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Re: .pif vs. lnk




Patricia pulled together some of Robert's posts on this subject at http://xywrite.org/msg01161.htm
Hmmm. I got a "Not found"--looks like the server is down, temporarily.
Here's a straight-forward explanation of a .pif file. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_Information_File
Well, that much I knew already(!).
A .lnk is simply a shortcut to a WIN program, introduced, I think with W95.
Since I know how to invoke them and deal with them only by means of right-clicking on title bars or icons and getting up dialog boxes, I don't know what/where they are, and how they come to be.
I somewhat understand the difference between .lnk and .pif and I'm sure someone here will either correct and/or extend this, but...essentially...the pif, *program information file,* establishes the terms/limits whatever of the dos environment in Windows for the particular dos program you want to run. The various tabs in a pif's properties versus the tabs in a .lnk's properties make this somewhat clear. Both are *shortcuts,* as that word commonly applies, but perhaps in computereze there's a distinction. (Again, beware my limits.)
Then when I see an icon that I can use to launch a program (DOS or Win), how do I know whether that icon represents a .pif or a .lnk? Or, putting it better, how do I know what kind of dialog with what kind of tabs is going to be under the Properties of that icon?
From your various posts, it sounds as if you might be creating your pif incorrectly. You wrote: *Isn't that what I did? I created the desktop shortcut by right clicking on an empty part of the desktop, then doing New/Shortcut. That brings up one of those damnable wizards, which allows me to finish creating the shortcut.* Harry, some of your TAME problems may stem from the procedure you used. Please try this procedure instead: 1. Delete all your current XY shortcuts (forget about .lnk or .pif for now). Using explorer or your file manager, go to the directory with editor.exe. Right click on it. Select "create shortcut." That will give you a file named "Shortcut to Editor.exe" in that directory. If you look at the file specs, you will see it's a .pif.
How do I look at the file specs?
Drag that shortcut (pif) onto the desktop. Right click on it and then click on "properties."
It's the same kind of dialog box I've been using right along.
Click on the "Program" tab. In the box labeled *Cmd line* you should see [Drive letter]:\[Xywrite Dir]\Editor.exe. Erase that. Insert the name of the .bat file you wrote that invokes TAME then XY, to wit [Drive letter]:\[Xywrite Dir]\[XYbat.].bat. Run this in *Normal Window.* Click on the font tab. Select *Both types* and *auto.* Click on the *memory* tab. Set :*Conventional Memory*=Auto; Expanded=5120; Extended=None (and check the box); MsDos=Auto; intitial enviro=auto. Go the the *Misc* tab. UNCHECK *always suspend* (very important for CLIP) and *exclusive mode.* Everything else is checked. Go to the *screen* tab and make sure *Window* is checked. Now, APPLY then OK. And you have a .pif for the .bat that starts TAME and XY. Start XY using this .pif and try again with the TAME console dialog/drop down menus.
Thanks, but this is the same dialog box with the same settings as I had before, and the same (mixed) results. Most importantly, not just the ctrl-j but even the arrow keys give bad output when held down (arrow keys put out 2, 4, 6, and 8). Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx