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To create an object on the Desktop, perform the following steps.
Every object has a corresponding object directory. This directory contains all of the information that defines the object's behavior.
The object directory should be named by appending the extension .obj to the desired name for the object. For example, an object called ``Compress'' has an object directory named Compress.obj.
The object's title is specified in the name of the corresponding object directory. Or you can define an object's title by storing it in a file called title, which you should locate in a language subdirectory, ll_TT, within the object directory. ll is a two-character code for the language (as defined by the ISO 639 standard) and TT is a two-character code for territory (as defined by the ISO 3166 standard). By default, en_US is used.
An object only appears on the Desktop or a desktop window if it is explicitly dragged onto the Desktop or a desktop window using the Deskshell command get_out or if the object's parent directory is open. For example, applications/My.obj is visible only if either the directory applications is open or My.obj has been dragged out onto the Desktop or a desktop window.
If you wish to include an object Desktop-wide, you should create it or, if it already exists, use an Applications or Tools directory and place the object directory there. The main Desktop's desktop rule file can then be configured so that this Tools directory appears on it. The current default directory for the applications directory is /usr/lib/X11/XDesktop3/apps and the tools directory is /usr/lib/X11/XDesktop3/tools.
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When defining an object,
first consider what its icon or pictorial representation
will look like. The icon for the object can be one
of many pre-defined picture files or a custom-made icon.
By default, objects can contain four pixmap files to use for an icon. These are:
Picture files can be in either pixmap or bitmap format. Pixmap format is a color bitmap format defined using standard ASCII characters. The resulting files can be created and edited using a standard text editor. However it is recommended that pixmaps are edited using the scopaint client.
Bitmap is a monochrome format and should only be used if backward compatibility with SCO Open Desktop, Release 1.1 is required.
To create a custom-made icon for an object, the best approach is to start with an existing picture file and then edit it as follows:
The action of pointing at an icon with the mouse pointer and performing an action such as double-clicking is referred to as ``triggering'' the icon. Triggers are used to execute different Desktop and/or system actions and tasks. When an object is triggered, it performs certain actions on the Desktop or the system, depending the trigger type.
A trigger is either a click, a sequence of clicks only, or a sequence of clicks followed by a hold or drag. You can trigger icons on the Desktop in three ways: static triggers, hold triggers and drag triggers.
Clicking twice in succession without moving the mouse pointer is called either double-clicking, activating the icon, or a ``static'' trigger. Dragging one or more icons and dropping them on to another icon is called a ``drag and drop'' or a ``dynamic'' trigger. Pressing a mouse button and holding it down while the pointer is over an object is referred to as a ``hold'' trigger.
The notation for the different triggers is based on the trigger type and the mouse button used. The following are the pre-defined Desktop triggers:
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After the triggers to be applied to the objects are determined, the Desktop or operating system actions and tasks that are to occur after each trigger action must be defined.
The Deskshell command language is used to to define the actions that occur when the icon is triggered. Deskshell scripts written explicitly for objects are referred to as object scripts.
Deskshell is a command language, complete with a flexible range of control structures and a wide range of commands. You can specify regular UNIX operating system commands within Deskshell scripts. However, it is recommended that you learn how to use the Deskshell commands and scripts.
Because Deskshell is designed specifically for use with the Desktop and because Deskshell commands execute significantly faster than regular UNIX shell commands, Deskshell commands are recommended for coding your script.
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The final step involves naming the object scripts and placing them in the proper location.
After an object script is written in Deskshell, it must be placed in a file. Filenames correspond directly to the trigger names (i.e., activate for an activate trigger and drop for a drop trigger).
Trigger files should be placed directly in the object directory, not within any language subdirectory.
Any text that you intend to display to the user should be represented by variable names, and the definitions for these variables placed in the text file within the object directory's language subdirectory. For example:
msg1='You have activated this object' msg2='You have dropped an icon on this object'
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