[boot scriptor] Boot Scriptor 1.2.16b (experimental)


Ok here's the experimental version of Boot Scriptor with 640x480x24
image support:
http://tigger.cc.uic.edu/~mterlo1/bscript/distro/Boot%20Scriptor%20(1.2.
16b).zip

And here's how to use it...

*Just to make sure we're all on the same page, 320x240x8 means an image
size of 320x240 with 8 bits per pixel (maximum of 256 colors).
640x480x24 means an image size of 640x480 with 24 bits per pixel
(maximum of 16.7 million colors).

In order to support hi-res, hi-color-depth images I had to go with a
proprietary image format (BSI).  This was necessary for a few reasons,
but the main ones were the complexity and speed associated with decoding
and drawing routines at the assembly-language level, and the size of
640x480x24 BMP files (almost 1Mb).

I've created a small utility that will convert 640x480x24 BMP image
files into Boot Scriptor Image (BSI) files.  The program is called
'convert' and you can find it in the /tools folder of the distribution
archive.  There's a pre-compiled Windows version and ANSI C source code
for everyone else.  The syntax is "convert <inputfile.bmp>
<outputfile.bsi>".  The conversion compresses the image using Run Length
Encoding (YMMV depending on image complexity) as well as places various
control codes throughout the file.

Once you have your images converted to BSI format you are ready to use
them with Boot Scriptor.

- SPLASH SCREENS --------------------------------

When Boot Scriptor starts up, it will first look for bscript.bsi in the
/bscript folder.  If the image is found it will be displayed as the
splash screen for up to four seconds.  If bscript.bsi is not found, or
if the VESA video mode is unavailable, then Boot Scriptor will search
for bscript.bmp (all BMP images are 320x240x8).  If bscript.bmp is found
in the /bscript folder, then it will be displayed as the splash screen.

When using splash screens, you might want to keep both bscript.bsi and
bscript.bmp versions of your image in your /bscript folder.  This will
ensure that the splash screen will be displayed on any system that is at
least VGA compatible.

- SHOW COMMAND ----------------------------------

After Boot Scriptor has started you display images using the "show"
command.  The show command works exactly as it did before, except there
is a new format for displaying BSI images.  The syntax for the show
command is:

Syntax 1:    show console
Syntax 2:    show image <filename.bmp>
Syntax 3:    show image <filename.bsi> [filename.bmp]

So when displaying 320x240x8 images on standard VGAs you use syntax 2.
When displaying 640x480x24 BSI images you use syntax 3.  This syntax
allows you to specify a second image file (in BMP format) that will be
displayed if the first one can't be shown.  The secondary image file is
optional; without it the show command will just return an error if the
BSI image cannot be displayed.  Also note that the file extensions are
important; they must be either .BMP or .BSI, depending on the type of
image.

One likely scenario is:
You have both BSI (hi-res) and BMP (low-res) versions of your script's
menu image.  In your script you use the command 'show image menu.bsi
menu.bmp'.  Now on machines with a compatible VESA BIOS, your hi-res
menu image will be displayed.  On machines that do not have a compatible
VESA BIOS, the low-res version of your menu image will be displayed.

- TROUBLESHOOTING -------------------------------

If Boot Scriptor crashes, or doesn't display images properly, try
booting with the Ctrl key held down or the Caps-Lock key turned on.
This will start Boot Scriptor without displaying an image.  Then type
the command 'restart'.  You should see one of three things displayed
before Boot Scriptor restarts: "No VESA", "VESA 24bpp", or "VESA 32bpp".
Please let me know which one of these are displayed and what the problem
is.

Even if Boot Scriptor is working fine, please try the restart command
anyways and let me know what it says.  I need confirmation that the
image display mechanism works for "VESA 24bpp" systems before I can
release this capability to the general public.

-------------------------------------------------

One last thing worth mentioning, the minimum VESA BIOS Extensions
version supported by Boot Scriptor is v1.2.  There must be enough VRAM
onboard for two pages at resolutions of 640x480x24 or 640x480x32.

I'm interested to hear what everyone thinks about the new stuff.  I
didn't really want to go with a proprietary image format, but I had to
so I tried to make it as painless as possible.  Let me know how the
image conversion is working for you, and how everything else is working.
Also if you have any ideas on how to implement this stuff differently,
I'd like to hear it.

Thanks, and enjoy :)
Mike





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