icon.library 46.4 test versions

[PeterK]

Always download the latest full version from Aminet before you update:

Aminet - util/libs/IconLib_46.4.lha ... #582 is out now. No updates for the HAM versions.


OS 3.2: In case that somebody still wants to use my library with OS 3.2, you will need at least a v47 version like TC020 now, which already supports the new DefIcons, too. However, you can still downgrade TC020 with my option "ConvertTrueColor" if you prefer to create OS 3.5 ColorIcons only. My old v46 versions are not accepted anymore by OS 3.2 and they also have no support for the new file type identification features of the DefIcons tool.

The difference between icon.library_68020 and icon.library_TC020 (no, this is not a special CPU design):

The 68020 version always displays OS4 and PNG icons after a color reduction in the OS 3.5 format with maximal 255 colors and simple transparency, even on Hi/TrueColor screens. But if you save these converted icons in the OS 3.5 format, they will become smaller and can be loaded much faster than TrueColor icons. The 68020 version needs less memory for OS4 and PNG icons but has a little lower quality than TC020 on TrueColor screens, although it already uses direct drawing to the graphics card unlike the 68000 version which supports palette based color mapping only.

The TC020 version can display OS4 and PNG icons in best TrueColor quality and with alpha channel blending on graphic cards. This can happen very fast without the time consuming color reduction, but it needs more memory to hold the compressed ARGB images. The icons are also copied and saved in their original OS4 or PNG format. If, for some reason, you would like to save these icons in the OS 3.5 format, you could still use the command "ConvertTrueColor" before displaying them. This instruction works like a downgrade to the 68020 mode. "PreserveTrueColor" switches back to the TC020 mode. Furthermore, the TC020 version supports all other 8-bit and planar screenmodes in the same way as the 68020 version.

Btw, the FastWB, Aros, HAM6 (hm020), HAM8 (HM020) and LD020 versions have the same support for TrueColor screens as TC020.


IconDemoHAM6 and IconDemoHAM8 ADF images. (513)

All IconDemos need Kickstart 3.0 or better 3.1, but are not made for 3.1.4 or 3.x, because the workbench.library is missing and the WB 3.1.4+ also requires a different FBlit.cfg and DefIcons. Nevertheless, HAM screenmodes are possible with 3.1.4, 3.5 and 3.9, too, but I can not offer demo disks. A very fast CPU and the AGA chipset are recommended. HAM6 on OCS/ECS in LowRes makes no fun at all, and the default configuration for HAM6 is to use a HiRes (AGA) screen.


IconDemoA500 and IconDemoA1200 ADF files (486):

To make it easier to use my icon.library under OS 3.0/3.1, I've built two demo floppy images that should show you how to get things to work. Just copy one of these ADF files onto a floppy disk and then boot from it. These images are NO speed demos! If you have enough RAM you could also use the much faster RAD: disk. (Please, always install the latest icon.library on your harddisk)

These demos can display all types of icons: old icons, MWB-icons, NewIcons, GlowIcons, OS4-icons and PNG-icons. This does not need a workbench.library v44+. Only the old icon.library is removed from the resident list with Thomas Rapp's very nice RemLib tool and then the new icon.library is loaded from Libs: into the memory instead, without a reboot.

IconDemoA500.ADF is for low end systems with 68000+ CPUs, OCS/ECS with a fixed 16 color palette, minimal 512 kB ChipMem and 1 MB FastMem. I would recommend at least 40 MHz and more memory to enjoy it (e.g. a MiniMig). 68020+ systems are detected and supported by loading the 68020 version automatically.

IconDemoA1200.ADF is for better systems with 68020+ CPUs, AGA, minimal 1 MB ChipMem and 2 MB FastMem and uses FBlit. It needs no ChipMem for the icons and the NewIcons patch makes even transparent backgrounds possible.

In both configurations DefIcons, AutoUpdateWB and SwazInfo are also installed. These ADFs are working with Kick 3.0 already and are supporting PAL and NTSC screenmodes.

The excellent CopyIcon tool from Stephan Rupprecht makes it possible to replace the images on your existing icons with a simple drag&drop from all available icon sets, no matter which format the source icons have.

Of course, the icon loading from a floppy disk will always be very slow. Furthermore, OS4 and PNG icons can also be rendered much faster after converting them once into the OS 3.5 format, but on these ADFs they are still in their original file format in order to demonstrate the ability to decode them on any Amiga.

[Thorham]

Cool But how do I use this (3.0)?

[PeterK]

It works with ClassicWB (tested ADVSP), Scalos 1.2d and OS 3.0.
No need to get any OS 3.5+ files !

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=63342

http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=810622&postcount=36

[mfilos]

Will report back from home Peter mate
Cheers once more for these updates \o/

[PeterK]

If you have SetPatch v44 then simply don't use LoadModule or LoadResident to load the icon.library or the workbench.library. SetPatch will do that.

