Twilight Edge Software - Backdrop EZ Documentation

Backdrop EZ Documentation
Software Version 1.25
Released November 20, 2000

Written by Josh Freeman
©1998-2000, Twilight Edge Software
All Rights Reserved

About Backdrop EZ
System Requirements
Archive Distribution
Disclaimer
BackdropEZ.zip Archive Contents
Download
Quickstart
Background Brightness & Contrast
Choosing Applications/ Incompatibilities
Selecting A Background
Deleting Images
Screen Settings
Where To Find Background Images
Creating Your Own Backgrounds
Registering Backdrop EZ
Site Licenses For Organizations
Known Incompatibilities/ Bugs
Version History
Twilight Edge Software Contact Info

About Backdrop EZ
Backdrop EZ is an application for the Palm OS which places an image in the background of your greyscale Palm device's screen. The background image stays in place when other apps are running, though you may set Backdrop EZ to remove it for certain programs. The background image is customizable, as Backdrop EZ will read images saved in the FireViewer format. Backdrop EZ is based off of Backdrop, the background program for the Palm III and earlier devices. If you have one of those devices, please download and run Backdrop instead - Backdrop EZ only runs on devices with the DragonBall-EZ chip or later. Backdrop EZ's main improvement over Backdrop is the ability to display backgrounds in 8 grey-levels, thanks to the EZ chip's improved LCD controller.

System Requirements
    Backdrop EZ requires a greyscale Palm device with a DragonBall-EZ or Dragonball-VZ chip. Current models include the Palm m100, IIIe, IIIx, IIIxe, V, Vx, VIIx, WorkPad c3, Handspring Visor, Visor Deluxe, Visor Platinum, Sony PEG-S300, and the TRGpro; If you have a Palm VII, III, or previous device, you will need the original Backdrop.
     TrapWeaver is also required to install Backdrop EZ; TrapWeaver is a system utility which prevents patching conflicts between applications that patch system traps. For more information on TrapWeaver, see the TrapWeaver documentation.
    Backdrop EZ uses 125K of memory. This includes the Backdrop EZ and TrapWeaver applications, as well as the memory Backdrop EZ uses when it installs its system patches. Running Backdrop EZ with less free memory may cause your Palm device to crash.

Archive Distribution
Backdrop EZ and TrapWeaver are shareware. The 'backdropez.zip' archive may be freely distributed, provided its contents are not changed in any way. If you distribute the archive on a website or with a software collection, please notify the author. Any form of distribution that charges the user a fee, such as a commercial software collection, must clearly state that the user is purchasing unregistered copies which will require additional payments to register.

Disclaimer
All Twilight Edge software titles are provided as is, and are not guaranteed to be free of bugs. The author assumes no responsibility for problems resulting from the use of these products. Installing and/or executing this software means you agree to the above terms.

If you find a bug, please report it, along with the following info:

- Model of Palm device
- System version
- Amount of free memory
- List of hacks/apps installed (if possible)
- Special options (Palm III upgrade, TRG memory card, pager card, etc.)

BackdropEZ.zip Archive Contents
backdropez.prc - Backdrop EZ application
tweaver.prc     - TrapWeaver application (required to run Backdrop EZ)
earth.pdb       - sample 4-greylevel image
docs.html       - Backdrop EZ Documentation

Download
Backdrop EZ, Version 1.25

Quickstart

If you have previous versions of Backdrop EZ or TrapWeaver on your Palm device, please uninstall them before installing the new versions.

To Install & Turn On Backdrop EZ:

    1. Install 'BackdropEZ.prc' and 'TWeaver.prc' on your Palm device.
    2. Run TrapWeaver
    3. Press the 'Engage' button

The following step will reset your Palm device:

    4. Press the 'OK' button on the 'Engage TrapWeaving' dialog
    5. Run Backdrop EZ
    6. Press the 'Turn On Backdrop' button

To Turn Backdrop EZ Off:

1. Run Backdrop EZ
2. Press the 'Turn Off Backdrop' button

To Uninstall Backdrop EZ:

1. Turn Backdrop EZ Off
2. Delete Backdrop EZ

To Uninstall TrapWeaver:

1. Turn TrapWeaving Off
2. Delete TrapWeavr

Background Brightness & Contrast
When you first turn on Backdrop EZ, or switch to an extremely light or dark background image, the background may either be too light to see it clearly, or too dark, in which case it obscures what's in the foreground.
You can change the background's brightness level, but the method for doing this depends on whether you're using a 2-level or deeper (4 or 16) level image as your background. If it's not apparent whether your background is 2-level or deeper-level, you can tell by the text at the bottom of the Background On form or the Screen Settings form:

For 4- or 16-level images, it will read: Use contrast control to lighten/darken.

Using your Palm device's contrast control is the only way to lighten and darken deeper-level backgrounds. Move your device's contrast control to make the background as dark as possible while still allowing you to comfortably read the foreground text. (If the screen is inverted, make the background as light as possible).

