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PARtoBAT Version 3.1 / September 1994
written by Michael Peters [CIS 100041,247] [Internet mpe@hop.dinoco.de]
Copyright (C) 1992-94 The Stone Soup Group
PARtoBAT generates batch files from FractInt PAR files.
This program is freeware. It may be freely copied and distributed but
may not be sold.
Ŀ
Change history
2.1 introduced code names for GIF files
(Suggestion by Jon Horner)
2.2 checks Fractint errorlevel, plus: If the video mode is not specified,
it can now be entered on the batch command line.
(Suggestions by Timothy Wegner)
3.0 this version features some more ideas by Tim (and some of my own).
Batches now quits with errorlevel 2 (for Fractint v. 18 and above,
has no effect if earlier versions are used)
PAR files shown in alphabetical order
Wildcard support, creates Newpars.Bat, reads SSTOOLS.INI
Indirect @ files can be read (suggestion by Nelson Hinman)
3.1 ignores {comments} and can handle very large PAR files.
(Update suggestion by Timothy Wegner.)
For technical reasons, the PAR filename display is now no longer
sorted by PARtoBAT itself but utilizes the MS-DOS external SORT
command (SORT.EXE must be in the path for this reason).
PARtoBAT becomes a Stone Soup Group program with 3.1.
Ŀ
Syntax
PARtoBAT [o[+|-]] [PAR files] [VIDEO=<mode>] [CODENAME=xxxxx[nnn]] [parms]
where
[-o[+|-]] = Overwrite or don't overwrite existing batch files.
Enter -o or -o+ to enable overwrite,
-o- to disable overwrite.
[PAR files] = a Fractint .PAR filename (wildcards allowed).
An indirect filename (a file containing PAR
filenames, see below) can be entered instead.
[VIDEO=mode] = specify a Fractint video mode here
[CODENAME=xxxxx[nnn]] = a codename for GIF files (see below)
[parms] = any number of other Fractint startup parameters
e.g. PARtoBAT -o+ M*.PAR VIDEO=SF7 CODENAME=WOW027 SOUND=ON HERTZ=440
PARtoBAT started without parms will prompt for the corresponding values
unless they are specified in SSTOOLS.INI (see below).
NOTE: In PARtoBAT version 1 and 2, the video mode could be entered without
a leading 'VIDEO='. This is no longer possible - you now have to add
the 'VIDEO=', e.g. VIDEO=SF7.
Ŀ
SSTOOLS.INI support
PARtoBAT default values can be put into the Fractint file SSTOOLS.INI
(a description for SSTOOLS.INI is contained in Fractint). You need to
specify a [PARtoBAT] section in SSTOOLS.INI. Other sections will be
ignored by PARtoBAT.
One of the following parameter values can be put into SSTOOLS.INI:
BATCHOVERWRITE=yes|no = default value for batch overwrite
VIDEO=mode = specify a Fractint video mode here
CODENAME=xxxxx[nnn] = a codename for GIF files (see below)
and any other default parameters for Fractint, like
SOUND=ON
HERTZ=440
etc.
If overwrite, videomode, or codename are specified in the command line,
this will override the defaults from SSTOOLS.INI.
If overwrite is not specified in SSTOOLS.INI or in the command line, and
batch files for the specified PAR files are found, PARtoBAT will ask you
if they can be overwritten.
If the videomode is neither specified in SSTOOLS.INI nor in the command
line, PARtoBAT will ask for it.
If no codename was specified in SSTOOLS.INI or in the command line,
PARtoBAT will ask for one *only when it is called without parameters*
in the command line, that is, if you enter PARtoBAT on the C> prompt.
Ŀ
Filename
You have to specify the name of the PAR file (wildcards can be used).
The PAR files must be located in the current directory.
Instead of a PAR filename, you can also enter an indirect filename,
that is, the name of a file that contains PAR filenames (one per line).
If you do this, use a @ to indicate the indirect filename, e.g.
PARtoBAT @Indirect.Txt
instead of
PARtoBAT X*.PAR
Ŀ
Overwrite existing batch files
If no overwrite option was entered on the command line or in SSTOOLS.INI
and batch files for the PAR files are found, PARtoBAT will ask you if
the batch files can be overwritten.
Ŀ
Video mode
Enter a Fractint video mode (PARtoBAT does not check if the video mode
you specify is valid) in SSTOOLS.INI or on the command line (in the
format VIDEO=<mode> ), or on the PARtoBAT prompt.
The video mode can be left empty. In this case, it will be included
in the batch file as a %1 batch parameter: You have to specify the video
mode as a command line parameter when you run the batchfile.
Ŀ
Optional startup parameters
Enter any number of optional startup parameters for Fractint (e.g.
SOUND=OFF SAVETIME=60 etc.) in SSTOOLS.INI, on the command line,
or on the PARtoBAT prompt. Anything not recognized by PARtoBAT, e.g.
BLAH=BLAH
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
will be transferred to the batch command and to Fractint.
Ŀ
GIF code name
Each fractal in the PAR file has been given a name already. The
corresponding GIF file will be named like in the PAR file. Alternatively
you may specify a code name for the GIF files in this file. The new GIF
files will be given this code name plus a 3-digit number (Code name EXAMP
will produce the GIF names EXAMP001.GIF, EXAMP002.GIF etc.). If the
specified code name already contains a 3-digit number, the new GIF files
will start counting from there.
If GIF files with the code name exist, the numbers will automatically
increment from there.
Maximum length for the code name (without trailing digits) is 5
characters.
If no code name is specified, the default names are used for the GIF
files.
Ŀ
The batch files
Each batch line containing a Fractint call is followed by an errorlevel
check (errorlevel 2). If Fractint is aborted during the batch, the batch
execution will stop.
For each GIF file that already exists, the corresponding command line
will be disabled by a 'rem'. This means that you can interrupt a PARtoBAT
generated batch file anytime, and start it again later. Before you start
it again, just run PARtoBAT (with overwrite enabled) to recreate the
batch file. While creating the batch file, the lines that refer to GIF
files which already exist will be disabled.
If you use wildcards when specifying the PAR files, and more than one
batch file is created by PARtoBAT, an additional batch file will be
written (NEWPARS.BAT). This batch can be run to execute all new batch
files at once.
Michael Peters
CIS 100041,247
mpe@hop.dinoco.de
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