[SpeedGeek]

I thought you could just copy the latest version of icon.library to libs: and it would automatically be used if it's newer than the ROM based version?

I think I have 40.4.209 in ROM and I really don't want to burn a new ROM for every update. I don't like LoadResident any more than I like OSRomUpdate!

[mfilos]

Tested it tonight and it works just fine (as the previous version did).
Haven't tested thoroughly all the new features but will report once I test them out

I agree SpeedGeek that is annoying burning new ROM for the new updates. I use ACATune's MapROM feature which rox, but it would be really awesome if we could make something like ROMflash at some point to get over with all this stuff

[PeterK]

I would agree to that it doesn't make much sense to put the icon.library into an eprom and burn a new one for every update. Maybe, if it were a flash rom. Nevertheless, it has a lot of advantages to use custom ROMs with WinUAE or BlizKick or other ROM emulaters. You have shorter boot times and building a new ROM image is quite easy with Remus.

But many people are using LoadResident or LoadModule to make these libraries reset proof. This needs an extra reset only for the cold start which is neccessary for SetPatch in any case, but it speeds up all further reboots later.

Edited:
If you don't use it then SetPatch will always try to replace the resident icon.library and workbench.library with those that can be found in the LIBS: drawer, exactly as you said (but maybe without checking the version). As a result, LoadResident calls will get useless and fail and for LoadModule calls SetPatch will just waste memory by loading these two libraries again.

To avoid this rename these libraries to prevent SetPatch from finding them in LIBS:.

ok, mfilos was a little faster
Thanks for testing, mfilos !

[_mandark_]

icon.library 46.4.230 running fine so far on my system (A1200, ACA1230-56, OS 3.9 on 4 GB CF-card).

[clauddio]

Originally Posted by PeterK

Something else: Important for users of DOpus Magellan II:

Make sure that the newicon.library V44 is installed in your LIBS: drawer.
And activate "Alternative Icon Copying" in the DOpus settings.

I'm using dopus 5.82 ( last version)
where is the option "alternative icon copyng" ? I can't found it

[PeterK]

Sorry clauddio, I was using DOpus Magellan II with German localization and the options name was "Alternatives Piktogramm Kopieren", so I thought that the translation should be "Alternative Icon Copying". But now I've changed the localization to English and that shows me under "Icon Settings" that the option is called "Smart Icon Copying" instead.

@_mandark_
Thank you for your report

[PeterK]

Updated to icon.library 46.4.231

[NovaCoder]

Cool I will get around to installing this soon, thanks for your work

I'm running an AGA WB OS 3.9 BB2 and RemapApollo (works like BlizKick).

I assume I can just give this icon.library to RemapApollo and it will be all good?

This library will be faster/better than the BB2 version for an AGA user?

[daxb]

You can load the icon.library with RemApollo as a module. I tested that on a A1200 Apollo 1240 OS3.1 system. ...and additional what PeterK wrote. You can check with e.g. Scout if resident loading worked.

[NovaCoder]

I just use NOROMUPDATE for SetPatch and then pass in all the updated modules separately to RemapApollo

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by daxb

You can load the icon.library with RemApollo as a module. I tested that on a A1200 Apollo 1240 OS3.1 system. ...and additional what PeterK wrote. You can check with e.g. Scout if resident loading worked.

Better check with "Avail FLUSH" directly after booting has finished.
And compare it once with SetPatch DISABLEROMMODULES ""
and another time without this option.

I would predict and could bet that NOROMUPDATE will not prevent SetPatch from disabling these two resident libraries and loading them from LIBS: again. They may still appear in the resident list, but they are disabled there. Only Avail FLUSH can show the difference.

[_mandark_]

Was testing the new version on my A1200 and WinUAE (A1200-clone, Picasso96, uaegfx) yesterday. No big problems whatsoever, but I encountered a freeze on WinUAE when saving all drawer icons in a drawer (about 160 blue and green colored drawer icons). But I was not able to reproduce the crash...

[PeterK]

Hmm ? I never encountered such a problem yet.
Please, give me some more details in case it occurs again. (example drawer icons or the name of the icon collection they belong to)

Maybe this could also be an issue of the new dos.library ?
I guess, you are using it, but I didn't try it out yet.

[PeterK]

Updated to icon.library 46.4.235

[_mandark_]

Originally Posted by PeterK

Hmm ? I never encountered such a problem yet.
Please, give me some more details in case it occurs again. (example drawer icons or the name of the icon collection they belong to)

Maybe this could also be an issue of the new dos.library ?
I guess, you are using it, but I didn't try it out yet.

Your guess was right, I am using the new dos.library But I also have not encountered this problem again. Your latest icon.library is running fine on my systems.