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    Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Kim
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1. Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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last updated at 19 Jan, 2006 12:10 (1 times)
Supporting thread for the Interface InnoTek's font-engine bounty.
Date: 21 Dec, 2005 on 19:49
Gregg
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2. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Hi

I just wrote a Rexx script that does this thanks to the sputilities found on Hobbes. You can drag and drop an .exe on it and it will add it to the registry than open the program and it will let you uninstall after closing the program if necessary. If you drop an installed program on it will give you the option of uninstalling. Warning this is my first Rexx script that uses functions. It also works from commandline. It isn't everything the requester wanted but if anyone wants to try it, I email it to you. I may upload it to hobbes when and if I get the it to use list files.

Email is ygk at qwest dot net

Thanks

PS: the present bounty is probably slightly more than I deserve.

Date: 30 Dec, 2005 on 01:27
warpcafe
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3. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Folks,

I wanted to wait a while before announcing something, but - sigh - okay: I'm currently doing a GUI-based program for this purpose.
It will allow you to add, delete, activate/deacticate and test applications. In addition, you can do things like add programs from the list of running processes or by browsing your disk(s). I exepect the program's first version to be ready in a week (in best case) because I'm currently setting up a new network for a customer that needs to be 100% ready and stable in the first week of January 2006. So there's not much time left right now.
Just to let you know: I'm doing something - it's not finished yet - no need for a bounty.

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 30 Dec, 2005 on 18:10
Warp5
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4. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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I created a DLL that has all the required functions to interface with the registry settings of the font engine.
(detectFontEngine, enable/disableFontEngine, enable/disableHinting, enable/disableAntiAliasing, enable/disableSubPixelRendering, enable/disableApplication, add/deleteApplication...)

This DLL uses exports in the OS/2 REGISTRY.DLL.

Any GUI designer can use this DLL to build a GUI on top of it. (the DLL itself is written in C)

Let me know if there is any interest.

Date: 30 Dec, 2005 on 18:14
Cris
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5. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Hi Gregg, Warpcafe!

Oh, well... fortunately I was at the beginning stages of development... :-/

I was still implementing the rexx dll interface to the registry functions, and now I discover there are TWO already implemented!

Well, I guess I'll have time for something else..

Warpcafe, can't wait for your program!!

Thankyou, Bye

Cris

Date: 31 Dec, 2005 on 04:13
warpcafe
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6. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Hi folks,

well, you see... that rexx Stuff is basically some kind of "workaround". That type of task actually should be done via the WPS or an extension to it. Or like xworkplace handles hotkeys or whatever... but I can't do it in rexx.

The program is called Feffer ("Front-End For Font Engine Registry"). And it's done in DrDialog and uses sputils (of course...). At a later stage (if more than two people find it useful...<g> ) I'll add more options and maybe a more decent GUI, but for now it only does the basic stuff.
It doesn't support the additional stuff like Hinting and the other flags. Subject to user feedback... but let's face the truth: The first shot is not even finished yet.

(Gotta leave now - I'm in hurry to set up 6 xp clients to access a Windows SBS 2003... that really hurts, but I need the money...)

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 31 Dec, 2005 on 13:44
Warp5
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7. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Well, my DLL cannot be called from REXX programs. So to utilize the DLL, one would have to write the front end in C or Pascal.

I will add a bit of documentation to the function calls, and then upload it together with a very small command line test program to hobbes.

At the moment, I doubt that I will be able to create a nice GUI, but with the DLL, basically anybody could write one.

Date: 31 Dec, 2005 on 14:20
warpcafe
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8. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Folks,

even if my GUI program will serve the needs... there is one thing missing from it: The ability to use it in a os/2 commandline!
Imagine for example one tries to add "wps.exe" to the list of supported programs... and then things get weird with the WPS locking up. What now? One would need a VIO version that can be used to (at least) disable the ft2lib engine (or one of the applications).

So no need to give up your programming!
Maybe you'll find my program not suited - why not try something else? Different users might prefer different programs anyway...

Keep going! At least we'll have a choice instead of nothing at all...

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 31 Dec, 2005 on 16:05
Warp5
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9. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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warpcafe (31 Dec, 2005 16:05):
Folks,

even if my GUI program will serve the needs... there is one thing missing from it: The ability to use it in a os/2 commandline!
Imagine for example one tries to add "wps.exe" to the list of supported programs... and then things get weird with the WPS locking up. What now? One would need a VIO version that can be used to (at least) disable the ft2lib engine (or one of the applications).



When you are done with a first test version of your GUI application, let me know what the command line application needs to be able to do, and I will create a little application that will do exactly that.
Date: 02 Jan, 2006 on 17:23
Gregg
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10. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Hi

Well I got my script to work well enough for my purposes but it is a very long way from "prime time". I see from the posts that programer much better than I are working on this so I will await the outcome of their labors. If anyone needs someone to do some testing let me know. Thanks

Gregg

Date: 03 Jan, 2006 on 23:33
warpcafe
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11. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Folks,

@Gregg: So you assume me (amongst others) to be a better programmer than you?! You'll better wait to see what's coming out of it...
I'ld be glad to have someone test the stuff. And I need feedback for things that might be useless, useful or mandatory features - there's one or more things that I feel a little "clueless" about - but more on that in detail later once you see the program. (I guess next week, there'll be a first prototype...)

