PhunJump Version 1.2F - June 1998 Copyright ¸ PhunSoft 1998 - Peter Hunkeler Introduction ============= PhunJump is a task switcher for the Psion Series 3c. The program was designed to run on a Psion Series 3c although it should run on a Series 3a as well. PhunJump will show a list of active tasks. You'll use the cursor keys to move the highlighted bar and the enter key to jump to the selected task. Copyright notice ================ Copyright ¸ PhunSoft 1998 - Peter Hunkeler Reverse translation is prohibited. PhunJump is FreeWare+ FreeWare+ is almost like FreeWare: You may freely use and further distribute this program provided that you keep all files of the package together and unmodified. So why is it called FreeWare+, then? This is because I would like to invite you to send me a nice postcard of your place of residence should you like the program and decide to keep on using it. See below for snail mail address. I will try to inform you about important updates if you provide me with an eMail address of yourself. Acknowledgements ================ I would like to express my special thanks to: Daniel Pfund for providing me with some basic algorithms and for the permission to use them in PhunJump. Clive D.W. Feather for his wonderful Psionics files. Disclaimer ========== This software is provided without warranty of any kind. The author shall not be held liable for any loss or damage of any kind due to the use of this program. Author's Address ================ Snail mail PhunSoft Peter Hunkeler Friedhofstrasse 7 CH-8903 Birmensdorf / ZH Switzerland eMail peter_hunkeler@bigfoot.com Home page www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/8467 Installation ============ The PhunJump package consists of the following two files: PhunJump.Opa the program file PhunJump.Txt this description To install it simply copy the PhunJump.Opa file to the \APP directory on any drive, then install it on the system screen. PhunJump is designed to ease switching to any active application, therefore I recommend to assign it to one of the base application buttons (I prefer Jotter). That way you have a one-button-access to the task list. Usage ===== PhunJump will show a list of active tasks which will be updated whenever it is brought to the foreground. The list will show a task's status window text (usually the file name in use) followed by the application name. The latter will be SYS$PRGO for OPL programs unless the program takes care to set a new process name (using a system call). Use the CURSOR keys (ARROW keys) to move the highlighted bar. PhunJump may handle up to 30 active tasks but will only show up to 12 at a time. If there are more than 12 active tasks the list will scroll if you move off the list, i.e. "up" on top left or "down" on bottom right. The LEFT and RIGHT cursor keys move the highlighted bar "column wise", or to the first or last entry if already in the first or last column, resp. The ENTER key jumps to the selected task, i.e. makes it the foreground task. The ESC key jumps back to the task that was the foreground task just before you jumped to PhunJump. | SHIFT-DELETE sends a close request to the selected task. This is done | by sending an "X" command string. If the application honours system | requests it should eventually stop. The "X" command is NOT the same | as the system screen Psion-X, which will terminate the application | whether is is listening for commands or not. | PhunJump will wait a 1/2 second to give the application a chance to | terminate before refreshing the task list. The application will still | be shown on the list should it need more time to stop. DON'T send | another close request but use the update function (SPACE, see below) | instead. | If an application is still running after some refreshes, switch to | it. It might be that the application is showing a dialog or menu and | may not be able to listen to commands right now. Use the application's | normal way to close it. | SPACE will update the task list immediately. The HELP key will show a short help screen. Additional Info =============== | All system tasks (those that begin with SYS$...) except the RunOPL | (SYS$PRGO) tasks are excluded from display. | | NOTE that beginning with version 1.2F the "system screen" task | (SYS$SHLL) will no longer be shown on the list. The system screen | can always be jumped to using the system button. Besides updating when switched to foreground, the task list will also be updated after power on and after quitting the help screen. This is to minimize the chance that PhunJump lists a task that already has ended at that time. It does not, however, prevent listed tasks to end while you are looking at the list or moving the highlighted bar. If you try to jump to an already ended task PhunJump will not know about that fact | and will stay in the foreground instead. To get an updated list | immediately, use the update function (SPACE key). | PhunJump will need about 18 KB of free memory to start and 13KB to run. Release History =============== V1.2F June 1998 - New "Send Close Command (X)" function to close a task - New "update now" function - System shell task no longer shown in task list V1.1F January 1998 - This is the first release to the public. - More information on the help screen. - Permanent "usage line" on bottom of screen. - Make sure no "String too long" error may occur when saving the task name in the array (use left$ in assignment). V1.0F January 1997 - First final release; for personal usage only.