I've just knocked together a little batch file which facilitates switching between EV Nova, the official EV Classic port, and the official EV Override port. Obviously, being a batch file, it only works on Windows.

I don't know if anyone else would honestly be interested in using it, but I'm going to upload it to Ambrosia's utilities page anyway. I'm looking for a small number of people to try out the Switcher and give me feedback on it.

I'd like it to be tested on:
Windows 95
Windows 98/ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
...if possible, so if you are willing (it'll only take five minutes), please reply here with what OS you're using. Thanks.

It's so simple I don't think anything could go wrong, but we'll see Mostly I'm concerned about the documentation. Can you figure out how to use Switch just by downloading it and reading the switch.txt file? Does it make sense? Is it confusing or difficult to read and figure out? That sort of thing. I tend to obfuscate rather than clarify things in my documentation. . . .

You can download switch here: (url="http://"http://homepage.ntlworld.com/charles.tosh/CiM/EVC-O-Nswitch.zip")http://homepage.ntlw...C-O-Nswitch.zip(/url)
Edit: you can still download switch there, but the New Improved version is here: (url="http://"http://homepage.ntlworld.com/charles.tosh/CiM/switchcon.zip")http://homepage.ntlw...M/switchcon.zip(/url)

Switch presents you with a simple menu interface from which you can choose to do things like switch to or from a port or attempt to find out what the current status is (eg, are you using the Classic port or standard Nova, and has anything gone wrong?).

Thanks,

- CiM

(This message has been edited by CiM (edited 09-10-2003).)

Encouraged by the complete lack of feedback so far ( ) I've slightly revamped things.

switchCON now features:

- Ability to switch between Classic, Override and Nova instantly and automatically, at the press of a key, regardless of current configuration

As well as the previous

- Ability to determine the current status of Classic/Override/Nova install
- Text menu interface (press a key to make a choice, duh)
- Helpful status messages
- Tiny size (5kb!)

Hey, I figure I gotta plug it slightly if anyone's gonna respond.

But in all seriousness, it's a great little utility that works. I'd like to see if it also works on Windows 2000/XP, but I'm pretty sure it works on 95, 98 and ME.

Get it (url="http://"http://homepage.ntlworld.com/charles.tosh/CiM/switchcon.zip")here(/url).

- CiM

Well, it sounds great actually... but since I have a mac I have been thinking of doing this of my own.

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(url="http://"http://ulrik.no-ip.org")ulrik.no-ip.org(/url)

Well, I'd love to write a proper program (rather than a shell script) to do this - even give it a GUI - but the only languages I've ever used are BASIC and Python, and although I could probably do it quite easily in BASIC I wouldn't like to, and Python scares me.

If there was the demand I could try a portable BASIC or Python program, but it'd take a lot longer for me to do than a shell script. I've never taken the time to get au fait with actual programming, and it's a huge mental effort to remember what I'm doing

Sad, I know...

- CiM

Or, you could create 3 different batch files that when you click them, they automatically move the corrseponding files around and run EV Nova.

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C:dos
C:dosrun
rundosrun

Quote

Originally posted by Aprosenf:
Or, you could create 3 different batch files that when you click them, they automatically move the corrseponding files around and run EV Nova.

I don't like having so many files floating around personally, but it's a good idea. The run EVN thing is a no-brainer; should have put that in already. I've added it now, but I haven't uploaded the new file to my webspace yet.

Edit: I've also made the DOS window close (like it was meant to) on exit. New file is uploaded.

Thanks for the input

- CiM

(This message has been edited by CiM (edited 09-10-2003).)

You could easily do it with AppleScript on the mac. I haven't much experience with it - I've played around with it some - but I know for a fact you could do it with 3 seperate AppleScripts that you simply run and they make the neccessary changes. As for a menu system, I'm not sure if that's possible in AppleScript, although there's a good chance it is.

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Hail Pougan!
(url="http://"http://pougan.mooo.com/")pougan.mooo.com(/url) - "Moo?" | (url="http://"http://www.treestump.org/")tREE sTUMP.org(/url) - "Damn Capslock!" | (url="http://"http://www.izerop.com/")IzeroP.com/Mooza.net(/url) - (url="http://"http://forums.izerop.com/")Forums(/url) at IzeroP.com

Hi,

I run windows 2000 and I just downloaded the latest version of your plug, and I will test it out and let you know how it runs.

-kaosmu

Thanks kaosmu I'd appreciate that. Be sure to download the Windows XP version if the regular one doesn't work - you can find it (url="http://"http://homepage.ntlworld.com/charles.tosh/CiM/switchconxp.zip")here(/url).

Pougan: I'll try to remember to look up Applescript. I doubt I'll be writing a EVCON switcher for Mac in it (95% of the people who frequent this board could probably do it a whole lot better than me), but it'd be interesting to see anyway.

I keep on forgetting to check this thread, but here's the same update that I posted on its (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/013794.html")counterpart(/url) on the EVN board.

--
Thanks to the work of Pougan and other testers, switchCON is pretty much complete. I'll be taking a last look at the code to see if it can be improved for efficiency and scalability, but otherwise I intend to finally upload the thing to the addons page on Friday or Saturday.
I've had one further (plausible) suggestion for extra features - a Polycon EV option. I'll look at that possibility when I review the code, but this particular baby is being well and truly put to bed, so any further suggestions should be posted or emailed to me before the end of the week. Thanks.

