Added min/max to integer options in prefs.
* When logo is on top and inside the window is now scaled to logo width.
* Made a smaller black theme whit 14x14 textures, (I kept the old one).
* Configured context menu for all theams.

@LiveForIt

Tested 1.4.2.

Better now, menus at least non-transparent, and new bar image for sure better than boing balls :)

Now problems and suggestions:

1). I can't spawn via RMB options window of Excalibur. I.e. it should be like this: i press on bar (to make it active) , then press RMB and it should spawn a context menu with "About, Quit, Preferences" and so on. Because as it now, i even can't spawn a prefs of it to change that default-boring theme. Will be cool if you can add that.

2a). Plz make auto-close of the menu just like on all other oses (i.e. when user press outside of excalibur, then just close menu). I.e. don't try to catch anything for excalibur, but istead "if left mouse button was pressed, but it was outside of excalibur bar/menu, then autoclose menu). That imho must to have feature. It can be configurable via preferences if one will prefer the way how it now, but such a feature is need it for sure.

2b). Make also menus closed when user press "ESC" if excalibur active.

3). To make all more professional looking, use that python based "Installation Utility" for installation. We have put docs and examples about there: http://wiki.amigaos.net/index.php/Installation_Utility

It will looks more stylish and will feels more tasty.

The same can be good to use for "Uninstall". Like "you will now uninstall, press Next", and then with progress bar do the stuff and "uninstall complete, reboot your amiga".

4). Make some simple option called "Skins", where user no need to dig-in to cryptic-detailed settings of each texture, but he can just choice skin he want, and change a whole looks of excalibur.

It can be something like "Skins Settings", in which you have "Simple Mode" and "Advanced Mode", advanced its how it now, and simple just loading of skins or so.

I.e. something simply, so user can just change between looks pretty fast, and so can see potential and choice the theme he like. For now, to make theme you need, you need to do A LOT of manual changes, so once you do one look, you will have no motivation to check another one, as it just hard and time consuming.

5). Remove menu editor prefs spawn on process of installation too, istead, you can bring a window like "Installation Done, if you want to set blablabal, then go to preferences of excalibur and do so". So if anyone will want, he will go to prefs.

6). Add ability to show in bar not screens, but windowses/tasks. Can be default, but can be optional.

7). Add "dots" in the scrollbars of the spawned menus (so user will know where he need to tick mouse to be able to scroll it).

If you will do all those changes, that can be pretty cool. I can help with all the tests and co if you prepare for :)

@Kas1e

1)

No the context menu is for toolbar icons, not for the bar it self.

When you click on the menu icon, you find Quit and About there, no need to also put them in the context menu, the same goes for Prefs you find it by pressing Menu icon then Prefs.

2b)

Does not make sense unless you can navigate the GUI whit Arrow keys and so on.

3)

I don't want to spend my time on install scripts.

4)

You don't need to dig into to cryptic-detailed settings of each texture.
Themes / Skins you find in sys:prefs/presets/Excalibur

5)

No the users need to check the paths in the menu,
maybe later I change it to some kind of install wizard.

6)

Yes this is a part of program that has been left untouch for long time,
Its going to be different from what your used to.

7)

No need, it just needs more work, when I write scroll bars I did it quickly not perfect, I use scroll weel a lot, its going to be looked at again.

@LiveForIt
Quote:

Imho a bit unusual. I mean in all apps good to have context menu spawns by RMB (as we have all the time in all usable apps). And all those "quit" and "about" can be (and imho should be) there. As well as "settings". Its just unusual for settings go inside of the program and choice setting like it setting not of program, but any other setting.

Its was always like this: you make any app active by pressing on it by left mouse button, and then can press right mouse button for context menu. That way always feels fast, friendly and as it should be everywhere (and in almost every good app we have its done like this).

Quote:

Even if not, ESC still nice and friendly. And arrow keys are good to have too there, and be able to move slider by cursor keys.

Quote:

Maybe i am blind, but i can't found any user friendly and easy way to change Themes/Skins. There are directories, yes, but i should manually change all of them ?

I mean, where is that magic setting called "Change Theme" or "Change Skin", where i can just choice Theme/Skin and it will loads and all will be changed ?

Quote:

In a ideal world the memory meter and screen and clock is just plugins, and so this arias, will have there own settings and options, thats way right click on any of this items should not bring up a context menu for the Excalibur.

Anyway if you want access the Excalibur prefs quicker you can put in the toolbar.

Quote:

Well no thats not what I was thinking, to select items, incase you working on the keyboard, and your to lazy to put hand on the mouse.

Anyway ESC code event is not sent to Excalibur if any other application has active window, so you have the same issue as mouse click events.

Quote:

Did you not find the files listed?

“Use 3d preset”
“Use Black preset”
“Use bloody preset”
“Use DjNick preset”
“Use WB96 preset”

Again if you want easy access you can put Sys:Prefs/presets/Excalibur folder in the toolbar.

And the same is true for the icons, again you find “USE” scripts in the icon directories.

You don't need to quit Excalibur settings are automatically reloaded.