Desktop Utilities
The pieces of software on this page all fall under the heading of “desktop utilities” – adding small extra features or functionality to the desktop. Many of them are relocatable modules that can be added to the RISC OS boot sequence, though there are also some small applications or even BASIC programs here too.
Filer Dir Patch
Filer Dir Patch is a small module that causes a click on Create Directory in a Filer menu to create a new directory called “Directory”. This is most useful on RISC OS 4 and RISC OS 5, when Alt-Click will then allow this to be re-named (effectively working in the same way as Windows).
This feature has been added to RISC OS Select, but for those who haven't yet subscribed or are using RISC OS 5...
In order to use Filer Dir Patch, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
Find Icon Bar
Find Icon Bar is another one of the spate of ‘Nested WIMP style’ icon bar utilities. Move the pointer to the bottom of the screen and the bar will pop to the top and stay there until you move the pointer out of it. Find Icon Bar is a module task, so it only uses about 1Kb of memory.
The functionality of Find Icon Bar has been part of RISC OS since the late 1990s, meaning that it should not be necessary on any modern system.
In order to use Find Icon Bar, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
Fortune
A small addition to the RISC OS start up sequence, Fortune is a module to display a random “fortune cookie” under the Desktop Welcome Banner each time the Desktop is started. Utterly useless, but possibly worthwhile.
Fortunes are not supplied, though most files from the Internet can be used fairly easily.
In order to use Fortune, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
Free Memory
Free Memory displays the amount of free memory in your machine as a small sliding bar at the top of the screen. This dynamically updates itself as the amount of free memory in your machine changes.
In order to use Free Memory, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.50.
This development build of Free Memory has been updated for building in my standard development environment and re-licensed. There should be no functional changes from the most recent stable release.
In order to use Free Memory, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.50.
Get Filer
Get Filer is a small application to make the Filer save out the Filer_OpenDir commands for all the viewers currently open on the Desktop. This is the information that would have been included in a ‘saved desktop’ file, if one were saved; the saved desktop has conflicted with the ‘universal boot’ since RISC OS 3.5, and the option has been removed from recent versions of the OS.
Note that on RISC OS Six, the Filer no longer supports Message_SaveDesktop as used by GetFiler. Until an alternative method of collecting the details of the open directory viewers is implemented, GetFiler is no longer compatible with the affected versions of the OS.
In order to use Get Filer, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
Launcher
Launcher – which is yet another application launcher for RISC OS – now has its own page.
MkResApps
An addition to the Apps folder on the icon-bar, MkResApps allows you to add links to files, directories and applications in the same way as AddApp (in RISC OS 3.5 onwards) with some important differences. A module is built once and loaded on boot, speeding things up and objects can be stored in directories that can be nested as required.
In order to use MkResApps, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
This development build of MkResApps has been updated for building in my standard development environment and re-licensed. There should be no functional changes from the most recent stable release.
In order to use MkResApps, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.50.
PC Keyboard
PC Keyboard is a module to change the use of the Delete, End (Copy) and Home keys in applications under RISC OS. Historically, the Delete key on RISC OS has always duplicated Backspace, which is different from the behaviour on other platforms. On RISC OS 5 this behaviour is changed to the “PC style” and the OS tries to enforce this, but not all applications follow suit.
The module can be used in three ways:
- It can be used on RISC OS 5 to convert applications fixed in “Acorn style” operation over to the “PC style” used by the OS.
- Alternatively, on RISC OS 5, it can be used to convert the behaviour of writable icons, and any applications which detect the OS and insist on “PC style” operation, back to “Acorn style” usage.
- On all other versions of RISC OS, it can be used to convert the behaviour of applications and writable icons to “PC style” operation.
In order to use PC Keyboard, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
Task Kill
TaskKill is a small BASIC utility that allows Wimp tasks to be killed from the command line.
In order to use Task Kill, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
Windows Keys
Windows Keys makes it easier to use the two extra keys on an MS Windows keyboard. It consists of a small module task that watches for the keys being pressed and calls star-commands as set by the user, along with a plugin for the RISC OS Configure application to allow those star-commands to be set easily.
Using this system, the keys can easily be made to launch applications, open directories, load files or almost anything else that can be done from the command line.
Although this module will run on the Iyonix, it is not required as RISC OS 5 already contains similar functionality.
In order to use Windows Keys, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 4.02.
Windows Scroll
Windows Scroll is a small module to provide the ‘joystick-like’ window scrolling, using the mouse, as found on some MS Windows applications. Clicking Ctrl-Menu over a window with scroll bars will allow the window to be scrolled at variable speed by moving the mouse away from a ‘centre point’ on the screen.
It does not require a wheel-mouse to work.
In order to use Windows Scroll, you will require a minimum of RISC OS 3.10.