For 2-level images, it will read: Use scroll buttons to lighten/darken.

If you are using a 2-level background, you can change the background level from within the Backdrop EZ application, but before you do this, you need to make sure the screen's contrast is set properly; Follow these steps to find your 2-color background's correct level:

1. Turn off Backdrop EZ; This makes it easier when adjusting the contrast. (If you have a IIIx running OS 3.1.1 or later, don't do this step, since turning off Backdrop EZ will revert the contrast setting).

2. If you have an application that uses greyscale mode, switch to it. (Greyscale mode is better for adjusting contrast, since it's easier to pick up subtle changes than in black-and-white mode)

3. Adjust your screen's contrast using the contrast control.

4. Turn on Backdrop EZ.

5. Press the 'up' or 'down' scroll buttons to lighten or darken the background level. (You can see what the current background level value is by pressing the 'Screen Settings...' button. You can still adjust the background level from the 'Screen Settings' form.) Make the background as dark as possible, but not so dark that you can't comfortably read what's on the rest of the screen. (If the screen is inverted, make the background as light as possible).

6. Switch to an application that fills the screen with text, such as Memo Pad, and make sure the foreground is legible. If not, go back to Backdrop EZ and lighten (inverted: darken) the background.

Once you find the correct background level, you can then adjust the background's brightness using only the contrast control.

Choosing Applications/ Incompatibilities
    Some applications draw directly to the screen, such as drawing apps, image viewing apps, games, etc. These apps won't update properly with Backdrop EZ installed. Other applications rely on speed, (some games, etc.), and may run noticibly slower with Backdrop EZ on. Backdrop EZ uses 12.5K of dynamic memory when it is displaying a background; There are a few apps which won't run properly with such a large chunk of memory used up. This can show up in the form of 'Not-Enough-Memory' error messages, erratic behavior, or, in some cases, fatal errors, resulting in a reset. (If you find that an application crashes because Backdrop EZ is installed, please notify support.)
    In order to deal with these problems, Backdrop EZ provides a way for you to temporarily turn off the background when certain apps are running, solving the incompatibilities in most cases: From the 'Backdrop On' form, press the 'Applications...' button to go to the 'Backdrop Applications' form. You will see a list of applications installed on your Pam device with checkboxes next to the app names. In order to remove the background when an app is running, uncheck the box next to the app's name. You may notice that some app names have no checkboxes next to them - this is because Backdrop EZ has a default list of incompatible apps, and it won't give you the option of turning on the background when one of them runs.
    If you have a HackMaster hack which does not update properly with Backdrop EZ installed, first make sure that it was installed before Backdrop EZ: Turn Backdrop EZ off then back on and see if that solves the problem. If it still doesn't run correctly, the hack is probably drawing directly to the screen, and won't work with Backdrop EZ. Please notify support as well as the author of the hack.

Selecting A Background
    Backdrop EZ will read images in FireViewer format. You can find image files in this format online, or create your own. 16-color FireViewer images are supported by Backdrop EZ, however, only 8 levels of grey can be used by the background, so 16-color images will be downsampled to 8 colors.
    The preferred image size is 160x160; Backdrop EZ won't read images smaller than this, and if they are much larger, they may take up too much memory to load. (Unlike the FireViewer app, Backdrop EZ uses only dynamic memory for loading images, which means it has a smaller maximum image size).
    To select a background, press the 'Backgrounds...' button on the 'Backdrop On' form. This will bring you to the 'Choose Background Image' form, which will display a list of the available image files installed on your Palm device.
     If the selected image is larger than 160x160, an 'Align' button will appear on the right side of the form. Pressing this button will bring you to the alignment screen, where you may drag the image with your stylus to center it. Once you are done aligning, tap the graffiti area or press any of the hardware buttons to return to the 'Choose Background Image' form.

In general, lighter images with large areas of white pixels, such as drawings or logos, make the best backgrounds. If you have a darker image, you might make it show up better by inverting the background. If your dark image is a photo or illustration, which appears odd when inverted, inverting both the screen and the background will probably give you the best results.

Deleting Images
If there are images you want to delete, select 'Delete Images...' from the 'Options' menu to go to the 'Delete Images' form. Click on an image's name in the list to delete it. (You will be given a chance to confirm this).

Screen Settings
Press the 'Screen Settings...' button in the 'Backdrop On' form to go to the 'Screen Settings' form. Here, you'll see several controls:

- 'Reinstall On Reset' Checkbox
When this box is checked, Backdrop EZ will automatically reinstall itself when the device is reset; Otherwise you will have to manually turn Backdrop EZ back on.

- 'Display As Startup Screen' Checkbox
This option will delay drawing the foreground when the device gets turned on, showing only the background image. This background startup screen will only display when the device has been turned on from the power button, and not from any of the other buttons. The user can choose how long to display the startup screen by selecting from the 'Delay:' drop-down menu. To instantly bring up the foreground while the startup screen is being displayed, tap the screen or press a button.

