Common IRIS WorkSpace Misconceptions

Sat Oct 27 04:09:54 AEST 1990

After looking over the IRIS WorkSpace surveys done in-house a few months ago,
I found a number of common misconceptions about the IRIS WorkSpace. So, if 
you are a user, and might want to know more about the IRIS WorkSpace, or if
you're not, but are curious ( and might become one ), read on....

Some Common WorkSpace Misconceptions:

- MYTH : I can't use the editor I want instead of jot.
  FACT : If you have the environment variable $EDITOR set in your .cshrc, 
	  .profile or .login file, that editor will be run from within a wsh 
	  instead of jot. If you define $WINEDITOR ( for window editor, meaning
	  the editor application starts up its own window to run within),
	  that will be run instead of jot.

- MYTH : I can't print from the IRIS WorkSpace.
  FACT : After selecting any icons, you can select the 'Print' option from
	  the pop-up menu 
	  (you get the menu by depressing the left mouse within the window).
	  This will send the printable files through a set of filters as 
	  defined by the ftr rules, and to the default printer.
	  For example, with all software options installed, ascii files
	  are routed through enscript and then to the default printer.
	  When you select a folder, and then print, you will get an 'ls -l'
	  of the contents of the folder.
	  To learn how to write special print filters see the :
	  	"Programming the IRIS WorkSpace" chapter called
			Writing Print Conversion Rules.
	  NOTE : If one of the selected icons is not printable 
	  (e.g. an executable) you will get a notifier telling you 
	  it can not be printed, but all the other printable files 
	  will be sent to the printer. 

- MYTH : I can't cd ..  ( change directories up the hierarchy )
  FACT : To do this simply <ALT> double-click on the green background of a 
	  dirview and if will open a dirview on .. in place.

- MYTH : I end up with too many windows when using the IRIS WorkSpace.
  FACT : One way to keep the number of windows to a minimum is to use
	  <ALT> double-click on folders instead of double-click. This
	  opens the dirview on that directory in the current window.

- MYTH : I can't give command line options to UNIX ( and other ) commands.
  FACT : In most cases, the ALTOPEN (hold down the Alt key and double click)
	  rule for executables is to run 'launch'. launch is a little type-in
	  box that comes up with the command name and has Accept and Cancel
	  buttons on the bottom. You can type in all the command line options
	  you need, and then hit accept to execute the command, or Cancel to
	  blow it off. As always, stdout stderr will go to the console, unless
	  the type rule for the command has been written to open a wsh and run
	  the command within it.

- MYTH : I can't drop a file on an executable to run the exec with file as arg.
  FACT : You can drop any file on any executable and the executable will be
	  run with the filename of the icon(s) you dropped on it as argument(s).
	  As for all commands, the error messages (in case the arguments 
	  make no sense) will appear in the console.

- MYTH : I can only run programs in one way from the IRIS WorkSpace. 
  FACT : Most files have both OPEN and ALTOPEN rules (double-click and 
	  double-click while holding the Alt key down). For most executables,
	  double-click runs the app, and ALT double-click bring up the
	  'launch' dialogue, so you can specify arguments. For many text files,
	  like source files, and generic ascii, ALTOPEN is the same as OPEN,
	  it runs an editor on the file.
	 Also, several file types have MENUCMDS. If you select an icon and then
	  pull down the menu, there may be menu entries that are specific to
	  that command that give you the additional functions you need for that
	  icon. For example, if you select the 'dumpster' icon, and then pull
	  down the menu, you will see an entry "Empty Dumpster" that only 
	  appears for this icon.
	  You can add rules to the menu for a specific type by defining
	  MENUCMDs. - See "Programming the IRIS WorkSpace" for details.

- MYTH : I can't get a dirview with out going through each intermediate
	 directory.
  FACT : You can go directly to a directory. You don't have to double click 
	  your way into all the folders (directories) along the way. 
	  A good way to have easy access to this is to pull /usr/sbin/dirview 
	  out onto your blue WorkSpace window. Then you can just double-click 
	  on dirview; this will bring up a type in. Type-in the directory whose
	  contents you want to view and hit accept. (Or, of course, you can type
	  'dirview /usr/people/me/weird/long/path/somewhere' into the shell.

- MYTH : I can't use the IRIS WorkSpace and a shell at the same time.
  FACT : The IRIS WorkSpace works well side by side with a shell. There is 
	  a daemon running that tracks filesystem changes ( low overhead, 
	  by the way, it only monitors files that are displayed by the 
	  WorkSpace, and uses events, not polling). So, if you add or 
	  delete things from a shell, you won't mess up the WorkSpace. 
	  We're not trying to take the shell away; we're just offering 
	  some easier to understand and often more convenient and 
	  even faster ways to work with your computer.

- MYTH : I can't make an archive to a tape through the WorkSpace.
- MYTH : I can't rcp to or from other machines through the WorkSpace.
- FACT : SURE you can!!!. Go over to the SystemChest (in upper right corner of
	  the screen ) and start up the "Transfer Manager." In the Transfer
	  Manager you will see several icons for different devices that manage
	  moving files around from your machine to tapes and back, and from
	  your machine to other machines.
	  To TAPE : You can create a take backup in either cpio or tar format.
	 	    Just select either cpioArchive or tarArchive icon and 
		    hit the Assign current devices button. Now, when you
		    go over to the WorkSpace and bring up the menu (left mouse),
		    go down to the "Transfer" entry and pull right, you
		    will see several entries on the menu ( to read a tape, write
		    a tape, or just get a list of the contents of the tape).

		    You can also add a device to use a tape drive on a remote
		    machine.
		    Push the 'Add' button on the bottom of the window, and you
		    will be presented with a place to type in the machine name,
		    and select the kind of format.

	  To RCP files :
		    You can also add a device to use a rcp (remote copy) to 
		    another machine.
		    Push the 'Add' button on the bottom of the window, and you
		    will be presented with a place to type in the machine name,
		    and select the kind of format (select "rcpDevice").
		    Add the new device to your current devices by selecting it
		    (you can select multiple devices by holding down the shift
		    key) and then hit the Assign current devices button in the
		    lower left of the window. The selected devices will have a
		    greenish backdrop behind them.
		    Now when you pull down the Transfer menu in the WorkSpace,
		    there will two entries: 
		    to copy to and from the other machine.

Please let us know (email comp.sys.sgi) if you have any questions,
   suggestions or comments on the WorkSpace.

   Thanks,
   eva

P.S.  I hope you all will help dispell myths, as Paul Close did,

You can also set WINEDITOR to use the X interface to gnuemacs or you can set
it to something like:

	wsh -r0 -m66x132 -s40x80 -fCourier.11 -C0,48,80,2 -t vi -c vi

if you like to have a WINEDITOR which has different colors than your
normal winterm.

-- 

--- The Giraffe Person at SGI......
    eva at sgi.com