(my email address is in the readme file)

- CiM
--

Just a quick update in case anyone's interested. Earlier in the week I started on a complete ground-up rewrite of switchCON, and I've ended up with a much more efficient bit of code - which means extra features, huzzah!

Currently those features include:
(*)Switches between

• EV Classic

• EV Override

• EV Nova

• Polycon EV

• Starfleet Adventures

• Sephil Saga

...and up to 4 custom total conversions
()Can use user-defined display and folder names for custom TCs
()"Intelligently" fixes minor problems with folder placement caused by the user or by previous installations
()Safe, stable core switching routine which is almost incapable of getting confused. Almost.
()Much neater folder storage and organisation system
()Creates and organise separate Pilot and Plug-in folders for each installed TC
()There's also an improved menu interface and a redesigned "View current setup" feature
()The last version's verbose status and helpful error messages haven't gone, and are hopefully even more helpful and... um, verbose.
()Finally there's built-in error checking at every step.

Hope that sounds good. I know about twice as much about batch programming now as I did last week. I'll probably be asking a few people to test it for me in the next few days, if that's okay.

Any suggestions for a name? It's just "Switch" right now, because I'm rather fond of the old "switchCON" file. I don't want to call it something big and important sounding - like NovaSwitch! or Switch TC , because it's not a big important utility. I don't want to call it something stupid either (swiTCh anyone?). And SwitchCon just doesn't suit.

Hmm.

- CiM

Quote

Originally posted by CiM:
Any suggestions for a name? It's just "Switch" right now, because I'm rather fond of the old "switchCON" file. I don't want to call it something big and important sounding - like NovaSwitch! or Switch TC , because it's not a big important utility. I don't want to call it something stupid either (swiTCh anyone?). And SwitchCon just doesn't suit.

Total Control - in keeping with the TC theme
Data Commander - controls your data files
Data Shuttle - less important sounding
ConMan - short for Conversion Manager
Dimmer - smarter than a (light) switch and not important sounding
Bob - because it should always be a choice

My personal vote would go for ConMan. Or Bob. Then you can call upgrades 'Son of Bob'. I had an entire year's worth of Physics experiments at uni named after Bob's relatives. Happy days.

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(url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/jonathanboyd/evn/index.html")Classic4Nova plug-in(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Jonathan Boyd:
(b)Total Control - in keeping with the TC theme
Data Commander - controls your data files
Data Shuttle - less important sounding
ConMan - short for Conversion Manager
Dimmer - smarter than a (light) switch and not important sounding
Bob - because it should always be a choiceb)

Bob indeed! Bob's always an option. I could call it "Presto, son of Bob's brother" - then people could say, "Hey Presto, Bob's your Uncle!"

(pause to allow readers time to groan and roll eyes)

I love Dimmer - it's just so ob. Total Control is neat too. Incidentally, I already have a few programs called ConMan (container manager, IIRC). Nice ideas. But it will inevitably end up being called switchCON at this rate, because that's the "provisional name" I've used whilst writing, and I may never get 'round to changing it.

- CiM

Quote

Originally posted by CiM:
**Bob indeed! Bob's always an option. I could call it "Presto, son of Bob's brother" - then people could say, "Hey Presto, Bob's your Uncle!"

(pause to allow readers time to groan and roll eyes)**

<uproots Bob's family true to bludgeon CiM to death with>

Quote

**I love Dimmer - it's just so ob. Total Control is neat too. Incidentally, I already have a few programs called ConMan (container manager, IIRC). Nice ideas. But it will inevitably end up being called switchCON at this rate, because that's the "provisional name" I've used whilst writing, and I may never get 'round to changing it.
- CiM **

Heh, fair enough. I'm lazy enough that I'd probably do the same. The name's not the most important bit anyway.

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(url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/jonathanboyd/evn/index.html")Classic4Nova plug-in(/url)

Edit : Download links invalid since the release of beta 2 - read down to find the new links.
--
The curse of having two threads running for this - here's the update I posted back on the EV Nova boards.
--
Hello again all. Beta 1 for the new improved (and entirely rewritten) switchCON is uploaded, and I'm looking for testers again:

(url="http://"http://homepage.ntlworld.com/charles.tosh/CiM/switchCON.zip")switchCON Windows 95/98/Me(/url)

(url="http://"http://homepage.ntlworld.com/charles.tosh/CiM/switchCON-XP.zip")switchCON Windows XP/2000(/url)

Please download the version that corresponds to your OS and read the accompanying docs. You can send bug reports and comments to my email address, or post them here, or PM them to me - although emailed comments would probably be most helpful.

I'm looking forward to finally getting this thing finished! I'm very fond of the new switchCON - I've been using it very happily for a week now as I've been tinkering

- CiM

(This message has been edited by CiM (edited 09-25-2003).)

I shouldn't really be continuing to post updates to this thread, since it's really moved to (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/013794.html")this thread(/url) on the EV Nova board. If you're really interested in SwitchCON, look there for updates.

Thanks

- CiM