
		//  /     /     ,----  ,----.  ,----.  ,----.
	      / /  /     /     /      /    /  /    /  /    /
	    /  /  /     /     /___   /       /____/  /    /
	  /---/  /     /     /      /  __   /\      /    /
	/    /  /     /     /      /    /  /  \    /    /
      /     /  /____ /____ /____  /____/  /    \  /____/


This file describes the grabber utility program. See allegro.txt for 
instructions on the Allegro library itself, and readme.txt for information 
about how to compile Allegro.

An Allegro data file is a bit like a .zip file in that it consists of lots 
of different pieces of data stuck together one after another. This means 
that your game doesn't have to clutter up the disk with hundreds of tiny 
files, and it makes programming easier because you can load everything with 
one Allegro function call (well actually two: load_datafile() at program 
startup and unload_datafile() when you are finished). Another benefit is 
that the file compression algorithm works much better with one large file 
than with several small ones. To create and modify data files, you must use 
the grabber utility program.

This program requires a mouse.


------------ GRABBER OPTIONS ------------

"Load":
   Surprisingly, this loads a data file into the grabber program.

"Save":
   Saves a data file. If you have checked the "pack file" button the data 
   will be compressed, which may take a while but will reduce the amount 
   of disk space required. As well as saving the data file, the grabber 
   creates a C header file with the same name as the data file (if you 
   saved x.dat it would create x.h as well) that contains the index of 
   each data item within the file. You can use these values in your 
   programs to access the data items (see the demo game for an example), 
   and this header file is also needed by the grabber's load routine to 
   figure out what each item is called.

"Import Graphics":
   Imports a graphics file into the grabber's image buffer. The 
   grabber can handle 256 color PCX files and several Atari formats 
   (NEOChrome, Degas, and Degas Compressed).

"View Graphics":
   Displays the current contents of the image buffer.

"Grab Graphics":
   Grabs a sprite, bitmap, or pallete from the image buffer into the data 
   file. Grabbing a pallete will take you straight to the pallete editing 
   screen. When you grab a sprite or bitmap you will be asked to select 
   the dimensions of the area to grab (use the left button to decrease the 
   value, the right to increase, shift-click to move in steps of 10), and 
   you can then use the mouse to select the area of the image to grab (you 
   can only grab from positions aligned in a 16x16 grid).

"Create Font":
   Creates a font, and takes you to the font editing screen.

"Import Data":
   Imports binary data. This can be anything you like: text for a 
   scroller, sound samples, map data, etc.

"Edit Item":
   Edits the currently selected item. This is the same as double-clicking 
   on an item in the list box.

"Delete Item":
   Deletes the currently selected item.

"Quit":
   I'm not going to insult your intelligence by trying to explain this.
   You wouldn't understand it anyway.


------------ PALLETE EDITOR OPTIONS ------------

At the top of the screen, you can alter the name of the pallete (which 
will be written to the C header file), and switch it between 16 and 256 
colors. In the middle of the screen you can select specific colors and 
alter their red, green and blue components (right and left mouse buttons, 
shift to move in steps of 10), and at the bottom of the screen you can 
select the pallete, which means that it will be used when you export 
and view sprite or bitmap data.


------------ SPRITE/BITMAP EDITOR OPTIONS ------------

You can alter the name of the sprite/bitmap, switch it between 16 and 256 
colors, view it (using the currently selected pallete), or export it (also 
using the current pallete) to a PCX, NEOChrome, or Degas file.


------------ FONT EDITOR OPTIONS ------------

The entire alphabet is displayed in the middle of the screen. Click on a 
character to select it, then alter pixels in the grid by clicking with the 
left (to set) or right (to clear) mouse buttons.


------------ DATA ITEM EDITOR OPTIONS ------------

This is the simplest of the lot. You can have a look at an ascii display 
of the start of the data, and you can export it to a file.



By Shawn Hargreaves,
1 Salisbury Road,
Market Drayton,
Shropshire,
England TF9 1AJ
email slh100@tower.york.ac.uk (until 1996)
