BATCH FILE ASSISTANT --- May 18, 1998 By Ben James (~madmonk)


--- INTRO ---

We've all been there. Having to manually calculate all those physical
addresses to upload our binary files to. It's annoying, time consuming and
completely unnecessary. The aim of this program is to minimise the effort
needed for this activity, so you can spend your time on the far more important
matter of coding one kick-ass muther of a game.

My program will take all your binary files and work out the relevant numbers
for you. You just provide a list of the files you want. You get back a couple
of strings which you can copy-and-paste to the appropriate locations. The
first is your batch file for Siocons or whatever - and the second, your
#define values. Now, before you get that look on your face, it's a helluva
lot easier if you take a look at the program to get a more realistic idea of
what I'm on about...


--- WHAT TO DO IN THE FIRST INSTANCE ---

Upon running the program you will be presented with the one and only screen
you will have to deal with.

- Click "ADD" to add your binary/raw files. You can select one or more files
  from the file requester. Your file names will then appear in the top half of
  the dialog. The relevant file sizes, in bytes, is tacked on the end of each
  entry.

- To remove a file, highlight it from the top list-box and click "REMOVE".

- If you want to create a single data file from all your raw files, click the
  "CREATE" button. You will be presented with a file-requester which, uh,
  requests an output file name. If you do this make sure you check the
  "SINGLE FILE" check-box before copying the Batch File string. This will
  alter the batch file string to a single entry. This area of the program is
  still a bit 'basic' to say this least. But, if you have a vague idea what
  you're doing - you should be ok. Creating a single file is advantageous
  because it's quicker to upload and you only need to set up you batch file
  once.

- The "Base Address" edit box contains the start address which your files
  will be loaded into. Ensure that you click the "REDO" button if you change
  this value - otherwise it'll all go very pie shaped when you try and run
  your program on the PSX.

- For those of you ambitious enough to be taking on more the one project at
  once, you can save various set-ups for later recall. At the top of the main
  window there are 3 controls to accomodate this particular perversion. The
  combo-box at the top left of the main dialog contains the current project
  name. Press "NEW" to clear everything or press "SAVE" to save the current
  selections under the current project name. Hopefully, that should all be
  pretty straight forward.

- Click "ABOUT" to find out what version you are using.

- Pressing "EXIT" to leave the program. Make sure you have saved your project
  first if you need to.


--- MORE ---

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Microsoft Windows 3.0 or above.
Hardware wise, unless your PC is a complete basket case, you'll be able to
run this.

DISCLAIMER:
Use this program at your own risk. Whilst I make every effort to ensure the
smooth and pain-free operation of this program, errors sometimes can creep in.
Please remember, I'm an amateur hobbiest with very limited resources. If you
find a problem, need help, or have any suggestions, e-mail me at
elvis@enterprise.net.

CONDITIONS OF USE:
This application is intended principally for European Net Yaroze members.
Additionally, it is for any other non-commercial parties and parties which
directly benefit Sony's Net Yaroze project ie. SCEE, SCEA, SCEI employees.


--- HISTORY ---

v0.9b  - Oh dear, how did this get out the door. This unruly animal,
thankfully, only lived for 24 hours and was put down humainly the next day.

v0.91b - Bug fixed for creating single data files.
Now automatically checks for changes in input file sizes. This was causing
all sorts of headaches, leaving only one solution - creating the project
again from scratch.
A couple of other minor problems have been resolved also.

v1.0 - Proper release version in 3D! You might need the CTL3D.DLL library
which is included in this archive.

v1.1 - Ability to delete projects. Single File is now default.