- 'Invert Screen' Checkbox
Checking this box will invert your screen - this exchanges black for white and white for black on your display. It will also cause your background image to appear as a negative of itself. (If you wish to fix this, you can invert the background as well by checking the 'Invert Background' checkbox).

- '(Disabled Apps, Too)' Checkbox
The screen will only stay inverted while running apps for which you haven't disabled the background. Checking this box will leave the screen inverted while running disabled apps as well.

- 'Invert Background' Checkbox
Checking this box will invert only the background image.

- 'Invert Backlight' Checkbox
This option will invert the current screen setting when the backlight is turned on. This allows the Palm V's backlight to illuminate the light parts of the screen instead of the dark ones.

- 'Force 2-Color Background' Checkbox
Using a deep-color background will slow screen updates slightly more than when using a 2-color background. If you prefer to use 2-color mode, checking this box will force deep-color backgrounds to be displayed in 2 colors.

If you are in 2-color mode, you will also see text displaying the current background level. (Background level is irrelevant for deep color backgrounds). You may notice that the background level value changes when you invert or uninvert the screen; Since the best value for the background level depends on whether or not the screen is inverted, Backdrop EZ saves a different value for each option. (In practice, the best background value for the inverted screen is usually one level greater (darker) than the correct value for the normal screen, though individual devices may vary - see 'BACKGROUND BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST' above for finding your screen's correct background level value).

Where To Find Background Images

There are some sample FireViewer images at the Twilight Edge Sample Images Page

If you have custom images or a link you would like to see displayed on the images page, please send in a file or URL.

Creating Your Own Backgrounds

If you have a Mac: You can use the shareware program, Graphic Converter, to save to FireViewer format.
To save to FireViewer, select 'PDB' as the format from the 'Save As...' dialog. If you are saving a 4- or 16- color image, press the 'Options' button on the dialog and make sure you have checked the box next to version 1. For black & white images, check version 0.

If you have a PC: You can use the shareware program, Fire Converter, to save to FireViewer format.
For best results, don't use the 8-color option when saving a 16-color image: Even though Backdrop only uses 8 colors for the background, images saved in 16 colors will show up better than images saved in 8 colors.

As mentioned above, the preferred size for a background is 160x160; Backdrop EZ won't read anything smaller than this. If you've created a custom background you'd like to share, please send in the image or its URL for posting on sample images page.

Registering Backdrop EZ
Backdrop EZ is shareware. If you decide to keep it, please register it. Registration will remove the 'UNREGISTERED' message in the background and also entitles you to future versions of Backdrop EZ, free of charge.
Registration is $18, and is currently only available through PalmGear H.Q. They can take orders either through their secure server online, or over the phone at (800) 741-9070.

Make sure you include your correct, case-sensitive Pilot username (this will be used to generate the registration code), and your email address.
Once your registration has been processed, you should receive your code by email within a few days. Enter the code in the registration window by selecting 'Register...' from Backdrop EZ's 'Options' menu. Please save your code, as you will need it for future versions, or if you have to reinstall Backdrop EZ after a hard reset.

Site Licenses For Organizations
Do you have a logo that you'd like to display on the screens of the members of your group, organization, or company? Backdrop EZ is available at a reduced price with your custom logo as the default background. (Custom logo version won't allow the background to be changed). You may also specify a default set of blocked applications to save your members time. Please send email for more details.

Known Incompatibilities/ Bugs
The following software is known to be incompatible with Backdrop EZ:

- Fitaly Keyboard: Keyboard won't show up when background is in place.
Workaround: Disable Backdrop EZ on apps with which you use the keyboard.

- TealEcho Hack: Graffiti won't erase properly.

- EVEdit Hack: Fatal error when using Graffiti Echo.
Workaround: Disable the Graffiti Echo (uncheck the box in the prefs)

If you find a bug, please report it, along with the following info:

- Pilot model
- System version
- Amount of free memory
- List of apps installed (if possible)
- Special options (Palm III upgrade, TRG memory card, pager card, etc.)

Version History
1.25 (11/20/00)
- Compatible with OS 3.5
- Minor bug fixes

1.2 (11/01/99)
    - Startup screen option
    - Reinstall on reset option
    - Compatible with OS 3.3
    - Updated new Twilight Edge email address in docs & about box.

1.1 (06/19/99)
    - 8-color backgrounds: Now reads 4-bit Image Viewer (now FireViewer) images
    - Faster screen drawing routines
    - Reduced memory requirements by 20K (Now 120K)
    - Fixed background shimmering on the Palm IIIx with OS 3.1.1
    - Updated new Twilight Edge homepage info in docs & app dialogs

1.0 (03/31/99)
- Initial release

Twilight Edge Software Contact Info

Twilight Edge Software Home Page
Software Support