Icons Readme File:

This is the same file (iconhelp.92t) that comes with icons. it should answer most questions you have about icons as well as giving you helpful information and tips on how the interface works.

Note: The Iconhelp File will not be updated any further due to the Sheer size of it, as well as the Interactive Help System being much better at explaining how Icons works. This file was for the Ti-92. The Ti-89 differs slightly to the Ti-92 controls, but not by much.

WELCOME TO THE ICONS V5.5 HELP SYSTEM!
this help file will help you manage your icons program management system for maximum performance!

HOW DO YOU START ICONS?
type icons() on the home screen.  the icons you have put in the user interface will appear after the splash screen. wait until the pointer appears and start your icons session.

HOW DO YOU RUN A PROGRAM?
move the arrow on top of the icon you wish to run and press enter.

HOW DO I MOVE AN ICON?
press APPS and select 1:ICON MANAGEMENT.  When the next menu appears, select 1:MOVE ICON. MOVE should appear in the upper right hand corner. then move the pointer to the slot you wish to put the icon in and press enter

NOTE: If you accidentally press this menu item, press Esc.  This menu item does not appear in a area without an icon.

NOW THAT YOU  MENTION IT, WHAT'S A SLOT?
a slot is a term used by icons which basically means where an icon is located. there are 16 maximum program slots per icon set and icon sets are limited only by available memory

SO WHAT'S A ICON SET?
an icon set is a file that holds the icon data for the programs. an icon set file can hold up to 16 program icons.

WHAT IS THE ICON-ADD SYSTEM
the icon-add system is the newest add-on to the icons GUI. what it does is simply search for insert files that some software might come with, installs the icon in the current icon set, and deletes the unneeded insert file from memory.  just click on APPS, 1:ICON MANAGEMENT, 2:ICON-ADD SYSTEM.  Follow the instructions it gives you to install an icon onto the GUI.

NOTE: It is a good Idea to delete all used insert files in memory because they will be found again if a scan in done again.  This menu item will not appear when an defined icon is selected. If an insert file is not found, it will ask you if you want to define one using the below system.

HOW DO YOU MAKE AN ICON?
first put the arrow where you want to put the icon then press APPS and select 1:ICON MANAGEMENT, Then select DEFINE ICON. this will bring up the define icon management system. put the name of the icon picture in the NAME OF PICTURE box. put the description of the icon in the NAME OF ICON box. put the program name exactly as you would on the home screen (ex:icons()) in the EXACT HOME SCREEN PROGRAM NAME box.  then select the way you want icons to end the program execution in the END OF EXECUTION box.

NOTE to edit an existing icon. do the above procedure on an existing icon

BTW: the picture size should not be bigger than 15 pixels down and 30 pixels across.  any bigger will make icons look funny. to make a small picture, first make a 15 x 30 pixel (or smaller) icon in the upper left corner of the graph screen. then select F7 and select 8:SAVE PICTURE. Once you do that it asks for the 1st Corner. just press enter. when it asks for the 2nd Corner, move the box corner with the directional pad until it reaches the lower right corner of your icon and press enter. then make a name for it a name and that's it!

HOW DO YOU DELETE ICONS?
1) IF YOU WANT TO DELETE ONE ICON:
move the arrow on the icon and press APPS, 1:ICON MANAGEMENT, 3:DELETE ICON. it will prompt you and ask if you want to delete the icon. press enter to delete or Esc to cancel

2) IF YOU WANT TO DELETE ALL ICONS:
press APPS, 2:ICON SET MANAGEMENT, 3:DELETE ICONS IN ICON SET. it will prompt you and ask if you want to delete all icons in the current icon set. press enter to delete or Esc to cancel

NOTE: this does not delete the icon set. to delete an icon set go into the var-link menu and delete it that way.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A NEW ICON SET?
press APPS, 2:ICON SET MANAGEMENT, 1:NEW ICON SET. type a new icon set name (8 char max.) in the ICON SET NAME box. icons will create a new icon set and automatically start it up in icons for you to start editing it.

HOW DO YOU LOAD AN EXISTING ICON SET?
press APPS 2:ICON SET MANAGEMENT, 2:LOAD ICON SET.  Type the name of the icon set in the ICON SET NAME box and press enter.

NOTE typing a name which is not an icon set will cause a system error!

HOW DO YOU CHANGE BACKGROUNDS AND SCREEN SAVERS?
press APPS 4:EDIT INTERFACE.  Put the exact name of the screen saver in the FULL SCREEN SAVER PROGRAM NAME box. Set the time in the time box or select NONE if you do not want a screen saver. type the name of the picture in the PICTURE NAME box and select YES in the use interface picture box

BTW the program LINES() is a screen saver! use it as your screen saver! If you don't want a screensaver but do want to save battery power, you can leave the FULL SCREEN SAVER PROGRAM NAME box empty and set a time in the TIME box. I did not send a good picture to use as the wallpaper but any full size picture will do. make one!

