John Allen's Risc OS software   Acorn logo

Attacher

Copyright Notice

© John Allen 1997 - 2005.

This application is Freeware and is supplied on the understanding that:

Please contact me before adding it to a PD library so that I can supply an up to date version.

Getting going

Double click on the Attacher icon in the Filer window. This installs Attacher on the iconbar and opens the main coding and decoding window.

Clicking on the Attacher icon on the iconbar will re-open the main window if it has been closed. If the window is already open it will bring it to the top of the window stack.

Attacher is designed to be simple to use, making use of file drag and drop. To decode: drop a file icon on the decode icon and to code drop it on a code icon. The resulting file can then be dragged where ever it is required, or named and saved or double clicked to load it into an appropriate application.

Choices window

This allows Attacher to be cusomised to individual users' requirements. Setting can either be saved, by clicking 'Save', to be used by Attacher each time it is loaded until different options are selected or, by clicking 'Use' they can be used for the session, the previous settings being used when Attacher is next loaded. The window is selected from the Attacher main window.

The options that can be set are:

Decoding files

To decode a file or series of files:

  1. Drag a file containing coded data to the decode icon at the top left of the main window. There's no need to edit the header off the file, just use the whole file. If it is uuencoded Attacher will detect whether it is a complete uuencoded file or give a prompt for the next file in a series. (If so continue dragging the series of coded files to the decode icon until Attacher detects the end of uuencoded data). The files must be dragged in order.
  2. Attacher decodes the complete coded file.
  3. Edit the supplied name as appropriate, then drag the file icon to a Filer directory display or to another application. Alternatively enter the full pathname of the file and click select on the 'OK' icon. Additionally you can double-click select over the file icon to load it into an appropriate application (if known to RiscOS at the time of clicking).
  4. If there are further files in the message they will be presented for saving in turn.

Encoding files

  1. Drag the file you wish to encode to one of the the code icons at the bottom left or middle left of the main window. In case of doubt it is usually better to uuencode rather than use base64.
  2. Attacher will encode the file.
  3. Edit the file name supplied by Attacher as appropriate and drag the file icon to a Filer directory display or to another application. Alternatively enter the full pathname and click select on the 'OK' icon. If you have the split option set, and the file is longer than the maximum length, Attacher will split the file and keep presenting new part-files for you to save until the whole file has been saved.

Features

The TypeTrans module

This application contains and uses the TypeTrans module by the same author. This has an SWI interface to the coders and decoders as well as other support fuctions. Note that although supplied with this application it is not Freeware and the user interface is largely unpublished.

Other Freeware authors may request a copy of the user interface specification and use/distribute the module with their own applications.

Authors of commercial software will be expected to pay a royalty if they make use of calls in this module.

More information on TypeTrans

Download the latest Attacher release, version 1.04 (zip file)

© John Allen 2014