Icons Interactive Help System: Step 3

Icons Interactive Help System

Step 3: Inserting Icons:

1) first select an empty slot where you want to put the new icon

2) Press Apps or press Enter to go to the main menu. Then select "Icon Management".

3) Selecting Icon Management brings up another menu. Select "Define Icon"

4) This Screen prompts you for information about which icon picture to use, the name of the icon, the exact home screen name of the program, and how to end the execution sequence

5) Enter the name of the icon you want to use in the "Name of Picture" Box. the icon "Folder" is built into Icons and should always be there, so if you have no idea what to use, use that for now. you could also use folder names as well in this box. so, if an icon called "picture" was in the "games" folder, you would type "games\picture" in this box.

6) Enter the Icon name in the "Name of Icon" box. This is used for naming the icon on the desktop, and has nothing to do with executing the program.

7) Enter the name exactly as you would on the home screen into the "Exact home screen program name" box. if it uses a folder, for example, a program called "chess" in the "games" folder. you would either have to type "games\chess()" or "setfold(games):chess()" depending on how the program handles folders. remember, that Icons handles this line exactly like the home screen would, so you can run multiple commands separating them with a colon.

8) This selects how the program will end it's execution. Either by popping up a box which says "Press Enter to Return to Icons" (prompt), Pause without popping up a box (pause), or immediately return to icons (none). Experiment to see what works best with each program.

9) Pressing Enter will save the Icon, and put it on the desktop, Pressing Cancel will cancel the changes.

10) Pressing Enter in the slot where the Icon is will run the program, If you were wondering what the program homediag was, it's a local program of icons which emulates the calculator's home screen. how it works will be explained later in the help system. BTW, this trick will only work with a Ti-89. The Ti-92 has the home screen program defined differently.

After you do the above, go to Step 4: The Icon Add System.

Note: Anything in quotations in the step by step instructions should be typed without the quotes when you enter it into Icons. They should look just like the pictures look.

Q: Why isn't there a Folder box in the Define Icon Management System Box? Most other shells do.
A: It Hinders The Functionality of Icons. Remember that Icons was designed without folders in mind, and that adding that box would add much more code to the program, as well as wasting space in the file structure if the program was in main and compromising program stability if you forgot to type a folder there. The current system works just as well as having the folder box in the first place, it's just a little less convenient

Q: Why do you have to include the Parenthesis when defining the program? Most other shell's don't do that?
A: Again, It Hinders The Functionality of Icons. That type of system works fine if the program you run has no optional parameters, but if the program does have optional parameters, those shells won't run those types of programs. Also, because of the way they execute, they cannot run multiple commands like Icons can. In theory, Icons can run an entire program from an Icon itself, something that most other shells cannot do.

Q: Can Icons run ASM programs?
A: It depends on the ASM Program. If the ASM Program can be run from the home screen just by typing the program name, Icons should be able to run it. if it needs an ASM shell, (most Fargo programs do) You might be able to run the ASM shell from Icons, and then run the program.

	1) first select an empty slot where you want to put the new icon
	2) Press Apps or press Enter to go to the main menu. Then select "Icon Management".
	3) Selecting Icon Management brings up another menu. Select "Define Icon"
	4) This Screen prompts you for information about which icon picture to use, the name of the icon, the exact home screen name of the program, and how to end the execution sequence
	5) Enter the name of the icon you want to use in the "Name of Picture" Box. the icon "Folder" is built into Icons and should always be there, so if you have no idea what to use, use that for now. you could also use folder names as well in this box. so, if an icon called "picture" was in the "games" folder, you would type "games\picture" in this box.
	6) Enter the Icon name in the "Name of Icon" box. This is used for naming the icon on the desktop, and has nothing to do with executing the program.
	7) Enter the name exactly as you would on the home screen into the "Exact home screen program name" box. if it uses a folder, for example, a program called "chess" in the "games" folder. you would either have to type "games\chess()" or "setfold(games):chess()" depending on how the program handles folders. remember, that Icons handles this line exactly like the home screen would, so you can run multiple commands separating them with a colon.
	8) This selects how the program will end it's execution. Either by popping up a box which says "Press Enter to Return to Icons" (prompt), Pause without popping up a box (pause), or immediately return to icons (none). Experiment to see what works best with each program.
	9) Pressing Enter will save the Icon, and put it on the desktop, Pressing Cancel will cancel the changes.
	10) Pressing Enter in the slot where the Icon is will run the program, If you were wondering what the program homediag was, it's a local program of icons which emulates the calculator's home screen. how it works will be explained later in the help system. BTW, this trick will only work with a Ti-89. The Ti-92 has the home screen program defined differently.