@Warp5: Depending on what comes out of the feedback and requested functions, there's quite some stuff that your commandline-version could do. But let's see what the "final" program will be like - maybe you can come up with some ideas once you see how it is intended to "work"...

Thanks for your help and interest. It's definetly appreciated!!

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 04 Jan, 2006 on 00:17
Warp5
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12. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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I have uploaded my DLL (feconfig1.zip) to hobbes. Currently in "incoming" later in "/pub/os2/dev/dll". (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/cgi-bin/h-search?key=feconfig)
Date: 07 Jan, 2006 on 13:26
black-n-blue-marx
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13. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Wow! When I made the original suggestion I never thought many people would think it was a good idea. Especially since it is so easy to manually add the proper KEY to the registry.

I just thought it took too much time, when wanting to add and test a bunch of apps. Not to mention boring to boot!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying some of the applets/utils being talked about here.

Thanks,
Gregory L. Marx

Date: 07 Jan, 2006 on 18:51
warpcafe
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14. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Folks,

I'm almost done with my first prototype - all that's left is writing back the data to the registry using spregistry() from the sputils.dll (which I used successfully for reading BTW).

And that's where I'm stuck: When I try to write a dword value to the registry, it always ends up as "string" when I check with regedit2. Hmmm.
Any ideas what I might be doing wrong? I used whatever method I could imagine, even weird ones, even with using spD2X() but all in vain... it's nothing but strings. Stupid.

Does someone know how to write a DWORD with that function?

TIA
Thomas

Date: 17 Jan, 2006 on 17:25
warpcafe
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15. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Hold it! Hold it!

I already got a reply from Steven Levin from the yahoo!group "guiobjectrexx" where I've posted the question as well. He told me to read the manual for the sputils.dll again ... and opened my eyes: Although I've read the syntax part over and over, I missed out the one significant parameter... okay, seems that the problem is solved. I'll see if I can finish a first pre-beta tomorrow...

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 17 Jan, 2006 on 21:18
warpcafe
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16. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Here it is!

I've attached the first prototype of feffer for you. It requires the sputils package from hobbes (see included readme for details).
Please do not upload this to hobbes, as I want to add a "good" readme along with legal stuff and so on. Besides, it might require some beta testing before it can go public: Up to you.
Have fun with it.

And please let me know what you think: What you miss, what you don't need and what can be improved...

BTW: During testing I added Embellish and even feffer itself. Feffer seems to work with ft2lib supported, while embellish is unable to draw the directory listbox when ft2lib support is enabled. At least here.

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 18 Jan, 2006 on 17:19 Attachment: feffer_0_9_2.zip
Warp5
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17. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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I just tested it, and it works!
From the "future plans" in the readme, I would say doing the localization NOW would be a good idea, as it will decrease the number of required changes in the future!

Besides that, I thought about your "export a list of working application" idea. That sounds pretty good! (like the Odin application database) Actually, it would be even better, if this data could be transfered to a server in the internet by the program itself! So that all people can see what applications have been tested with the font engine. (and could even import "all of them" to their local registry)

How does that sound?

Date: 19 Jan, 2006 on 09:09
Kim
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18. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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last updated at 19 Jan, 2006 13:18 (1 times)

black-n-blue-marx (07 Jan, 2006 18:51):
Wow! When I made the original suggestion I never thought many people would think it was a good idea. Especially since it is so easy to manually add the proper KEY to the registry.

I just thought it took too much time, when wanting to add and test a bunch of apps. Not to mention boring to boot!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying some of the applets/utils being talked about here.

Thanks,
Gregory L. Marx



Just a short update regarding the font engine bounty.

It looks like this bounty will soon be closed and we then need you (Gregory L. Marx) to be part of to verifiy that what is suggested as a solution meets the criteras. Also I tried to sent you an e-mail, but it bounced.

Also to be mentioned is that OS2 User Group Sweden has sponsored this bounty with
100 USD.

Regards,
Kim Haverblad

Date: 19 Jan, 2006 on 12:20
warpcafe
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19. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Kim (19 Jan, 2006 12:20):
Also to be mentioned is that OS2 User Group Sweden has sponsored this bounty with
100 USD.

Huh?
Now, when did THAT happen?
As I already said, I don't feel like being entitled to claim for a bounty - however, I'ld be pleased to "participate" in that. You should make sure that all participants who contributed will get something in return: Robert for his library (which in contrast to my rexx program can be used for WPS-extending "features"), and also that VIO-based program which suits perfectly the need for handling the ft2lib-stuff from commandline - like when booting with Alt-F1 to a command line in order to "repair" stuff.

Next step on my list (besides bug fixing if someone tells me about a bug) is to load all texts from a file in order to provide a base for localizing feffer to other languages and to facilitate the correction of typos without the need for recompilation... all possible pictures/icons will also find their way into a single dll.
This will be release 0.9.3 which will also be posted to hobbes, but I can't tell how soon it'll be ready. For 0.9.4 I'll hopefully have enough feedback then to determine how to rework the "test" function checks to provide a better "workflow" in the sense of the user.

Greetings
Thomas

Date: 19 Jan, 2006 on 12:46
Kim
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20. Re:Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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Fair enought I think that something can be worked out!
Date: 19 Jan, 2006 on 13:20
    Interface InnoTek's font-engine
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