V6Lib FAQ

Last Updated: 2/1/98

This is just a first go, so there really isn't much organization to this yet. Thanks to Miron Schmidt for taking the time to think of most of these questions.

Is there a web site for V6Lib stuff?

Sure is! It's at <http://www.chelmsford.com/home/jpenney/V6Lib>
Go there and read the manual before sending me questions please.

Why is the manual so hard to follow?

Because it isn't finished. What is availible now is the Technical Manual. It's intended as a reference to what things do, but it doesn't really cover how to use the library that well.

How do I draw a picture? DrawPic(102) doesn't work.

That's not how V6Lib works. First you need to create a ZPic object for picture 102.

     ZPic SomeImage
     private 
         picnum 102;

Then you will want to either draw it using ZPic.Draw()

    SomeImage.Draw();

or ZWindow.DrawPic().

    Zwin2.DrawPic(SomeImage);

What is a ZWin, and why do I have to use one?

What are ZWinStyles? Telling me that I have to define a billion functions in them isn't all that helpful.

Hmmm, no I suppose it isn't. Well, take a look at DefaultZWinStyle for an exampe, or wait unil I write the User's Manual. Sorry. They are rather powerful screen layout managers, but are obviously not well enough documented yet to be useful. :-(

A "unit," then, is a pixel. Why don't you say so in the first place?

I didn't say this because it isn't so. Well, it may not be so. Currently on all platforms I know of it is so, but that doesn't mean it will always be so. Fell better? Me neither.

A "unit" is whatever the interpreter uses to measure the screen size, images sizes, window sizes, etc. There could be an interpreter that used 1 unit = 2 pixels. I'll try to be more clear about the distinction on future versions of the manual.

Are cursor positions measured in pixels or cursor-size blocks?

Neither! Screen units. (see above)

When I set the right margin to 450, it almost touches the left margin!

The right margin is counted from the right edge of the ZWin. I'll put this in the manual next time. Sorry.

What's all this OO drivel? I'm playing all my games on an 870x100 screen, and my own V6 games work peachy.

I'm an Amiga user, and all the colours go wrong! That's your fault, isn't it?

No! I'm not sure where any "blame" would go, bit it isn't to me. This is actually the way that Infocom wanted there interpreter to work on the Amiga. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. Dos Frotz will do this as well in Amiga Emulation mode. For more info on the subject see this post I made to the Z-Machine Mailing list.

I've placed all my pictures in the C:/WORK/PIX dir, but they just aren't displayed. Why's that? How do I get working pictures anyway?

You'll need an interpreter that lets you provide your own images. Currently there is not such animal, but there is work being done currently. (see Blorb)

And sounds? I want sounds!

Again, your best bet is to wait for Blorb to take over the world, or at least be in some modern interpeters. Blorb Now!

"Dynymic image object pool." Could you translate that into a language we both speak?

What happens to a ZWin's positions when I ResizeToPic() it?

Absolutely nothing! The ZWin's top left corner will stay put.