NOTE If you select yes and you don't have a valid picture name, icons will Cause an error.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE A CUSTOM TOOLBAR?
press APPS 3:TOOLBAR MANAGEMENT, 1:DEFINE CUSTOM TOOLBAR.  then it will prompt you to confirm your choice. press enter to create it and Esc to cancel.

NOTE: this will use the current settings of the current icon set file as the custom toolbar. to access it, press 2nd, custom at the home screen. if you already have a custom toolbar, this command will overwrite it.

HOW DO YOU DELETE A CUSTOM TOOLBAR?
press APPS, 3:TOOLBAR MANAGEMENT, 2:DELETE CUSTOM TOOLBAR. it will prompt you and ask if you want to delete the custom toolbar. press enter to delete or Esc to cancel

NOTE: if you already have a custom toolbar, this command will delete it.

CAN I RUN THE HOME SCREEN WITHOUT EXITING ICONS?
YES!! press APPS, 5:ICON HOME SCREEN. a window simulating the home screen will appear.  Almost everything you can do in the real home screen you can do in the icons home screen window!

HOW DO I EXIT ICONS
either press Esc in the icons session or press APPS 6:EXIT ICONS.  it will prompt you and ask if you want to exit icons. press enter to exit or Esc to cancel

WHAT DOES THIS "ICON DEFINITION INVALID OR SYSTEM ERROR OCCURRED" MEAN?
this is what happens when you enter invalid information in an icon or a system error occurred! The number on the top of the window that says "ICON ERROR OCCURRED:XXXX"(XXXX is the errornumber) may help you figure out what error occurred. just press enter and make sure that all of the information in the boxes are correct.  if all the icon set files were erased or corrupt, then type
in a new icon set name and select NEW in the ICON SET IS box.  If the Pointer file or the folder icon is corrupt or missing, select YES in the REFRESH POINTER AND OLDER ICON box. then press enter. if you fixed the error then icons should restart with no errors.

WHAT ABOUT "THIS PROGRAM HAS PERFORMED AN ILLEGAL OPERATION AND WILL BE SHUT DOWN!
this means that the program caused an error while it was running. the same will happen if the screen saver causes an error or if the name is wrong.  Basically, If the program comes up and then it errors, it's the program, if the error comes up and the program didn't execute at all, it might be the name.  The number on the top of the window that says "ICON ERROR OCCURRED:XXXX"(XXXX is the errornumber) may help you figure out what error occurred.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ERRORS I COULD GET?
ICON-ADD PROCESS HALTED! this means that the insert file that the icon-add system has found is either invalid, or damaged.  press enter and delete the file if you wish.

DO YOU HAVE ANY HELPFUL TIPS?
SURE! if you want to make an icon that starts up a new icon set, in the EXACT HOME SCREEN PROGRAM NAME box type this exactly

"<NAME OF ICON SET>"»icondata[1]

where <NAME OF ICON SET> is the name of the icon set (keep the Quotes between the icon set name) and "»" is the sto> key

Ex: if iconset2 was defined as another icon set...
"iconset2"»icondata[1]

A good way to manage multiple icon sets is to make an icon set with icon definitions like the above (1 icon set with icon set definitions can hold up to 16 icon sets.16 x 16 is 256!)

you can run almost anything from an EXACT HOME SCREEN PROGRAM NAME box that you can type on the homescreen, including functions, delvar, define, ETC, just use colons
to separate each command it does

EX: Setfold(x):prgmx():Setfold(main)

To make your own insert file, type the below in a program called insert<expr>.  expr can be a number between 1 and 16

EX: insert5, insert12, ETC:

Example insert file. »=the sto> key
:prgm insert1()
:"<picname>"»a1 `the picture icons uses
:"<description>"»a2 `the icon description
:"<prgmname>"»a3 `the program icons runs
:<expr>»a4 `prompt controls
:endprgm

<Prgmname> must be the full program name

EX: "icons()"»a3

<Expr> can be three numbers:EX 2»a4
1=prompt to go to icons
2=pause, then go to icons
3=go to icons without pause or prompt
any other numbers will cause errors!

NOTE: These are programs, so you can have them define new icon sets, decompress pictures or programs, even run an interesting Graphics show!.  The above lines are mandatory for the insert file to work properly however.

THANK YOU FOR USING ICONS!!

ICONS WAS MADE BY ED FRY
COPYRIGHT 1996,1998 FRYED SOFTWARE
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? PROBLEMS?
WRITE TO LIZARD@INFONLINE.NET

THE FRYED SOFTWARE HOMEPAGE!
http://www.cc.ysu.edu/~s0218244

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